Mithril Academy General Store

Dante Hicks, The cranky but reliable clerk from the "Clerks" universe, has been given a job that he hates even more the last job he had...Head of the general store at Mithril Academy (*which is his boss appointed him to as noted in his app intro*). This thread (like the medical office thread) covers his adventures (or most likely mis-adventures) at his new job. Same clerk, different place! XD
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"(*sigh*) I can't believe the boss is making me do this...." Dante said to himself as he unlocked the door and walked into his new job. He turned on the lights and saw what was on the shelves, most of it being a mix of usual general store fare (food and other things like pens), school clothes, textbooks and plenty of notebooks. However, he also noticed a locked, see-through box in the corner of the store that sold what looked like supplies for weapons right next to some first-aid items. "Oh great, I feel safe here already." He said sarcastically. Dante eventually made his way to the register and sat behind it... "At least this place is bit more low maintenance..." He thought. Dante sat there for a few minutes before becoming bored and folding his arms. He was half-expecting that his former co-worker, Randall, would walk in and start asking him about some inane thought or completely stupid plan of his. Unfortunately, he didn't work with him anymore now that's he's been moved here. "I can't believe I miss him now." Dante said before slumping over the counter.

Kaname stepped into the school's general store, the bell chiming along to her entrance. She needed to pick up a couple of things after that week's training. One of the instructor's had thought it might be funny to run an emergency drill in the middle of academics, and she had ripped up her regular uniform in the process. This was the first chance she had to replace it, having to re-wear one of her spares far more often than she cared, but never getting the chance to launder it, either.

After using the pistol Sousuke used in training, she had decided she liked his Glock far more than the Sig Sauers that were kept on hand for all the students. There were a few other model pistols as well, but none of them had appealed to her as much as the Sig, and then the Glock was such a drastic difference that she felt it was worth it to pick up her own. She had earned enough in the side-jobs that the Academy ran for them, and they encouraged students to pick up their own gear with the money. It was time to do just that.

The uniform could wait, that would take all of two seconds to grab. She was dressed casually, a short white denim skirt, a pink off-the-shoulder blouse, tall white socks, and a pair of platformed pink-and-white chucks. Her hair was pulled over one shoulder, a sakura-blossom clip behind the ear on the opposite side. She looked like the very last kind of girl to want anything to do with firearms. Walking up to the counter where the clerk stood, she smiled sweetly in greeting and nodded her head towards the weapons case, "I need a Glock."

"Join the club." Dante muttered as he heard the customer's request. "I'd like one too." Suddenly, he remembered that the store sold bullets and the girl made a request for what sounded like a gun and... well let's just say 2 and 2 connected in his head and shot up off of the counter. "Wait a minute I sell guns now?! What kind of a freaking job have I been shoved into here?! What school sells guns for pete sakes?!" He asked no one in particular loudly.

Kaname blinked at his initial comment, strumming her fingers on the counter in mild agitation. Great, she thought bitterly, a clerk with an attitude problem. She, rather famously on school grounds by now, did poorly with people whose personalities clashed with hers, and she was about to get smart with him until he blurted out his surprise at selling weapons. Sighing, she closed her eyes and shook her head, muttering under her breath, "This school loves hiring people that have no idea what they're getting into..." Squaring back her shoulders, she forced the smile back on her face and pointed over to a door behind the ammo cases that lead to where all the firearms were kept for browsing, "Yup. You do. So, about that Glock...? I'm looking for a 4th gen G19."

She wished that Sousuke were there to help her pick out the gun. She knew what she was looking for, he certainly talked about it enough, but that didn't mean she didn't want him there. After all, it was her first personal firearm purchase. He'd be proud of her, she thought, and it would have been nice to share the moment with him. Or, you know, something. Any excuse to spend more time with him, really.

"Oh, you're buying a gun?" Canaan asked from a short distance behind Kaname. The albino arab girl had just come into the store to pick up a package of the sticks of sugar candy that she constantly seemed to have in her mouth. Despite the fact it was an off day she was still dressed in the academy's standard dark blue girl's uniform.

Stepping up to the till, Canaan placed the package of sugar candies and a handful of change on the counter.

"I'd like to buy these please," she informed Dante. She then turned her attention back to Kaname.

"Glocks are pretty good pistols. They're not as mechanically accurate as the standard issue Sig Sauers, but they're lighter and easier to shoot rapid fire, plus the stock magazines generally hold more rounds. They don't point naturally for me though. I usually use a Beretta."

Kaname turned and looked at Canaan, not having realized the girl was in the store. She nodded at the question, stepping aside when she went up to the counter with her purchase. What she said was nothing of surprise to her, familiar with both weapons as she now was. She shrugged and smiled tightly at the unwarranted commentary, "I know the Sigs are technically heavier, but the Glock feels heavier in the hand in a good way. I used Sousuke's, and the grip fits my hand much better than the Sig. The weight is balanced in a way that makes aiming more intuitive, and I actually like the extra kick-back from the shorter barrel." She laughed quietly and tapped her fingers on the counter as she waited, wanting to get her gun and uniform and then get to fun, seeing as how it was their one day off a week. "Well," she shrugged again and grinned ruefully, "there wouldn't be so many different kinds of guns if everyone looked for the same thing in one, right?"

"OK, well if you ladies will follow me to this gun room that I supposedly have. I'll grab her item and do both of your purchases." Dante replied as he grabbed the keys to open the door and walked over to the room's entrance. "I supposed I should be happy that a school is selling these because I don't have to theorize about whether I'm charging someone money to basically come back and commit armed robbery..." he added as he opened the door. After he opened the door, he walked in a bit and then turned around, "um...What's your name and which gun did you want again?" He said as turned towards Kaname.

Kaname nodded and followed the shopkeep, shaking her head at his comment about armed robbery. "Believe me, no one would be stupid enough to try to do that here. They wouldn't just get expelled or arrested... They'd probably get dead, with the way the rest of us would react." Entering the room after him, she glanced around and realized the guns had been reorganized since the last time she had been there, "Ah, it's the Glock 19. Fourth generation."

"Oh right, your boyfriend's gun... How did I forget that?" He replied as walked in to find it. Dante returned a few minutes later with a brown box that contained the gun Kaname wanted. He locked the door and returned to his position behind the counter. "OK, so that will be $1.50 for the candy and $530 for the gun. Would either of you like anything else?" He asked after totaling their separate purchases.

Kaname shifted her weight at the 'boyfriend' comment. While she understood he meant that he thought she was buying a gun for her non-existent boyfriend, the fact was that she was buying the exact same gun that her crush used. Fighting against embarrassment, she shook her head quickly and blurted out, "The gun is for me! I don't have a boyfriend!" Huffing, she crossed her arms over her chest and looked over to where the uniforms were. "I need a new uniform!" she shouted with equal vehemence and stalked over to them quickly so that no one could see how red her face was becoming. One of these days, she thought to herself, she would actually get to say 'yes' to the boyfriend comments.

Maybe.

"Geez, what's her problem." Dante said after Kaname exploded at him and stormed off to the uniforms. He didn't understand she freaked out over the fact that he had mentioned this Sousuke fellow as a boyfriend, what was he then exactly? He quickly realized he had another customer that he needed tohelp as well and turned back to Canaan, "Anyways, is there anything else you want? or an explanation that you can give on that outburst?" He asked her.

Canaan shrugged.

"Oh, she always reacts like that whenever someone implies that Sousuke is her boyfriend. I'm not really sure why, because she clearly loves him. I can tell by her color. Oh, and I'd like a box of 168grain Sierra Match Kings and a package of IMR 3031 powder if you have them in stock. I want to load some ammo for sniping practice."

"Huh how weird..." Dante responded. "Yeah, I think I saw those in that glass box for over there. I'll grab some for you." He continued before leaving to grab Canaan's requested items. After a few minutes, he returned with the two items, rang them up and told her the total. "You know she's the first person I've seen do that. Usually the people I know are very open about their relationships. I still wonder why she's like that?" Dante told Canaan.

Hana hadn't been to the general store since her arrival, but decided it was worth checking out when she heard about what was on sale. She had a good chunk of change available from past work prior to her arrival at the school with no place to spend it since she was provided for in that period anyway.

She walked over to the man and made her inquiry. "Hi. Do you have any lower receivers for a Magpul Masada? And I mean not five five six since I obviously already have that."

Zooming around the corner and through the open door, Kurz came to a skidding halt, his eyes darting around the store for anything that could give him an adequate hiding spot quickly. Not finding anything else, he literally leapt and dove over the cashier's counter, flying passed what he guessed was a very surprised clerk. Finally tumbling on the hard tile floor, he sat up and crunched himself up into as small a figure as he could get before looking up at the Clerk with wide eyes. Dropping his speech down to a loud whisper, he put his finger in front of his mouth, trying to pass on the idea of keeping quiet. "Shh! If Sousuke asks, tell him I ran past you to the stairwell! Just do it, and I'll buy something before I leave!"

Dante was about to answer Hana's question before the blonde man ran into his store and then jumped the counter (with Dante jumping out of the way of him). Suddenly, the man told him that he was hiding from the guy that Kaname had recently mentioned. "Wait a minute, who the heck are you and why are you behind my counter?" Dante asked Kurz. "And what the heck is the big deal with this Sousuke guy? I swear you are the third person to mention him." Dante continued to ask him before realizing he forgot his other paying customer. "I have no clue what you're talking about but whatever may be in the weapons case in the back, take a look and If you see them then I'll grab them for ya." Dante told Hana.

"SHHH! Seriously, act like I'm not here for like three minutes and then I'll get out of your hair! Just say you saw me run to the stairs! PLEASE!" His hand still covered by the single pointing finger, he waved his other in front of him erratically. Sousuke was likely to show up any second, and here this guy was acting like he'd never played a game of Cops and Robbers in his life! Granted they weren't playing Cops and Robbers exactly, but the premise was the same! They'd decided to add some flavor to the game, and instead were calling it 'Burn Notice', after one of their recently discovered favorite tv shows. Instead of the cop chasing down the robber, Sousuke, or for game purposes 'Michael Westin', was trying to chase down himself, who was playing the part of 'Management', or the people who had the information Michael wanted to find out regarding why he was burned. Once 'Michael' finally caught up to and caught 'Management', they would switch, and so on until they got too tired to do so anymore or until they found something better to do.

"I swear I'll buy something, ......or, or something! Just don't say I'm here!" Grabbing a nearby magazine, he opened it up and spread it over his head. It was lame, but he was desperate! He had been able to avoid Sousuke catching him for almost twenty minutes! That was a new record! If he could keep it up for at least another ten, then he could call it a personal freaking victory!

Kaname blinked as Kurz bolted into the shop, watching him dive behind the counter. If they weren't as close as they were, she might not have recognized the blur rushing past. She heard him mention Sousuke from his hiding spot, and she hoped the other boy wouldn't be far behind. Pulling a replacement uniform off the rack, she glanced towards the counter and spoke into the air, though obviously enough to her friend, the words were directed at him, "What are those boys getting themselves up to today?"

"Kaname?" Hearing the voice break through the blood rush from the chase, Kurz poked his head up just enough to see over the edge of the counter, still holding the magazine over his head. "Kaname! Come on babe! Vouch for me! Tell them I'm coo-SHIT!" Hearing the sound of rushed steps outside the store, he quickly ducked down and squeezed himself back into a ball in the corner. 'PleasepleasepleasepleasePLEASE Kaname!!! Don't give me away! I only need another nine minutes before I win this round!!!'

Bolting down the hallway, Sousuke caught the edge of the General store door as he skidded to a stop. His breathing labored, he did a quick visual scan of the store, stopping immediately once he saw blond, though disappointed when he realized that it wasn't Kurz's hair. Finally 'seeing' the rest of the store and who was in it, Sousuke stopped and righted himself. If Kurz wasn't here, then he was steadily getting farther away, though if he was here somewhere, then it would only be a matter of time. "Ah, afternoon Chidori. I don't suppose you might have seen Kurz run by here in the last few minutes would you?"

Kaname blinked over at Kurz, a slight shake of her head at his absurd behavior. The door opened soon after, and she looked over at Sousuke when he entered, a small smile turning up the corner of her lips, and a faint blush staining her cheeks. It didn't go unnoticed by her that the only person in the room who was unaware of her affections for him, now, was the very object of them. "Ah, hey, Sousuke. Why are you looking for him?" She would have her answer. Her boys were getting up to fun without her, and that was unacceptable!

"Uh yes, of course. You see, when we didn't find you in your room, Kurz and I thought you might have gone to study with Nami or Tessa. We had been watching a few recently aired episodes of Burn notice that we had missed due to having to get in some extra practice with Mao, but after catching up we realized that we were still bored. So we decided to play a game, but since we are obviously a bit too old for 'Cops and Robbers' we decided to call it 'Burn Notice'. I am 'Michael Westin', and I am chasing down Kurz, or 'Management', to find out why I was burned. After I catch him, we switch. We really didn't think that we'd be at it for too long, so we just decided to keep it up until we either got too tired to keep running, or we got bored." Taking a breath after his explanation, he reached up and rubbed at the back of his neck. The two boys were currently on their third round of the game, and Sousuke was only glad that the two of them had decided to wear dark colored shirts, as they were both now very sweaty from exertion. A shower before lights out was definitely in order, or at least a quick stop over at the pool. Anything to get the sweat off of them before crashing for the night.

Leaning up against one of the racks for a moment, Sousuke tried evening out his breathing, meeting her eyes once more before running a hand through his hair. "So, as I inquired earlier, have you seen Kurz or know of where he got to by any chance?"

Covering her mouth with her fist, Kaname ducked her head and peered at Sousuke through her bangs. Oh, she did so love athletics classes with him, and now here he was, off hours, looking every bit as amazing as he did on the fields.

And there were still witnesses keeping her from being able to thoroughly admire him.

She coughed into her fist in mild embarrassment, setting the uniform back on the rack to grab in a moment. Pulling out her handkerchief, she walked up to him and dabbed the sweat away from his forehead so it wouldn't drip into his eyes, holding his bangs out of the way with her other hand. Pouting up at him as she tucked the cloth square back into its plastic pouch then into her pocket, she gave him sorrowful puppy-dog eyes, "You guys always get up to the fun stuff when I'm not around. A perfect excuse to act like Fi and set random improvised explosives, and you leave me out of it!"

Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked away from him in a huff, flapping her hand dismissively towards the blond's cover. "'Management' is hiding behind the counter," she said coldy, walking back over to the rack of clothes to grab her uniform once more. She wasn't nearly as upset about being left out as she was acting, but sometimes she liked to make him sweat a little.

"BABE!!!"

"Thank you."

"SHIT-!" Since Sousuke didn't have to try getting over a counter without the benefit of gaining speed to help, Kurz was literally a sitting duck....or a standing one since he had stood and was currently looking like a deer in the headlights of a eighteen wheeler. Dashing over, Sousuke leaped up onto the counter and grabbed Kurz in a headlock before he could have any hope of dodging, not that he had many places to go except down from where he stood, but since his hiding spot was now exposed, it would have been a useless effort anyway. Pounding the counter three times with his hand to indicate his acceptance of losing that round, Sousuke let go of his friends neck, sliding off the counter to stand on the other side. "Dammit....seriously Kaname!? What the hell! I thought you said you'd never throw a friend under the bus!"

"It's only a game Kurz..."

"I was literally five minutes away from avoiding your reach for an entire half hour! That has to be some kind of record or something!"

"I believe this is usually the time you would tell me to 'quit my bitching'. You did well while you lasted."

"UGH!!" Slumping against the counter, Kurz didn't try to hide the pout on his face. He had been so close to victory....so close, yet so far...."Sie beide hassen mich,… das ich es kenne!"

Kaname watched from the corner of her eye as Sousuke ignored her to capture Kurz. Sighing, she stepped up beside him and ignored him in return, setting the uniform down on the counter and looking at the clerk. "I'm ready to pay for my gun and my uniform," she announced, her agitation rising.