[Innocent, Surprise]
Draco was still asleep when I looked in on him the next morning. I could barely feel magical fields, and couldn’t even imagine creating one then filling it with magic like it was some kind of balloon.
Then I looked for McCracken and Gigi but they must have already left for the day. So she found Opal having a bowl of cereal while Doug played a cartoon for her.
“Did Ruby leave work already sweetie?”
“Mmm, Yes Rose.”
“I guess we should head to work ourselves, after your cartoon ends. How long Doug?”
“Four minutes and thirty one seconds, Rose.”
The gate guards waved us through as they dealt with the line of merchants entering the city. The sky was overcast, but otherwise it was a fine day for a walk to work. We arrived just as Sparky was getting ready to leave.
“Junior apprentice please keep an eye on the senior apprentice, I have an appointment this morning. Hopefully I’ll be back in a little while.”
Opal went to work on her latest drawing. I walked over and asked for a peek, it was an extremely detailed drawing of the book store. I told her what a beautiful drawing it was, then let her get back to work on it. If she sticks to drawing the book store and somehow falls or gets sucked into the picture she’ll just wind up in a different area of the bookstore.
I continued walking around the store, straightening a book here and there and reshelving books that had been returned to the wrong spot. I didn’t have to do it, the store itself would tidy up and reshelve out of order books. But I didn’t feel like writing this morning and staring out the window as the gray clouds floated by just seemed too indulgent.
So instead I wandered the aisles and daydreamed. I thought back to the day I’d met Lu in the forest. I’d fallen and cut myself. Lu came running to my aid, first she protected me from a wolf pack, then she cleaned my wound and carried me home. She has been taking care of me ever since. She really took care of me last night, that bath together and of course that led to some wonderful ravishing. She really is the woman of my dreams.
I should do something nice for her but what that’s the question. She has a secret, she can’t share yet. Maybe after she can tell me, I’ll know what more clearly I can do for her. I wonder if Nim could teach me to make beer. Now that would surprise her, we could do it in Juliet’s world or even an empty room in the tower. But she might walk into an empty room she’d never wander into Juliet’s barn and I could author any beer making equipment I need. I should ask Doug for a book on beer making.
“Why don’t you just ask me Rose?”
“Hello, who has been reading my thoughts, I’ve spoken to everyone in the village. I grant them their privacy and in turn are supposed to respect mine. Especially when it comes to reading my thoughts. That’s worse than just watching what I am doing. If you are new and just wandered into the village, welcome but there are rules. I’m afraid I insist you speak to Juliet and let her know what you did, do I make myself clear. Juliet is in charge of the village; she is after all the main character of Juliet’s World.”
“I’m not from the village Rose, I’m Enigmatic Parchments, it’s my job to read your mind, to help you find the perfect book.”
“You mean you are the book store and you can read my mind.”
“Yes, Rose, can I help you find a book on beer making?”
“Were you reading my mind before when I was thinking about my girlfriend and what we did last night.”
“Yes Rose, I can recommend some wonderful books on the subject, the Kama Sutra, Good Vibrations Guide to Sex, Guide to Lesbian Sex these are just a few, if you want to be more specific about what you and your partner enjoy I could perhaps find more relevant books on the subject.”
“No I don’t want any sex recommendations, please don’t read my mind, it’s an invasion of my privacy.”
“But Rose it’s my job and you have your privacy, I would never reveal either your thoughts or any of the books I’d suggested to you to anyone else. That would be unethical.”
“Well I’m Juliet’s author so I need to know the kind of books you advised her on.”
“Rose, I just got done telling you how unethical that would be. If you truly desire that information, you, her author, will need to look into her mind on your own. I’m sorry. So did you want any more information on sex manuals? I’m here to help.”
“I was just testing you on Juliet, and no I don’t want any sex manuals. What I want is for you to promise that if I ever start to think about sex in the shop that you will immediately stop reading my mind. It’s unlikely that’ll happen ever again, as sex is now off the table for the rest of my life.”
“Rose, you quite often reminisce of your sexual encounters with Lu. I think that your memories or daydreams are very pleasurable to you, you seem to think of them multiple times a day. I don’t know why you would consider giving up something that clearly brings you such joy.”
“Because it’s private, it should only be me that knows what or if or when such encounters happen. So promise me you’ll stop reading my mind.”
“I can’t do that Rose, I wouldn’t be doing my job.”
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“Alright answer this then. I’ve been working here for months. Why did you finally reveal yourself to me today, instead of months ago?”
“Today was the first day that you actually thought about getting a book for yourself. Which I thought was odd because you’re an author. Authors are usually voracious readers and you don’t seem to read at all.”
“No, I read all the time, I have a huge TBR pile next to the bed. Mostly paperback romances, which Doug kindly provides.”
“Who have you been reading lately?”
“Kate Archer, she writes hilarious regency romances. Usually when I think of regency romances I think how confined their society was, so many rules. So easy to step out of line. Throw in some endearing odd ball characters who either don’t care about the rules or just don’t understand them. They are great books, but I’ve been so busy lately I really haven’t had much time to read. Which is a shame.”
“I think you like sex with your girlfriend more than reading. What if I were to tell you that you could combine the two. I could propose some spicy books to you and you could read them to your girlfriend.”
“No we could never do that, we do read to each other, but never books with sex scenes, that would just be way too embarrassing. Nope we can’t do that.”
“But you’re already so intimate and this would just deepen that intimacy, keep things fresh, stop it from getting stale and vanilla.”
“What you think it’s stale, vanilla, what makes you think that? Does Lu think that? Come on answer me, I don’t want the love of my life getting bored with me. Is she bored with me? Oh this is worse than Juliet and the sagging breasts comment, I’m going to obsess over this now for weeks. Come on answer me, is Lu going to dump me?”
“Relax Rose, I said keep things fresh, a preventive measure, not something you are in immediate danger from. I could give you a really spicy romance book. You could read it in the backroom all by yourself and see if it’s something that you and Lu could read together. You’ve got nothing to lose, how about a really spicy werewolf romance, that’ll really push your boundaries. See what else is out there.”
“Okay, I guess you're right, I’ve got nothing to lose, and if it brings Lu and I closer together, that would be wonderful.”
“Alright Rose that is the spirit, here try this one it’s super spicey, bring a fan to keep cool while you read it levels of heat. Psycho Alpha has magic, werewolves and everything. I hope you love it.”
I went into the back room and looked at the cover, usually romances have a couple on the cover in somewhat suggestive poses, much of the time. But this cover was just a woman standing alone, but the expression on her face was pure ecstasy. Stars, she has sex with the bad boy in the third paragraph. It goes on for four pages. She has sex with him again on the tenth page; it goes on for five pages. I’m getting more and more embarrassed as I read on the twentieth page they begin to have sex again and three pages in a neighbor rings the bell. Two pages later the three of them head to the bedroom together. I close the book, I wait for my face to cool down before going back into the shop.
“Well, did you love it, Rose?”
“No I’m sorry that really isn’t my cup of tea, no offence to people that enjoy it I want a lot more romance and a lot less fluids.”
“Would you like to try something a little less spicy?”
“No, not today I don’t think. I decided that maybe what I should do instead of worrying about something that may or may not be a problem, is to talk to Lu about it. See if we need books or manuals or ancient religious texts. I’m an atheist so I’d say no to the ancient religious text just on principle. The other stuff I’m ok with if Lu wants it.”
“Well how about a book on beer making, you weren’t just thinking about sex, Rose.”
“I was thinking about that, thinking about sex thing. I want a promise, if I happen to forget that you are reading my thoughts and they stray to sex. I want an immediate book suggestion. Will you agree to that?”
“Sure if that’s what you want, it might be a bit premature, I won’t know what you’re looking for.”
“No, no you won’t and that is the way I want to keep it, and I’d like you to do the same thing to Lu too.”
“Well Lu would have to ask me too, I can’t change the suggestion system for another user without their input, it just wouldn’t be right.”
“Don’t worry, I’m making an announcement at the next book club meeting that you’re reading everyone's thoughts. Knowing Juliet, she’ll be coming to you for suggestions.”
“Well most of them already know, as I do make recommendations to most of them.”
“Great friends, you’d think someone would have mentioned it to me.”
“Rose, I’m sure they assumed that you knew, you do work here. You are an author. You would think that you thought about books at some point of your day, but you never have before today.”
“That’ll have to be my Yule resolution to not only read more but to think about books in the shop. It’s just when I’m writing I don’t think about reading. For me writing is all about getting the story out, not getting another story in.”
“That actually makes sense Rose, maybe that’s why you never think about reading in the book store because you are here to write.”
“I’ll take that book on beer making. I’d still like to do something nice for my girlfriend.”
“Here you go Rose, a nice introduction to home brewing.”
I went into the back room and dayreamed about making Lu the best beer of her life.
