She observes the peculiar young woman with a curious tilt of her eyebrow. Nearly one hour has passed since this particular customer has crossed the threshold that leads into the big store, Delphine is sure of it. The moment she catches a glimpse of dreadlocked hair, she has been zeroing every five minutes on the brunette. And, despite the vision being far from unpleasant, that's not exactly why the blonde's eyes continue to search for her. This is an upscale establishment, the price tags on the items in display are perverse enough to make ones eyes pop out of their sockets and the likes of the colorfully dressed woman, presently checking a selection of perfumes, are unusual if not practically non-existent.
During the three-hour training Delphine had undergo to be a store clerk in the holiday's season, the coordinator had been adamant about the type of clientele to be expected, which certainly does not include much of an eclectic crowd. That is why Delphine's keeping an eye on the girl; she has trouble written all over her.
Although, to be perfectly honest, by now Delphine's sure that this woman isn't here to snatch something into the purse casually dangling from her shoulder. Aren't they suppose to be subtle? To take as little time as possible in selecting something and make a dash for the door? Wander around the store for one hour does not fit the MO. With a sigh, Delphine moves away from the counter and heads towards the girl, who has also caught the attention of the store security, the big man watches her every move.
"May I help you?" Delphine asks, standing a few steps behind the girl.
The customer gasps, startled and turns around, bright eyes behind thick frames inspect the clerk top to bottom before a large smile stretches her lips. "Oh... Hi!" The brunette says between a toothy grin, but that's all she says, after the thorough inspection her gaze finally settled on Delphine's eyes.
The blonde waits with thin patience for something more. Not used to have customers engage with her so directly, instead of being immediately treated like a servant, the intense eye contact is leaving her slightly unsettled, the big smile the brunette is showing raises to her incredibly acute stare, which smooths around the edges and has the clerk completely charmed. Now, Delphine would be lying if she didn't admit that, despite the slight embarrassment anyone experiences when being so keenly observed by a stranger, it also causes a sudden surge of warmth growing in her chest and judging by the heat she's feeling, it also brings a bright color to her cheeks. No, the attention is not entirely unwelcome, but it would be nice if the petite woman says something else.
"Are you looking for something specific?" Delphine tries again, a small step goes in the customer's direction and she has to bend her head not to disengage.
"Oh... yes... Yes!" She nods, the few dreadlocks that are loosen from the bun bounce a little. "Well... not exactly," the young woman adds, her shoulders sinking.
Delphine frowns in confusion, even if there's a small smile forcing its way to her lips. "Which is it?"
The girl laughs. "I need a Christmas gift..." and she stops, not offering any other information.
A brow cocks and the blonde wrinkles her nose. "I thought as much, seeing as it's that time of the year."
"Well... yeah... obvs," the small woman crosses her ankles, bracelets jingle in her arms as she starts to float them around. "But I don't really know what to get."
"And who will be receiving this Christmas gift?" Delphine asks in order to help.
"My girlfriend," the reply comes quickly and in a small voice.
"I see..." the clerk finally withdraws from the costumer's stare, not really interested in addressing the mild disappointment twisting her gut. "Perfume is a good option," she says, moving to the side of the small woman and aiming her hand at the large display of small bottles.
"Yeah..." the brunette agrees slowly, "but, like, don't you think it's a bit weird? Like: hey, this is how I want you to smell."
Delphine tries to control her laughter because this is not exactly the type of venue where the clerks are suppose to look like they're enjoying themselves. "Not if you buy a bottle of the perfume she usually wears."
"Yes," the other woman laughs also, a much freer sound. "But I would need to know which one that is." Delphine raises a singular brow and arms start to fly all over the place again. "We haven't been going out that long," she offers a justification for some reason.
"Okay," Delphine turns on her heels to look around the big store. "Perhaps something else, then."
Help customers pick gifts goes beyond her responsibilities and it's not like Delphine is usually interested in doing so, but the quirky character looks utterly lost - and totally adorable - so she decides to make an exception. Even if it's to help an incredibly alluring girl select a Christmas present to her girlfriend. She scans the options available: there's the never-ending collection of makeup, shampoos, bodywash and miracle creams; then there's the selection of lingerie and sleeping clothes in general.
"What about a pijama?" She suggests. "Surely you know her size."
"I can guess..." the girl confirms and starts to walk towards the clothing area. "But that's not exactly sexy: here, have some pj's..." she continues to chat casually, her hands a constant flow of erratic motions that somehow makes sense. "Sounds like the type of gift her grandma would give her."
Delphine finds herself following the girl, who doesn't the stop to check that she's not left talking alone, as if assuming the clerk would join her by the pajamas rack. There's certainly a large selection to choose from, ranging from the comfortable, warm flannel to the flimsy, silky ones that really don't achieve in warming or covering much. The brunette eyes them carefully, a loose dreadlock twirling on a finger while the other hand reaches out to test the softness of the fabrics.
"If you want sexy, then a lingerie would be a good choice," Delphine says distractedly, looking at her right side where said items are on display.
"Only if you don't mind modeling them for me," the young woman mumbles.
The blonde's head snaps in the customer's direction, who suddenly opens her eyes wide with a startled expression on her face, apparently as surprised by her own statement as Delphine.
"Shit... did I say that out loud?" She says quickly, her body shifts to face Delphine and her arms wave energetically between them. "I'm sorry! Shit! That's totally inappropriate," she apologizes in a quick stream of words. "Sometimes there's no link between my brain and my mouth and I say stupid stuff. Please, could you just ignore..."
And it is absolutely, completely inappropriate. Delphine should be shocked, offended even, she should immediately spin on the balls of her feet and head back to her post, leave the customer to her own devices. She should, but she won't. Instead Delphine surprises herself by suppressing a giggle at the flustered girl's lame excuses, her hand moving forward to lay a soothing touch on the other woman's shoulder.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm afraid they don't allow us to do that," she leans her head and whispers in a conspiratorial tone.
The girl grins widely, her hands stop mid-air and her big, brown eyes, which have been avoiding direct contact during her tirade, settle on the clerk's gaze. "Yeah... didn't think they would," she chuckles, "but I'm still sorry for even suggesting it."
Delphine pulls back, her arm returns to the side of her body and, suddenly realizing what she's doing, gives one step back to put some distance between the two of them. She can't be doing this. Flirting with the customers is definitely not in the job's description; flirting with a customer who has a girlfriend is even worse.
"I'm not sure I can help you," Delphine puts up her best professional voice, distancing herself. Sure, she knows that the change on her demeanor is noticeably abrupt and can be wrongly interpreted, but... priorities. "Why don't you try a bookstore or something like that?"
The expression on the other woman's face falls visibly and Delphine thinks she can see a hint of disappointment flash through bright eyes, thus confirming that the sudden drop of friendliness as not gone unnoticed.
"Are you really encouraging me to take my business elsewhere?"
"Non, non, non," she shakes her head so violently that a few blonde curls find freedom from the hairband. "I'm merely saying that you probably won't find what you're looking for here," Delphine says in a much conciliatory tone, realizing that perhaps she has been too blunt before.
"Too bad, I thought I already did," the brunette murmurs and before Delphine has time to ask her what she meant by that, the girl is walking away, head hanging low while she crosses the door into the large mall.