Homura Akemi stared at the machine with a glint of loathing. She scanned the item in her hand once more in hopes that if she repeated the action enough times, she'd eventually get a different outcome. It didn't work, and the self-checkout machine displayed the words "Unable to scan item. Please try again".

She considered her options. She could check out regularly, with one of the human cashiers. Though that was something she had wanted to avoid, considering the item she was trying to purchase. A book with the blaring title of "MOVE ON, YOU HOPELESS LOSER: for Dummies" across the cover. She'd rather replace the item on the shelf and leave the store altogether than suffer whatever silent judgement a cashier would surely pass during a quick transaction.

She tried scanning the item just one more time.

"What, is that useless thing broken again?" The annoyed voice nearly made Homura jump out of her skin and she clutched the book to her chest. A redhead wearing a nametag that identified her as an employee approached, grumbling. Kyouko- which Homura assumed to be her name based on the nametag- leaned over the checkout machine, her eyebrows furrowed together. "This happens sometimes. Hang on, I'll fix it." She crouched in front of the thing and proceeded to unlock the lower portion to peer at the mechanics. She glanced at Homura with a bored expression. "You can checkout over there." She gestured to one of the registers.

"I'd rather wait," Homura said, the volume of her voice subdued.

The employee popped her gum and shrugged. "Suit yourself!"

Homura stood aside while eyeing the other woman. Just a few minutes earlier the very same redhead had been stocking the shelf that contained the book she wanted. Which had made Homura loiter awkwardly around the aisle for several minutes waiting for her to leave. When Kyouko was finished up, Homura accidentally caught her gaze and the redhead had smirked at her.

"That book isn't very helpful, you know." The voice caught her by surprise a second time, making her clutch the book tighter to her chest.

"Excuse me?" her voice echoed with hollow knee-jerk offense.

Kyouko's head was half inside the machine, but her voice was casual. "Your book. It kinda sucks," she repeated. "Move On, You Hopeless Loser. Am I right?" Kyouko peered over at her with an amused smile. Homura pressed her lips together and she looked down in embarrassment. This was exactly what she had wanted to avoid, so she refused to acknowledge the inquiry. Kyouko went back to tinkering with the machine.

"Figured as much. Saw you looking at it. I've read the whole 300 somethin' pages myself, but the advice pretty much boils down to 'life sucks so get over it'. Coulda figured that out myself." She stuck with a conversational tone, though there was an underlying strain to it.

The touch of bitterness in her voice prompted Homura to renew appraising the other woman. She had her hair tied up in a messy ponytail, several earrings on both ears, and a sleeve of tattoos. "You don't look like the reading type," she observed aloud.

The employee laughed briefly. "I'm really not! But I was, uh… Well, you know."

"Desperate," Homura finished for her, not as a question.

Kyouko loudly smacked her gum, chewing increasing in vigor. "Something like that." She straightened up and gave the machine a pat. "Alright, lets give this hunk of junk another try."

Homura gave her a dubious look before stepping next to the woman. When prompted she scanned the book no longer hiding against her chest now that the secret was out.

"Unable to scan item. Please try again"

"Oh c'mon," Kyouko's agitated voice matched Homura's rising frustration. "Try again! No, not like that, you have to flick your wrist, give it a little attitude. No no no, gimme that thing." Kyouko held out her hand for the book, and Homura quirked a brow at her before handing it over. Kyouko took the liberty of scanning the item herself, much the same way Homura had earlier despite her complaints.

"Unable to scan item. Please t-"

"Are you kidding me?" Kyouko sounded honestly flabberghasted that her special attitude scanning didn't work. She gave the thing a smack, and then another harder one. "Work, you garbage can!"

"Unable to--"

"Screw this thing," Kyouko muttered under her breath, rolling up her sleeves. Homura assumed she was going to try and fix it again.

"It's okay, I'll just check this out normally," Homura tried to say, but was interrupted when Kyouko up and drop kicked the hell out of the self-checkout machine. Her eyes widened in surprise at the unpredicted action.

"Nah, I got this. This is a fixin' technique," Kyouko huffed out, smashing the side with her leg. Was her leg made out of steel or something?

Homura glanced around her quickly, though the store was thankfully empty save for another employee that was giving Kyouko a withering look. This probably wasn't the first time she's done something like this. "Are you crazy?" Homura asked, quite serious.

"Probably!" Kyouko responded with a grin, clearly enjoying herself. She jerked her head at the machine. "How about you help me out?"

"What."

"Give this piece of crap a piece of your mind," Kyouko suggested. "C'mon, it'll work. Maybe."

Homura shook her head. "You're out of your mind."

"And we have the same taste in literature," Kyouko retorted, still grinning. She tuned her savagery down a notch on her smile, her eyes more understanding than her actions let on. "Why the hell not, we're desperate, right?"

Homura blinked at the other woman before turning her gaze against the machine. She hesitated before tapping the device with her toe.

"I think you tickled it."

Homura tapped it a little harder with her other foot.

"Yeah, get it!" Kyouko encouraged, kicking the machine herself. Homura gained a little confidence and kicked it again, then again. Before she knew it they were both thrashing the hell out of the thing, much to the shock of any passing shopper. At this point Homura was beyond caring, even using the book she was trying to purchase to whack the self-checkout across the top. They were both breathless and nearly missed the 'ping' of the machine.

"Item successfully scanned!"

Homura threw her hands up in victory before she even realized what she was doing and rapidly lowered her hands again.

"It worked, what the hell," Kyouko laughed breathlessly in disbelief. It prompted Homura to give a hint of a sheepish smile. Kyouko held up her hand for a high five, which Homura lightly batted away, flustered.

"On second thought," Homura said quietly, giving the book a once-over. "I don't think I need this after all." She held the book out to the employee, who took it back with an approving look.

She hit the 'cancel' button on the machine for Homura. "Thank god. You know there's a section that suggests using voodoo to get over your ex?"

Homura raised a brow at that and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Definitely don't need it."

"Yeah." Kyouko's eyes followed the way Homura brushed her bangs aside, and they suddenly felt very aware of one another. "So, uh," Kyouko scratched the back of her neck for a moment before she reached into her pocket. "Want one?" she asked, displaying an open pack of gum.

Homura wasn't a gum chewer, but she accepted the offer anyway. "Thank you."