RWBY Shorts
Book Trade
The hour is late as the door swings open, announcing the entry of a customer into the shop. Even from the back room, he could hear it happen. He continued to sort the books, not disturbed in the least by the distraction. It happened all the time. People came in, look around, and left without buying anything. Maybe "every book under the sun" just wasn't enough for them. He went back to arranging the donated books into piles, noting what quite a few were in terrible shape. After a few more minutes of silently sorting sandy and sooty books, the service bell rang.
"Be right there!" he called out. Lifting a stack of books in his arms, he pushed through the door leading back into the shop, coming out behind the counter. He set down the pile and turned his attention to the shop. In front of him is a girl adorned in monochromatic attire, with a black bow atop her head. Golden eyes stared at him from beneath raven locks.
"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade," he says, beginning his usual greeting, "home to every book under the sun. How may I help you?"
"I was wondering," she started in a low voice, "do you have any copies of The Cat in Plain Sight?"
"Yes, we do. They should be over there," he recalled, pointing to the wall to his right. The girl thanked him and stepped over to inspect the books. Tukson, for his part, went back to his work, watching her from the corner of his eye. She looks familiar, he mused. Where have I seen her before? Is she that real estate lady? He gazed at her backside. No, she was older. The waiter at that restaurant? He glanced at her hair. No, her hair was longer. Maybe… was she at one of the White Fang meetings? He looked fixedly at her black bow, brow furrowed. After a moment of contemplation, he had his answer. Nah, what am I thinking? Why would a human be amongst the likes of the White Fang?
Eventually, the girl sauntered up to the counter and purchased a generous amount of books. As he was bagging her purchase, he decided to finally satiate his curiosity.
"Hey, have we met before?" he began, catching her attention. He remained focused on his task, not noticing how she glared at him. "You look familiar; I could've sworn I've seen you before." Her golden orbs studied him, and she paused for a second before answering.
"No, I'm afraid not."
Had Tukson been watching her, specifically, had he been watching her bow, he would have seen the slightest twitch as she said this. But alas, he was not.
"I see. Sorry about that," he stated, handing her the weighty tomes. "Have a good night."
She strode toward the exit and left, leaving the two of them none the wiser about each other.
END