Hey what’s the rush what’s the hurry. You gave me such a fright. I thought you was a ghost.
Humming down the aisle of the Grocery Store, Abigail Lester makes it to the Bakery Section, a shopping basket slung across her arm as she observed the various pies boxed up. Currently, Abby had her blonde hair tied up in a bun as she was in one of her cosplay attires. Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd, with deep eye shadow and dressing in the London-esque rags. She wasn’t pretty enough to be Helena Bonham Carter, but Angela Lansbury type look fit more with her.
“These are probably the worst pies in London…I know why nobody cares to take them…I should know, I make 'em.” She softly sings a little, observing the various goods “The worst pies in London…”
The Worst Pies in London
Grocery Store (Open)
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SharkyTGirl185
- Posts: 253
- Joined: Mon Jun 10, 2024 7:16 pm
- Location: The Middle of Earth
The Worst Pies in London
May Love Guide you!
What if he wanted pies that were actually not the worst in London, would that be fucked up or what?
((FUN FINCH FACT: This is where Soumitra Finch starts.))
All jokes, because he didn't go to the grocery store to buy pies literally ever, nor would he consider doing so. Prepackaged food effectively had a less than 5% chance of actually being edible as per his diet, so he never even bothered with them. Besides, baking a pie that was actually edible was infinitely cooler. Obviously.
Generic grocery stores generally didn't have as many options anyway, which made sense, all factors considered. An Indian store would usually be preferable, but it was really not worth it for a quick, probably five minute grocery trip. He only needed rice and a couple vegetables anyway, so coming here would probably not be a problem.
It took New York to make me a cowboy
Now everybody knows
Even if I change my clothes
Familiar, but strange, like an android
From every gapin—
Hit Texan singer Allison Ponthier's debut single, "Cowboy", described as the "epitome of transparent authenticity and delicate creativity" (Saftner 2021) glitched and buffered to a stop as Soumitra's Spotify crashed, a common occurrence on his dreadfully old phone. He stopped, coincidentally, right by the pie section, where he was reminded that he was actually supposed to be attentive to his surroundings so he wouldn't trip and die or whatever.
As he looked up, he saw someone from his school, who he 100% really did know the name of, and he was just blanking at the moment. She was kind of serving Lisa Frankenstein, which was cool, and, like, honestly not that shocking in a public place. Hell, there was a girl at Red Rock who practically cosplayed as a Chappell-Roan-Siouxsie-Sioux gem fusion on the daily, so artistic expression was pretty common in these parts. He wasn't surprised by the extravagant costume, hair, or makeup. Not nearly as much as, say, Granny Diane over at the end of the aisle, gawking at the audacity of kids these days or something like that.
"Ate."
((FUN FINCH FACT: This is where Soumitra Finch starts.))
All jokes, because he didn't go to the grocery store to buy pies literally ever, nor would he consider doing so. Prepackaged food effectively had a less than 5% chance of actually being edible as per his diet, so he never even bothered with them. Besides, baking a pie that was actually edible was infinitely cooler. Obviously.
Generic grocery stores generally didn't have as many options anyway, which made sense, all factors considered. An Indian store would usually be preferable, but it was really not worth it for a quick, probably five minute grocery trip. He only needed rice and a couple vegetables anyway, so coming here would probably not be a problem.
It took New York to make me a cowboy
Now everybody knows
Even if I change my clothes
Familiar, but strange, like an android
From every gapin—
Hit Texan singer Allison Ponthier's debut single, "Cowboy", described as the "epitome of transparent authenticity and delicate creativity" (Saftner 2021) glitched and buffered to a stop as Soumitra's Spotify crashed, a common occurrence on his dreadfully old phone. He stopped, coincidentally, right by the pie section, where he was reminded that he was actually supposed to be attentive to his surroundings so he wouldn't trip and die or whatever.
As he looked up, he saw someone from his school, who he 100% really did know the name of, and he was just blanking at the moment. She was kind of serving Lisa Frankenstein, which was cool, and, like, honestly not that shocking in a public place. Hell, there was a girl at Red Rock who practically cosplayed as a Chappell-Roan-Siouxsie-Sioux gem fusion on the daily, so artistic expression was pretty common in these parts. He wasn't surprised by the extravagant costume, hair, or makeup. Not nearly as much as, say, Granny Diane over at the end of the aisle, gawking at the audacity of kids these days or something like that.
"Ate."
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SharkyTGirl185
- Posts: 253
- Joined: Mon Jun 10, 2024 7:16 pm
- Location: The Middle of Earth
Head turn.
Blink blink.
Blink blink blink.
Oh, it was this kid. Soumitra, was his name, right? It would be rude to forget it. She stared at him for a few moments, like a deer in headlights as she straighten her back.
“I’m sorry?” She tilted her head.
Blink blink.
Blink blink blink.
Oh, it was this kid. Soumitra, was his name, right? It would be rude to forget it. She stared at him for a few moments, like a deer in headlights as she straighten her back.
“I’m sorry?” She tilted her head.
May Love Guide you!
"The outfit, I mean. It ate. Eats. Whatever."
Actually, life was too short to mull over which tense to use in this situation, because his point was evident anyway. Well, at least, he presumed it was, because with conversations in his life, that type of jargon was ever-present. Maybe he should have used "slay," but that was kind of 2023 and he didn't want to be cringe. Horrific!
Soumitra took another glance at the outfit. Ate, honestly, was an understatement, but his generation had this weird preference for understatements and a penchant for nonchalance, so he was probably fine anyway. But the hair and the makeup and the outfit was like, wow, okay. Mog us all, why not?
Personally, he looked sort of like he just rolled out of bed, probably because that is precisely what happened. He was taking a well-deserved nap when Mom woke him up because they were out of ingredients for the dinner that he himself said he was going to make, and he really did not care enough to fix his appearance up and remedy that, so there he was.
Actually, life was too short to mull over which tense to use in this situation, because his point was evident anyway. Well, at least, he presumed it was, because with conversations in his life, that type of jargon was ever-present. Maybe he should have used "slay," but that was kind of 2023 and he didn't want to be cringe. Horrific!
Soumitra took another glance at the outfit. Ate, honestly, was an understatement, but his generation had this weird preference for understatements and a penchant for nonchalance, so he was probably fine anyway. But the hair and the makeup and the outfit was like, wow, okay. Mog us all, why not?
Personally, he looked sort of like he just rolled out of bed, probably because that is precisely what happened. He was taking a well-deserved nap when Mom woke him up because they were out of ingredients for the dinner that he himself said he was going to make, and he really did not care enough to fix his appearance up and remedy that, so there he was.
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SharkyTGirl185
- Posts: 253
- Joined: Mon Jun 10, 2024 7:16 pm
- Location: The Middle of Earth
Abby takes one glance at her garments and instinctively places a hand on her hair, opening her mouth and quickly nodding.
“O-Oh, I see. Aw, bless you, that’s very sweet.” Abigail gave a bashful smile as she quickly dipped as a courteous “I wanted to get some props and decided pies were the best thing and well, I was already in costume so here I am.”
She gave a small smile, looking at her peer up and down. She wasn’t one to judge, of course not. This was a supermarket, not church, he was allowed to look and whatever he wished.
“I’m not one for eating pies but I’m sure one of these will suffice.”
“O-Oh, I see. Aw, bless you, that’s very sweet.” Abigail gave a bashful smile as she quickly dipped as a courteous “I wanted to get some props and decided pies were the best thing and well, I was already in costume so here I am.”
She gave a small smile, looking at her peer up and down. She wasn’t one to judge, of course not. This was a supermarket, not church, he was allowed to look and whatever he wished.
“I’m not one for eating pies but I’m sure one of these will suffice.”
May Love Guide you!
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Rootbeerpants
- Posts: 96
- Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2024 1:42 pm
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. This was the only word going through Helena’s mind. Probably because it was busy shutting down as she looked down the baking isle, seeing exactly the pie she was here to buy being blocked by two people who are…chatting…and one of them is dressed like a weird Victorian woman? Helena came here in a grey hoodie with Naruto on it and a pair of shorts. Why are people doing fancy dress in a grocery store? And why are they standing in front of the god damn pies?!?
Helena takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. This wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for her stupid dad. Why does she have to do the grocery shopping? He said he’d do it for Helena after mom died. Now suddenly he’s pawning it off on her just cause she hasn’t left her room for a few days?
With a slightly trembling hand Helena takes the shopping list out of her pocket again, checking between it and the various items in her basket. She really wanted to find something else she didn’t have. Something that gave her an excuse not to come down this isle and possibly interact with…whoever these people are. God they’re teenagers too. Are they from school? Do they know her? Will they make fun of her? She doesn’t recognise them but that just makes it worse. There’s no expectation. No idea of what they’ll say if they see her. Helena really needs to find something on this list she doesn’t have. This is too much stress.
Unfortunately, even though she checked three times, her list is only missing one item. That stupid pie. She doesn’t even like pie. Another reason her dad is to blame for all of this. Maybe Helena could sneak away and just pretend she forgot? Yeah that could work. Dad might be disappointed but by this point he’s probably used to it. Plus it might make him rethink forcing her to do shopping again. It’s perfect! She’ll just turn and-
With a loud crash Helena realises a little too late she had gotten so caught up in her own thoughts that she forgot she was standing right next to one of the shelves. A shelf she just walked right into with enough force to knock what she’s sure were very nicely stacked boxes of cake before straight onto the ground. Along with her as she falls back and collides with the ground, letting out an involuntary yelp before scrambling to pick herself and her basket back up. This is code red. If she doesn’t retreat soon they’ll start laughing and then she’ll start crying and now everyone here is gonna call her some stupid name like Crybaby Colt or something like that. Why couldn’t the shelf have just killed her?
Helena takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. This wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for her stupid dad. Why does she have to do the grocery shopping? He said he’d do it for Helena after mom died. Now suddenly he’s pawning it off on her just cause she hasn’t left her room for a few days?
With a slightly trembling hand Helena takes the shopping list out of her pocket again, checking between it and the various items in her basket. She really wanted to find something else she didn’t have. Something that gave her an excuse not to come down this isle and possibly interact with…whoever these people are. God they’re teenagers too. Are they from school? Do they know her? Will they make fun of her? She doesn’t recognise them but that just makes it worse. There’s no expectation. No idea of what they’ll say if they see her. Helena really needs to find something on this list she doesn’t have. This is too much stress.
Unfortunately, even though she checked three times, her list is only missing one item. That stupid pie. She doesn’t even like pie. Another reason her dad is to blame for all of this. Maybe Helena could sneak away and just pretend she forgot? Yeah that could work. Dad might be disappointed but by this point he’s probably used to it. Plus it might make him rethink forcing her to do shopping again. It’s perfect! She’ll just turn and-
With a loud crash Helena realises a little too late she had gotten so caught up in her own thoughts that she forgot she was standing right next to one of the shelves. A shelf she just walked right into with enough force to knock what she’s sure were very nicely stacked boxes of cake before straight onto the ground. Along with her as she falls back and collides with the ground, letting out an involuntary yelp before scrambling to pick herself and her basket back up. This is code red. If she doesn’t retreat soon they’ll start laughing and then she’ll start crying and now everyone here is gonna call her some stupid name like Crybaby Colt or something like that. Why couldn’t the shelf have just killed her?
No I don’t know what I’m doing either.
Soumitra snapped a glance at the fallen shelf and the accompanying fallen girl. Actually, it was kind of cool how the basket just... didn't spill a thing, only landed perfectly on the floor. Newton's way of saying "hey girl, sorry for that" and performing a little bit of a gravitational miracle. Very cool in practice, though.
Maybe that wasn't important, because somebody fell and there were cakes all over the floor and there would probably be a pissed employee somewhere down the line, but that was only really because they were making minimum wage, so he couldn't fully blame them. Although, it probably wasn't good to dwell on hypotheticals because there was a very much real problem on the grocery store floor (which was probably incessantly filthy, R.I.P). He peeled slightly away from Abby and made it the approximately, like, thirteen feet down the aisle to where Helena and the cakes were.
Oh, hey, this was a Red Rock student. That was three in the same aisle, which was kind of a cool coincidence. That happened to be one less than four, which was a completely arbitrary number that had no meaning to him whatsoever. Soumitra crouched down and considered reaching out a hand before he debated actually not doing that, because the girl could probably get up on her own and it might have been inconsiderate to imply that she needed help. Thus, he stayed there for a couple moments, acting like emotional support (he could say that he was a metaphorical cheerleader except he actually would not say that), before breaking the silence at last.
"You okay?" he asked, which seemed to be a pretty normal thing to do in the situation. "I like your Narato hoodie." It was not, in fact, a Narato hoodie, because that is not a real thing, but he didn't know that.
Maybe that wasn't important, because somebody fell and there were cakes all over the floor and there would probably be a pissed employee somewhere down the line, but that was only really because they were making minimum wage, so he couldn't fully blame them. Although, it probably wasn't good to dwell on hypotheticals because there was a very much real problem on the grocery store floor (which was probably incessantly filthy, R.I.P). He peeled slightly away from Abby and made it the approximately, like, thirteen feet down the aisle to where Helena and the cakes were.
Oh, hey, this was a Red Rock student. That was three in the same aisle, which was kind of a cool coincidence. That happened to be one less than four, which was a completely arbitrary number that had no meaning to him whatsoever. Soumitra crouched down and considered reaching out a hand before he debated actually not doing that, because the girl could probably get up on her own and it might have been inconsiderate to imply that she needed help. Thus, he stayed there for a couple moments, acting like emotional support (he could say that he was a metaphorical cheerleader except he actually would not say that), before breaking the silence at last.
"You okay?" he asked, which seemed to be a pretty normal thing to do in the situation. "I like your Narato hoodie." It was not, in fact, a Narato hoodie, because that is not a real thing, but he didn't know that.
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SharkyTGirl185
- Posts: 253
- Joined: Mon Jun 10, 2024 7:16 pm
- Location: The Middle of Earth
Abigail immediately gasped at seeing the poor girl falling on the ground. The boxed cake was completely undamaged from the fall, but she didn’t care about that, just on the girl’s health.
Immediately, she briskly walked and kneeled down beside her, grabbing her basket and placing a hand on the girl’s back to help her up “Here, let me help.”
Immediately, she briskly walked and kneeled down beside her, grabbing her basket and placing a hand on the girl’s back to help her up “Here, let me help.”
May Love Guide you!
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Rootbeerpants
- Posts: 96
- Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2024 1:42 pm
In situations like this most people would probably have a fight or flight response. Helena…sorta has that. But rather than running her brain is more focused on trying to find someway to shut down and kill her so she won’t have to deal with the situation. So far it hasn’t found one and those two are swiftly approaching. Maybe if she can get up before they reach her then they’ll assume she’s okay and leave her alone.
The hand on her back lets Helena know that like many objectives today this one has completely failed. It also helpfully reminds her that she hates being touched by strangers unexpectedly which causes her to let out a sound akin to a panicked animal. Which admittedly was exactly what she was. A feeling not helped by the guy who’s just…staring at her. Still in a hurry to get out of this situation and with death deciding she needs to suffer more Helena hurries herself up with the strangers help before brushing her hand away.
“T-thanks. I’m fine! No need to-it’s Naruto.” Oh that came out more forcefully than she intended. Now he’s gonna think she’s a jerk who cares way too much about anime. Is she a jerk who cares too much about anime? Gah save it for therapy. Try to fix the situation now! Before it gets worse. “B-but you know you can say it however you wanna! I’m not…I don’t judge. It’s just not what it’s called. He’s called. The series and the character. So…um…” Helena’s voice slowly petered out as she gaze became locked to the floor, looking down at a fallen cake that really summed up how today had turned out.
The hand on her back lets Helena know that like many objectives today this one has completely failed. It also helpfully reminds her that she hates being touched by strangers unexpectedly which causes her to let out a sound akin to a panicked animal. Which admittedly was exactly what she was. A feeling not helped by the guy who’s just…staring at her. Still in a hurry to get out of this situation and with death deciding she needs to suffer more Helena hurries herself up with the strangers help before brushing her hand away.
“T-thanks. I’m fine! No need to-it’s Naruto.” Oh that came out more forcefully than she intended. Now he’s gonna think she’s a jerk who cares way too much about anime. Is she a jerk who cares too much about anime? Gah save it for therapy. Try to fix the situation now! Before it gets worse. “B-but you know you can say it however you wanna! I’m not…I don’t judge. It’s just not what it’s called. He’s called. The series and the character. So…um…” Helena’s voice slowly petered out as she gaze became locked to the floor, looking down at a fallen cake that really summed up how today had turned out.
No I don’t know what I’m doing either.
Gears spinning, gears spinning, gears spinning...
"Ohhh, Naruto, yeah!" Soumitra exclaimed at last. "You're right, thanks."
He watches as Abby helped Helena up, truly an act of civility. That did raise the question of how unhelpful it was to just act as moral support, whatever that meant, but all was said and done and he couldn't change his actions. Might as well just move on, right? The important part was that the girl was standing upright and not on the ground, because then matters would probably be worse.
A quick glance down at the fallen cake, and he recognized what it was supposed to be (or, well, he could make a pretty educated guess based on what was remaining). Poor SpongeBob, nerfed before his time to thrive. Guess it must have been fate, many such cases. Soumitra was quite fond of SpongeBob, actually, because he wasn't allowed to watch it as a kid, so he formed an attachment as what would potentially be the contender for the lamest, most insignificant act of rebellion ever. But that was whatever, because it wasn't really his goal to rebel.
Briefly, he considered trying to pick up the cake himself to spare whatever poor employee would have to do it, but he didn't have paper towels, and then there would be frosting residue on the floor anyway, and then the ants would come and colonize it, so what was the point? He couldn't do anything significant that would prove beneficial or detrimental to the grocery store ecosystem. He simply was.
He looked at the two girls, as if to say 'Hey, what now? Also, it's pretty cool you can decipher what I'm saying word-for-word just by my facial expression, that's pretty noteworthy I think.'
Or, like, not.
"Ohhh, Naruto, yeah!" Soumitra exclaimed at last. "You're right, thanks."
He watches as Abby helped Helena up, truly an act of civility. That did raise the question of how unhelpful it was to just act as moral support, whatever that meant, but all was said and done and he couldn't change his actions. Might as well just move on, right? The important part was that the girl was standing upright and not on the ground, because then matters would probably be worse.
A quick glance down at the fallen cake, and he recognized what it was supposed to be (or, well, he could make a pretty educated guess based on what was remaining). Poor SpongeBob, nerfed before his time to thrive. Guess it must have been fate, many such cases. Soumitra was quite fond of SpongeBob, actually, because he wasn't allowed to watch it as a kid, so he formed an attachment as what would potentially be the contender for the lamest, most insignificant act of rebellion ever. But that was whatever, because it wasn't really his goal to rebel.
Briefly, he considered trying to pick up the cake himself to spare whatever poor employee would have to do it, but he didn't have paper towels, and then there would be frosting residue on the floor anyway, and then the ants would come and colonize it, so what was the point? He couldn't do anything significant that would prove beneficial or detrimental to the grocery store ecosystem. He simply was.
He looked at the two girls, as if to say 'Hey, what now? Also, it's pretty cool you can decipher what I'm saying word-for-word just by my facial expression, that's pretty noteworthy I think.'
Or, like, not.
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SharkyTGirl185
- Posts: 253
- Joined: Mon Jun 10, 2024 7:16 pm
- Location: The Middle of Earth
Abby took one look down on Sponge-Man cake.
She didn’t watch the show. The crab-man was funny though.
She then turned Helena, tilting her head while retaining her neutral expression “You sure you okay, you seem pretty frazzled.”
She spoke gently, not one to assume someone’s behavior. Anyone can be having a rough day depending on the circumstances “You wanted to get something from this section?”
She didn’t watch the show. The crab-man was funny though.
She then turned Helena, tilting her head while retaining her neutral expression “You sure you okay, you seem pretty frazzled.”
She spoke gently, not one to assume someone’s behavior. Anyone can be having a rough day depending on the circumstances “You wanted to get something from this section?”
May Love Guide you!
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Rootbeerpants
- Posts: 96
- Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2024 1:42 pm
Helena let out a sigh. Her panic had now reduced down to just a simmer in the back of her mind as she unconsciously started to hug herself. In some ways the come down from the major state of emergency was worse. At least during that her brain was too focused on the situation to focus on the thoughts that hurt her. The ones that told Helena how much she was screwing this up. How everyone is going to hate her for this. Pushing those thoughts back as much as she could for the moment though Helena looks back up, attempting to make eye contact with the mystery Victorian woman for a few seconds but ultimately failing and instead looking off to the side at nothing in particular.
“No sorry I…I just don’t do well with…talking. I just…I needed a pie. I wasn’t trying to…bother you guys.” Helena kicked her feet as she spoke, nearly kicking the fallen sponge-bob. Another victim of her stupidity.
“No sorry I…I just don’t do well with…talking. I just…I needed a pie. I wasn’t trying to…bother you guys.” Helena kicked her feet as she spoke, nearly kicking the fallen sponge-bob. Another victim of her stupidity.
No I don’t know what I’m doing either.
Soumitra frowned, then smiled — a display of sympathy and support respectively. Who was he, if he wasn't going to offer solidarity to a girl who was ultimately not having a super awesome time? Or, well, solidarity may have been a poor word choice, because he had no experiences with crashing into SpongeBob cakes to share the supposed solidarity with.
But empathy was very much a real thing, he thought, and he sought to make sure it really counted, because he was probably not a very mean person and he definitely did not want to be perceived as one, even if he didn't 100% know how to react in the situation. Brief glances at Abby accompanied his facial expressions, since he figured she would be better at the whole comforting thing if not simply for the fact that he didn't think Helena's situation was all that bad in the first place. Things happened.
"That's okay," he scanned the shelves of pie, hopefully making his intentions clear. "What flavor do you like?"
Soumitra had 20 bucks on apple, with absolutely no previous evidence to support his claim. He was just getting the apple... vibe. Yeah, that had to be it.
But empathy was very much a real thing, he thought, and he sought to make sure it really counted, because he was probably not a very mean person and he definitely did not want to be perceived as one, even if he didn't 100% know how to react in the situation. Brief glances at Abby accompanied his facial expressions, since he figured she would be better at the whole comforting thing if not simply for the fact that he didn't think Helena's situation was all that bad in the first place. Things happened.
"That's okay," he scanned the shelves of pie, hopefully making his intentions clear. "What flavor do you like?"
Soumitra had 20 bucks on apple, with absolutely no previous evidence to support his claim. He was just getting the apple... vibe. Yeah, that had to be it.
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SharkyTGirl185
- Posts: 253
- Joined: Mon Jun 10, 2024 7:16 pm
- Location: The Middle of Earth
“You are not bothering us at all.” Abby soothed slightly as she calmly gave a smile towards the more anxious girl, gesturing to the large assortments of pies “Do you need any help picking which flavor? I was about to get a pie myself.”
May Love Guide you!
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Rootbeerpants
- Posts: 96
- Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2024 1:42 pm
Helena took a few deep breaths, her mind taking a few seconds to register the questions she’d been asked. Eventually though she reached down into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out the shopping list that started all this. Stupid shopping list. Scanning down it Helena reached the pie before folding it back up and pushing it back into her pocket.
“It’s…it’s not for me it’s um…it’s for my dad. I don’t eat pies. Well I do I guess just not…regularly.” Helena took another deep breath, both to calm herself down and to shut herself up before she rambled again. “…Apple. He wanted an apple pie.”
“It’s…it’s not for me it’s um…it’s for my dad. I don’t eat pies. Well I do I guess just not…regularly.” Helena took another deep breath, both to calm herself down and to shut herself up before she rambled again. “…Apple. He wanted an apple pie.”
No I don’t know what I’m doing either.