Bull In A China Shop [Kitty & Death]

She was... short. 

Eden almost mentally smacked himself. Of course she looks short. Maybe to everyone else, she's normal sized.

But with one quick glance at the owner of the shop before turning around to look at the chairs again, it wasn't just him. She was tiny. About a foot and a half shorter than him. She looked like a child.

He shook his head and returned to the chair. Damnit, he wanted wood! 

He glanced around at the other chairs and then his eyes zoomed straight to an entirely wooden chair. Dark, dark wood. Slatted back. Similar enough to match stuff in his apartment. Because, of course, Eden the Engineer had to be a sucker for that shtuff.

He headed over to the chair and sat down. It was a nice chair. A really nice chair.

Now to buy the chair.

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Eden carried the chair to the front. The girl was buying lamps. She looked flustered.

Buying a lamp isn't that difficult... she must be young.

He set the chair down in front of the counter, behind which a store worker stood. He looked down at the man. "I'd like to purchase this chair. Is it possible to negotiate a proper price?"

The man paused, the nodded slightly. "What do you have to offer, son?"

"I'm an excellent mechanic. I can fix anything."

"Anything, now?"

Eden smiled at the slip of his tongue. "Within reason of course."

The girl took her place in line behind him. He could practically feel the nervous energy rolling off of her. He crushed the urge to turn around and ask her to calm down.

"I've got a broken toilet and a car that needs repairing. If you can do that, I'll give the chair over for 20 credits."

Eden ran his fingers through his hair, then pulled out his wallet and set the money on the counter. Expensive... but it's wood. Real wood.

"I'll get some paper for an IOU," the person behind the counter said. Eden nodded, then stood waiting as he bustled off to grab a pen and some paper.

"Sir, do I know you from somewhere?" were the words that slipped out of the girl like the nervous overflow of water.

He turned around and felt like a giant. 

Eden shook his head. "No, miss. I don't think you do. I haven't seen you before, at any rate."

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She was babbling. Why was she babbling? Was he really that terrifying? He was tall, sure, but why was she freaking out?

"Uhhm, sorry, Sir, nice chair," she said. "You know, I think I've seen a chair just like that at my friend's house some time. It is really comfy is what I heard."

Comfy? It... it just needs to match. Why do I need to worry about comfort?

"Yeah, mind if I feel it?" she continued, her awkward smile getting bigger. "Yes, that is a nice grain to it. It feels sanded nicely. Yeah, you should enjoy this chair a lot."

He shrugged. "Okay."

And turned back around to finish his IOU.

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After he finished filling out his information for the owner to contact him later, Eden put the chair over one of his shoulders and strode out the door. He leaned just enough to be sure the chair legs didn't get taken off just as soon as he bought it.

He hoped to have this chair for a while, considering what it had cost him.

As he walked down the street, he barely noticed the other random people passing him by. He did consider what an odd picture he probably presented to people. But, hey, this was District Six. Not exactly known for its normal people. Come to think of it... he wasn't sure if any of the districts were quite "normal."

Suddenly, he stopped. He turned.

A girl. That girl. The babbling girl. Sitting, tired. Lonely. On a bench.

He stood there, staring at her, not quite certain if he should say or do anything. She looked sad. He wouldn't be much help if she was. He wasn't the most empathetic of creatures, to be truthful.

So he just stared.

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Eden grinned at the girl. She amused him.

It wasn't often he was amused by an adolescent girl.

"Don't feel bad. You talk to people. At your age, I wouldn't have spoken a word. Be proud you're fearless."

He readjusted the chair at his shoulder, then decided to set it down. Taking a seat on the bench next to the girl, he held onto the chair as it rested right in front of him.

"I normally don't start conversation with people, but I'll make an exception. I'm Eden."

He held out his hand for her to shake.

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She was smiling. Taking his outstretched hand.

"Yeah and I don't normally go off on a tangent. I guess that's an exception too."

He nodded, his smile slowly slipping from his lips and returning his face to its neutral position.

She smiled, wiping some mischievous strands of hair out of her face. "I'm Cherry," she murmured, before pausing. She seemed to fumble for words for a brief moment. "So what kind of business do you run, or what job do you have? I saw you bartering your work skills before I went off with my rambling, I just did not catch what you were trading exactly, though."

She was steady again. Stable. Eden was beginning to feel antsy. He fixed it. Maybe he'd stick around. Long enough to make sure she'd be okay.

"Mechanic, but training for vehicle engineering. You?"