Second Story Bookstore

On a semi-prominent street in the middle of Central City is a three-story building. The first floor is home to a bakery. There is a flight of metal spiral stairs near the back right corner beside the counter. A sign sits next to it that says "Second Story Bookstore" on it.

Traveling up this staircase takes you to the left corner a bookstore. It appears to be small at first, a small sitting area just past the top of the stairs. Beyond that is the counter, home to a somewhat antique cash register, many piles of books, and a small jar of M&Ms. A set of windows that looks out over the street is behind it. Books line the wall behind the stairs and stretch far to the right. Book shelves sit perpendicular to this wall, parallel to each other running the length of the store. In each of the far corners sits a chair and lamp on a small table. A door is positioned at the far end of the surprisingly large room. A sign reading "Employees Only" hangs on it.

Sitting in one of the chairs in the front of the story is a young woman. She quietly reads a book called The Outstretched Shadow, a mug of something warm in her hand.

A large hulking figure of a man approaches the bakery doors and slowly pushes them open and enters. His name is Des. He is part of the military faction. As he took a look around the bakery, he noticed the spiral staircase in the back corner of the bakery. Des approached the bakery counter and pointed at a few treats the baker soon wrapped up for him. Des paid the baker and continued towards the stairs walking up them.

As he entered the second floor Bookstore he took a gaze around and noticed the antique cash register and the chairs in each corner. He approached the bookshelf closest to him and began stroking his finger against the spines of each book. Des finished stroking the books with his finger and soon walked towards the figure in the chair. Des noticed the women reading a book and gently moves closer.

"Are you the bookstore clerk? I am looking for a specific book. Would you mind helping me."

The woman ignored the man for a moment while she finished the paragraph she was reading, then looked up at him. A quick look at him told her that he was in the military. It was not often that fighters came into her store. She closed her book, a finger keeping her place and shifted her weight. "Yes, I am. what book do you have in mind?"

"I'm looking for the old Military Archives. The past fuhrer. Everything you go on them. This is of utmost importance so i'd appreciate it if you got them quickly."

Des nodded his head after speaking and then swept his hand around the library in a gesture for her to go look. He lowered his hand after and took a seat in the opposite corner of the room. Des pulled out a pad and pen and began jotting down little things here and there lifting his head every now and then to see if the women had done anything yet.

The woman raised an eyebrow and watched the man write for a moment. "The old military records?" she thought as she placed her bookmark in her book and set it and her drink on a table next to her. "An unusual request to be sure."

"How can you be certain a bookstore has something like that?" She placed the tips of her fingers together and watched him from above them, watching his reaction. "We sell everything from cookbooks to mystery. Military records would be housed in the government libraries, I would think."

He looks up and rises from the chair and walks over to her. He squats down to get to eye-level with her and sighs.

"Miss, don't play around with me. You think I don't know the records are housed in here somewhere? I've already been to the government libraries and they aren't there. So again I ask you; will you proceed to get me the Military Records I request? Thank you."

Des rises from his squatted position and returns to the chair and slumps his head down and closes his eyes.

The woman silently picked up her mug with her left hand, stood, and placed her right hand in her trench coat pocket. "Interesting."

She walked toward the lone isle in the large room, a crooked grin breaking out on her face just before turning her back on the man. She threw her right hand in the air as though confused. "I don't know what you're thinking, looking for government documents in a humble bookstore. You're free to look around for some pleasure reading, but if you want military documents, you're out of luck." As she brought her arm back down, she waved her hand forward, then shoved her fist back in her pocket.

She walked swiftly toward the back of the store, toward the lone door there. She deftly unlocked it and made her way up the stairs there, leaving the door ever so slightly ajar. Once she reached the top of the stairs she stopped and turned. Arms crossed, she took a drink from her mug. "What'cha gonna do, Mr. Military Man?"

Des opened his eyes and perked up his head. He sighed heavily and rose from the chair. He immediately noticed the door slightly open and realized this wasn't a normal "ordinary" bookstore. He began to look all around the library moving from shelf to shelf inspecting each book and the shelves respectively for anything or any clues but no luck.

He finally moved towards the door and pushed it open while keeping a good distance from it. He backed up and began eying the store once more.

"Listen lady, I don't have time for your games. Come back here and get the documents I asked for. You think we don't know this used to be a Resistance base. I won't fall for your tricks."

After the little rant Des gave, the room fell deafly silent and he pulled his gun out of the holster. The metal clunking sounds echoed through the empty bookstore as he readied the chamber and loaded a clip into the gun.

"What now?"

Will had just finished selling his product for the day, and decided to get a bite to eat. Something sweet as a reward for his hard work. He entered the bakery and ordered a chocolate cupcake with vanilla icing and rainbow sprinkles. He went and took a chair, unwrapped his treat, and began to eat it

Ace walks into the store and shouts. "Well hello! I am looking into learning some Xingese! Where might one find the English to Xingese language section?"

Ace spies Will by himself and races over to him. "My friend, I have a genius plan! You see, by learning Xingese, I can learn how to sway the hearts of the Xingese women. I'll recite poetry to them in their foreign tongue. It will be a beautiful day!"

The woman walked across the wooden floor to the window at the other end of the long, thin room. Doors on the left wall led to other rooms and two chairs sat to the right beside the bakery's chimney. She took a long drink from her mug as she watched the people below walk by.

She recognized the silent opening of her door and smiled as the man yelled at her from the bottom of the stairs. A metallic clicking sound caught her attention but for a moment. She shrugged and took another sip from her mug.

"Is that so, Mr. Military Man?"

Will spat out his cupcake in surprise. He made sure none of it hit Ace

"Sounds like fun Ace. Say, while your here, why don't I treat you to a sweet or two? You can tell me more bout your plan while enjoying yourself"

Ace looks down and sees his name tied to his shirt. "Aha, you noticed my name! But I don't know yours, good fellow. Do you run this shop? I need my Xingese! My plan is brilliant. You see, the way to any young maiden's heart is through the brain."

Ace hopped up onto the table and began waving his hands enthusiastically. "This day marks the beginning of my tutelage unto you, good sir!"

Des aimed the sights down on his gun at the register. He raised it slightly and fired off a shot. The bullet whizzed right above the register and hit the wall. The muzzle and sound from the gun echoed for a few seconds.

"I was courteous enough not to shoot your register because it looks antique and I fancy those things. Please come down here and give me the documents I need."

Des was fed up with the silly games and decided to walk through the doorway the women went through a few minutes ago. He looked up at the stairs and sighed.

"You are really going to regret it if I have to walk up these stairs."

"Apologies, friend. My name is Zergio. And I do not run this shop, but I do have the cash to get you a donut or something. Anything you want ^^ then we can go upstairs and look for a book for you"

Will offered his hand to Ace

"Sir William this seems to be a promising future friendship."

Ace hears the bullets fire and dives under a table. "Ahem, ignore that scream, I was worried I had left my oven on at home. Which is preposterous. I don't have a home. Or food."

Ace's tummy growls as he realizes has not eaten in days. "Ignoring that! Quick, Sir William! We must forge our new super hero team this day and we shall end this chaos!"

Ace races over to Des's side. "A man of the law! Can you tell me the situation? Is there anything I can do to help catch the dastardly villainous man troubling you?"

Will slowly followed Ace, suspicious of him

He thought to himself. "How did he know my real name?"

"Ace, I said my name is Zergio. Why call me William?"

The woman jumped slightly at the unexpected sound of the gun. Turning slightly she stared at the open doorway. "What kind of military personnel shoots a hole in a wall?" she thought angrily. She glared out the window, weighing her options. "Holes in walls, personal safety. Eh," she muttered.

Then she heard voices. At first alarmed, she recognized one of them and smiled. She sat in one of her chairs and listened, a crooked grin plastered on her face.

Ace stared at the figure for a moment.

"I'm sorry, I was giving you a knightly code name so people wouldn't recognize you. Would you prefer sir Samuel?"

Des looked at the suave man asking him questions standing in front of him. He placed his gun right up to the mans chest and grinned.

"You will get out of my way before I pull the trigger and blow a hole in your chest. I don't care if you are handsome. Stand down and move out of my way."

Des attempts to push the man out of his way so he can place his attention back on the female at the top of the stairs. Des begins talking through the suave man to the women.

"I'll make you a deal. I'll stop shooting holes in your wall and eventually your books and put my gun away if you agree to come down here and talk calmly with me? Does that sound civilized? Of course it does."

Des lowered his gun, ejected the clip, and placed it back in the holster. He then raised his hands into the air and waited for her response.

Will saw how bad the situation was becoming. He thought about it, and decided the military man was behind it. He hid behind a bookcase and opened up his leather skin drinking pouch. He then quickly drew a magic circle upon the ground. He clapped his hands, touched the ground, and activated the magic, making the water spread across the ground, going underneath Ace's and Des's feet. Des trips while attempting to shove Ace.

"I hope no one noticed....."

Will then hid himself farther within the bookcases, hoping he wouldn't have to fight him.

The woman sat in stunned silence. Her crooked grin was frozen in place and her eyebrows pushed together in confused amusement. Laughter was caught in her throat.

"What on earth?" she managed to croak as she listened to the chaos unfolding downstairs. She grabbed her mug with both hands and descended the stairs, leaning against the door frame once she reached the bottom, her expression a calm smile.

"Can I help you gentlemen?"

Ace fell back as the man before him pushed him and watched the gun fling by menacingly. "Now now, let's all be friends here." Ace noted that Will had used Alchemy but didn't pay attention to it.

"How about, sir officer of the law, I buy you a toad and tell you about the time I..." He was cut off when he heard a girl speak behind him.

His heart leapt forward and he fell to his knees. "My lady! As ravishing as always! What are you doing here? I've heard there's a villainous man holding documents back from this officer of the law! And you, in a bookstore? You read? Regularly?"

Des fell forward towards the handsome man mysteriously. He was able to catch himself from falling and quickly turned around seeing if anyone else was there with him. After assessing the fact that he just randomly tripped he turned his attention back towards the handsome man who was avidly pouring his charm onto the Bookkeeper.

"You, get off your knee's. Stop embarrassing yourself, it's despicable. Move aside because I must speak with this lady anyways. Also, while you're at it, take your friend with you. I know it was him who caused me to fall but since I can't prove it, you both live for me."

Des stepped over the hearthrob and got face to face with the bookkeeper. He smiled slightly and stepped back.

"Fine. Will you please get me a book about Metal and or Earth Alchemy? I will pay for the hole in the wall and whatever it costs to rent the book. I will be sitting over there in the chair."

Des took a few more steps back and made his way to the chair in the corner. His eyes quickly shifted towards the man hiding next to the bookshelves.

"I can see you. Pick a better spot next time."

Des took a seat and awaited for his request to be processed.

Will had taken a random book from the shelf and pretended to read it, seeming as if he really was. He looked towards Des.

"Hide? What do you mean? I was just looking for a book to read."

Will put the book back and looked for another, eventually bringing out a book on farming, and begun to actually read that, walking out of sight