David
It was never good news when Dimitra found herself *Bored.* It was when the letters hadn't come in yet about shipment supplies, or there was nothing fun to do in town, was when she went looking for people to bother. Oftentimes, she'd go find some cuddly critter to harass, or maybe tuck into a barn to brush the horses for fun. But it all felt so mundane today— so, she was promptly flinging open the doors to Bigby's General Store and setting her sights on one Carina. 

The bell jingled as she went in, and she smiled with delight as she saw her target behind the counter. "Good morning," She cooed, leaning on the counter. "You know, the store looks lovely this morning. Did you do something with your hair?" Dimitra had a knack for firing off questions with little time to answer before jumping straight to the point. "When are you off?" She asked her, tapping her fingers on the counter rapidly. "Or rather, I'm curious... If I'm allowed to be here," She asked. "Or behind there with you, if you'll let me. I've never worked a counter before. Is it fun, or terribly boring? I'd think I'd fall asleep if I had to stand still all day." 

She cracked a wider smile as she tilted her head to the side, an expectant grin lighting up.
Avery
Couldn't a shopkeep mind her good *God*Damn business in this town without some wild woman bursting in on her? Carina nearly scattered a canister of matchsticks across the town at Dimitra's loud and jingley entrance. She had plenty of time to collect herself in the time that elapsed between Dimitra's initial hello and the subsequent five million questions. 

"Lord alive, Miss Florakis." She breathed, indignant and slightly pink from the last few phrases of the barrage in particular. 
"Would you like me to answer all those or are you just practicing your filibuster?" Carina set the canister of matches down and gingerly replaced the lid, lining it up into a row of similarly sized containers along the counter, peeking over at Dimitra as she did so. Damn that grin. *Damn* That dark hair. 

As much as Dimitra's chaos upset her, it excited her. The other woman's unpredictability was a good few levels below that of one Austin Kelly, as went the lineup of rabid broads here in Briar Ridge. The ice pick was well hidden today, so Carina wasn't too worried about a copycat performance, and she could simply enjoy the vibrant energy that Dimitra ushered in. She even allowed herself to play along. 

"You really noticed my hair?" She asked, coyly, as she polished some finger smudges off of a glass candy jar. Carina had curled it a bit today, like Mrs. Bigby had shown her when she was still young— leaving the iron on the top of the wood stove to get hot but not too hot! 
_ _
David
She beamed, waving her hand around as she looked about the shelves of the general store. Her fingertips brushed the wooden shelves, looking at labels and such— peering at jars with peculiar interest. 

"You know me, Carina," She flashed her a grin and returned to the counter. "It's hard for me to sit still, let alone keep my mouth shut." She laughed aloud, head tipped back, before she planted her hands flat on the counter. She could've easily walked around, but instead, she boosted herself and swung her legs up and over the wooden counter. Her skirts went upward a little, ruffling themselves together, before her shoes touched down on the wooden boards on the opposite side of the counter. 

"Of course I noticed your hair," She scoffed a little. "I like it. It suits you. It's elegant." She popped her hand into a candy jar, rolling the sugary sweet between her fingers before popping it in her mouth. She was sure Carina would add it to her weekly tab, anyhow. 

"So, all dolled up and nowhere to go?" She asked. "Unless... You're having a secret rendezvous?" She raised her eyebrows and scanned the room. It was hilarious to think that of Carina; and how scandalous it would all be. Dimitra moved closer, touching one of the little curls she'd done with the hot iron. "You should do it more often. It really suits you."
Avery
That laugh again. What did Carina's laugh sound like to Dimitra? Had she ever even demonstrated it for her? Lost to the thought, Carina missed the moment where the other woman placed herself on the counter. 

"Di*Mi*Tra!" She buzzed, blood rushing to her face. If Mrs. Bigby had been here to see such behavior! *And* Dimitra was stealing candy again! Furious, Carina replaced the lid to the canister with a *Clink* Of glass, nearly shattering it, and shuffled it out of Dimitra's reach— nevermind there were several more jars of sweets in the immediate vicinity to steal from. 

"Of course I had somewhere to go. I am here at *Work,* Where I *Sell* Things to good paying customers." She huffed, watching Dimitra with tented brows and crossed arms as the other woman inched towards her. No sooner than Dimitra had touched Carina's hair, the shopkeep unhooked the latch that held shut the small hinged door that opened to the patron side of the counter. With her hands on Dimitra's shoulders, she ushered the other woman through and slammed the gate shut.

"I'll rendezvous with the Sheriff if you don't pay your bill here— it's been a month, now, Dimitra. Honestly." Carina crossed her arms over her chest again— her signature look. Pouty sixteen-year-old was *Sooo* 1927. Still, she needed to make a convincing case for her scolding, even though she regretted it as soon as it was uttered. With the threat of the Sheriff in the air, would Dimitra stop coming around? If Dimitra stopped coming around, who would feed her compliments? 
_ _
David
The shrill call of the shopkeep's voice had Dimitra howling with laughter all over again, as she pressed the candy into her cheek; much like a squirrel tucking away a nut for winter. As Carina busied herself with taking the candy jar from her, she was already finding her sticky (no pun intended) fingers in another jar, humming in delight at the licorice she was tucking into her palm greedily. 

Finding herself on the other side of the counter again, it was Dimitra's turn to pout. She popped another piece of licorice in her mouth and chewed, eyes flickering about the woman's furious face. "Carina," She cooed. "Don't be like that. I can pay my tab, I promise. I'll even pay it right now, if you want me to! Have you ever thought maybe I just like bothering you and making you get in a tizzy?" She dumped her palm full of licorice onto the counter, abandoning it briefly to dig in her pockets and procure a coin purse. "How much do I owe?" She asked, eyes glimmering. 

"Would you honest-to-god call the Sheriff on me?" She asked her curiously, leaning her elbows on the counter as she looked over at her. "I'm slippery, you know." She popped a piece of candy in her mouth with emphasis. "I'm a loyal customer here, you know," She said, as if reminding her of something very important. "So... You should let me come back behind the counter again." This time, at least, she was reaching around to fiddle with the gate latch to let herself back behind the counter once more.
Avery
"That's $2.73. $2.89 with the licorice." She pulled out a slip of paper from a drawer in the cash register, placing it on the counter to indicate, *Yes,* She would like to be paid now. Business before pleasure. She did not address Dimitra's hypothetical explanation for visiting the store so often. 

Carina was nervous, waiting for the money. If this was just the same as any other transaction, why was her heart pounding? She was thinking of Dimitra's hands as her fingers unpeeled to drop the candy on the counter. She was thinking of Dimitra's mouth, lips pursed around the sweets in her cheek.

"No, I wouldn't call the Sheriff." Carina sighed, annoyed to be called out, fiddling with a pad of paper on the counter out of Dimitra's view. She looked up when the woman called herself "Slippery," Allowing a coy kind of smirk to spread over her expression. Flirting came strangely natural to Carina, though she wouldn't label the interactions as such. If ever confronted with the *Why* Of the matter, she may have supplied that it was the volley of wit that appealed to her and maybe also the lyrical display of feminine power. To flirt with a man was brutish and crude, though. A man's hands were not so beautiful and fine. A man's mouth was rough hewn and produced dissonant sounds. So obvious were these divides that Carina barely ever stopped to classify her preferences as a distinct sexual leaning. She supposed that all women preferred the touches and sweet glances of another woman; bedding men was simply a path to a family, which Carina had no interest in, anyway. She idly wondered where Dimitra stood on the issue. 
_ _

"Loyal customer, yes. Employee? No. You common folk have full roam of the *Other* Side of the counter. Isn't that enough for you?" Her smile was still in place. It seemed that the resolution of the payment issue had opened her up to other engagement styles. Her curls fell down around her face as she bent to pry Dimitra's hand away from the gate latch. 
_ _
David
Dimitra smiled as she put the money on the counter, letting the coins clink together as she slid it across. She easily popped another piece of licorice in her mouth, tongue briefly darting out to taste the sweetness on her lips. It was an acquired taste, licorice— she'd always loved it, but her brothers had hated it. She'd figured it was a misunderstood candy; it's distinct anise flavor had always been a particular favorite of hers. In her humble opinion, the kind supplied by the Bigby's general store was by far some of the best. 

Her fingers held tight to the latch and her eyes glittered as she wrapped her fingers around Carina's and gently bumped the gate with her hip; watching it swing open so she could take a step behind the counter. 

"What's the matter? No one else is here!" She pointed out, leaning there and reaching to eat another piece of licorice. "You want one?" She offered her a piece, holding it out to her. "And to be described as *Common folk*! You're really killing me, Carina! I thought I was a little more than *Common folk* To you." She pouted just a little bit and smiled right after, one of those mischievous grins she was so well known for. 

"What're you doing after work?" She asked her suddenly. "You know, you've never been by my place!" Dimitra was making herself right at home, touching everything she shouldn't behind the counter. "You could come by, we could make a whole night of it with a bottle from my personal collection." She winked.
Edith
Oh, christsake, was it a sin to let Dimitra overpower her? Was it sacrilege to let someone behind the counter? In truth, to Carina, it kind of was. This job was the closest thing she had to the rituals of religion, and her purpose here felt holy. Still, she felt Dimitra's closeness and couldn't deny that it seemed a little like a prayer. Her eyes crossed to look at the licorice on offer, held so close to her lips. 

She gingerly took the candy and carefully placed it on her tongue, meeting Dimitra's eyes as she stepped back to let space open between them. 

"No one is here," She agreed, "But they could be any moment." She kept moving down the counter, leaning over to rest her forearms on the surface. 

"Stand behind the register. You'll need to appear gainfully productive if a customer walks in and sees you flirting with me." It felt good to admit it: flirting, as if that grin on Dimitra's face could spell anything but. Their positioning was such that once Dimitra was stationed at the cash box, their hips would nearly be touching. 

Just as she thought she'd earned back the upper hand, the other woman was proving her wrong again. Unlike the agency Austin had stolen from her, Carina found that she quite liked the playful current of this banter with Dimitra. It was still wild, in its way, but elements of danger were out of sight— out of sight, but wholly felt. Her heartbeat ticked up as she considered the invitation, especially with alcohol involved. 

Hell, she'd listened to Mrs. Bigby. She'd tried church, and felt nothing. She filled her ledger book with all the gossip it would hold. She needed to find a hobby that wasn't polishing silverware. Maybe Dimitra could be that hobby. 

"I'll consider it." She pursed her lips, "Will there be dinner?" Anyone who knew Carina was aware she could be easily plied with food. 
_ _
David
She had a sense of pride that Carina seemed to break down her walls just a little bit when it came to her, it seemed. She beamed, standing behind the register quite officially and folding her arms. "Hold on, I'll pretend I'm you and you pretend I'm me. How about it? We could play a little pretend?" She flashed her a grin before settling her eyebrows together, leaning on the counter. "Dimitra, you have to pay for that. Dimitra, stop running in the store. Dimitra, you're going to slip and fall on that ice outside and when you do, I'll tell you that I told you so," She said, mimicking her impression of Carina. 

Of course, Dimitra would also call it flirting. She was shameless with it; fluttering eyelashes and leaving hands on arms too long. It gave her a thrill, and Carina was one of her favorite victims. 

"Of course there will be dinner," She said, tapping her fingers on the counter. "What kind of host would I be if I didn't make dinner?" She was an impeccable host, in her humble opinion. "I could make stew, and fresh bread too. And I bet I could snag us some kind of dessert..." She chewed her lip. "How's it sound? Hm? Tempted to come now?" She pried, already knowing she'd have Carina far more now that she'd bargained with the idea of food.
Edith
Carina had no intention of playing pretend, but was eager to hear Dimitra's interpretation of her. She nodded along as Dimitra rattled off her impersonation. 

"Goodness, has my posture really become so crooked?" She *Tsked,* Her face blooming bright. It was a nice change from her typical stoicism, but the smile soon slackened. 
"Is it so bad that I remind you to act as the grown woman that you are?" Standing up from over the counter, she put her hands on her hips in a superficial kind of pout, sweeping behind Dimitra at the register to take up a feather duster. She set to "Work" Brushing it over the impeccably organized shelves and cases within her reach. The words *Fresh bread* Had her turning back around. 

"*Very* Tempted. I had no idea you could be so domestic." She replied, her joke venturing too close to the boundary of insult. The revelation led her to eye Dimitra fully: head to toe and back again. She caught herself on the woman's curls, her smile. Expecting to come away from the assessment feeling empowered, instead she was scared. What would Dimitra find in her in the close setting of her home? Would she discover Carina to be ugly, or undesirable? What if she should find something to stop her coming by the store, and Carina would lose the power to elicit that impish grin on the other woman's face?

The fear was nearly strong enough to decline the invitation as quickly as she accepted it. Being the shopkeeper and nothing else was safe. Her mechanical instincts protected her. This way, she mitigated perceptions of herself. Once she stepped from behind the counter, she bared herself to judgment. *But,* Sang her human half, so irritatingly playful and optimistic, flesh and blood fighting steel, *What if she likes who she meets?* 

"What time will you have me?" 
_ _
David
"It's no fun to be a grown woman that I am," She said, humming as she watched Carina move around behind the counter, wielding that nefarious feather duster. She also decided to try and straighten up her posture to become a little more Carina-like. "Being a grown adult is the worst. It's much better to be young— carefree. Don't have to worry about anything except playing outside and eating sweets." Which was how she liked to live most of her days anyhow. 

Hook, line, sinker. Fresh bread must've done the trick, as it seemed Carina had become far more interested now. The words that came did give her pause, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it... Before she brushed it off, leaning on the counter. 

"I can be quite domestic when I want to be," She said, eyelashes fluttering. "I wasn't good at listening when I was a kid, I always wanted to run around. Never wanted to pay attention when my mom taught me how to cook... But thankfully I was able to pay a little more attention when I was a teenager." 

She fluttered her lashes and slowly turned to open a jar, hoping Carina wouldn't notice as she snuck a bit of toffee candy out to suck on. 

"I figure, I'll need to have some sort of redeemable qualities if I want to end up with someone one day," She teased. "I'll have you at 6, if you're willing." Dimitra put her hands flat on the counter and fluttered her lashes again.

"Will you be coming, then? Finally, you'll come visit me at my home?" She reached out, squeezing Carina's arm in excitement. "I haven't had anyone over in at least two weeks and it's starting to get really lonely, Carina. You know I can hardly sleep on my own?" She huffed. "I hardly get any sleep; the house feels too quiet and loud all at the same time."
Edith
How freeing it must be to renounce adulthood as Dimitra did. Youth was confusing and vulnerable. Carina was glad to be grown, not having to suffer the caustic currents imposed on impressionable young minds by those with more time invested in the world. Agency was a prize won of older age. Agency meant she could eat sweets any time she wanted, anyway. Dimitra had it wrong. All the more reason to grace the other woman with her company, she told herself; Dimitra needed a good influence. 

Carina listened to Dimitra's description of her childhood self.
"Why, that doesn't sound familiar at all!" She looked up peevishly through her thin lashes, "I can't imagine what you'd have become had you not reformed to *Some* Degree." She tutted, turning her back in time to miss Dimitra's sneaking hand in the toffee jar. 

The concept of *Redeeming qualities* Set her mind to muse, as did the woman's admission that she wanted to end up with someone. Who would be the soul to tame Dimitra's, once and for all? Perhaps she sought a soul just as wild. Carina took stock of her own soul, and in tandem, counted off her own redeeming qualities as she saw them: proper, tidy, thorough, righteous, intelligent. Her mind drifted to the not-so-redeeming qualities, and she quickly shook herself away from those avenues, turning to place the feather duster back in its place.

"6, then." She agreed, leaning into the door frame to the hall behind the counter that led to the store rooms. Crossing her arms over her chest, she leveled her eyes on Dimitra, trying to maintain herself in the face of those *Fluttering* Lashes.
_ _

"I will be coming." She agreed, trying to hide her reaction to her arm being squeezed– such a familiar gesture! Should she prepare herself for more like it? Heavens. 

*In the last two weeks.* Carina let out a bitter puff of air without fully realizing it. Two weeks without company! She literally could not recall the last time she'd had someone up for tea in her apartment. She prided herself as a sort of intimacy-camel in Briar Ridge's social desert: she retained stores of companionship to sustain her through wild droughts. Dimitra, on the other hand, seemed like an intimacy-hummingbird: unable to go without the nectar of stimulating conversation for longer than a few hours. 

"Perhaps you should get a pet." She told her, bitterness encroaching into her voice, "If you're expecting me to help you fall asleep, I can promise you'll be disappointed." Perhaps she shouldn't have agreed to dinner. It was becoming clear that to Dimitra, Carina was just a warm body to have around for entertainment. What a fool she was to think anything more. 
_ _
David
She was surely aware that she wasn't the most mature woman in Briar Ridge. She preferred it that way; she knew what she needed to get done, took care of her responsibilities in a (somewhat) timely manner. Otherwise, she liked to live life fluidly; flitting about the world, soaking in as much as she could. Eating sweets, running around at night, kissing whoever she liked and dancing until her limbs hurt. That felt like the perfect life to her. 

Her shimmering demeanor was dampened by Carina's tone shift. Dimitra was used to her being flat and oftentimes chastising her, but she'd always felt that, though she could sound harsh, Carina considered them friends. Now, however, with the bitter puff of air and her biting tone, Dimitra wasn't sure what to make of it all. 

She was used to being seen as a nuisance. Abel Hughes had made sure to make her feel right at home under that label, but Carina and this general store had felt different. She'd felt like their banter was playful, but perhaps she'd been under false pretenses this entire time. 

Her shoulders dropped visibly, as did her hand. Maybe she'd been picking up the wrong signals altogether. "I'd feel awfully sorry for a pet if I had to go and leave it for a few days all alone in the house," She said, trying to regain the momentum in the conversation. She felt *Embarrassed*, which was not something that came easily to her. 

"I just— you know me, I just say things and they come out of my mouth without even thinking," She said, turning away to the counter and fidgeting with a whittled down pencil. She tapped it on the counter, busying her hands. "I don't expect that of you, of course not!" She said after a second. "What kind of girl do you take me for, Carina?" She turned to look at her, and while she sounded playful, her words had curiosity in them. What kind of girl *Did* She take her for?
Edith
Dense and stubborn as she was, Carina could see her words affecting Dimitra in real time. Though her first reaction was a sick satisfaction that she had that kind of power over the other woman, her second reaction was remorse, and it quickly overshadowed her initial response. 

She could relate to what Dimitra told her about speaking without thought. She perpetrated this violence on a daily basis, and when those 'nothings' hit their mark, she stood over the prey that'd been struck down, falsely proud of her marksmanship when in fact her blows were owed to mindlessness. This character flaw was only hazily acknowledged in her own mind, and it was difficult to see whether or not she would make an attempt at reform if she was fully cognizant of how her words deployed. The acknowledgement of the moment, though, was that she'd struck Dimitra in a tender place that she hadn't meant to. 

"I take you for a very kind woman who has just invited me to dinner." She ventured delicately, leaving space for the words of an apology that wouldn't come, "And I take you for a person who I'd like to know more about." Her eyes narrowed, her smirk returned. This time, there was no venom in it. This was her apology in a way; an olive branch. She hoped Dimitra would take it. 
_ _
David
Thankfully, Dimitra could be easily placated in most times with a reassurance, and at the most, a free piece of candy would do the trick. She smiled, shoulders hunching up a moment before she was turning all the way around again to face Carina— face lit up like a Christmas tree again. "I feel the same way," She said, reaching out and holding onto Carina's arms, squeezing them. 

She didn't expect an apology, but she could see Carina did regret her words. Dimitra couldn't ask for much, but that was enough in the space of their unlikely friendship. She knew she could be a lot— lord knows, she was a lot to handle, and Carina rolled with the punches as much as she could, and for that, she was appreciative. 

"I promise, it'll be fun. And if you're sure you won't spend the night..." She sighed mournfully. "I suppose I could at least send you home with dessert, too." She let go of her, pushing open the gate to get on the opposite side of the counter now. 

"I should probably go start cleaning up and prepping to impress you," She said, flashing her a grin. If there was any dust in her place, she was sure Carina would notice it. "Six o'clock. Don't be late!" She tapped the counter, reaching behind and snagging another candy before she was headed for the door.