Shoe addiction (Open)

Since she had yet to get her internet connected, and had to send some things to her publisher and check her email, Shay had wandered through town until she found a cyber cafe. Once she saw that the net world was getting on fine, without her, she walked out and proceeded to do a little window shopping.

Though Shay wasn't much of a shopper, on occasion she liked to check things out, for reference material. The first store she came too was a store that sold clothing, and other similar things. And now that she thought about it, with winter coming on, she probably could use a new pair of boots. The last ones she had were quite out of style, and worn as well. Having lived in California, she hadn't found the need to wear boots too often, so the ones she had were about six years old.

Finding the shoe department was easy, yet her search for boots was interupted by the sight of some VERY red hair. At first she thought it was another woman she was looking at, but then noticed the suit...interesting. Always drawn to the unique, Shay gave up her focus on boots for herself, and walked closer to the young man. Trying to catch his attention, she picked up one of a pair of boots right next to the ones he was looking at, and smiled when he glanced her way.

"Nice...those are a nice choice...though I don't really see you in that suit with them."

Addison was eying a standard, mid-calf black leather boot when he noticed someone standing nearby. He turned to look, frowning slightly when that darned lock of hair fell in front of his face again. Oh...there was a woman standing there...holding...a man's boot.



"Hmmm...." He looked back at the boot in his hand, trying not to stare at the woman...she had lovely eyes. "No...I suppose not. Although I am sure that would cause quite a commotion at the office. I'm actually looking for some club wear boots, but don't think these are...unique enough."

He set the boot back down on the shelf and reached for one that had a higher heel and went up further on the leg. "Oh, but my apologies. I'm Addison." He shifted his new acquisition to one hand and held out the other to the young woman. "You in the market for club boots as well?"

'Finally!' she thought...someone to talk to! She had been around the town a bit now, and had yet to find anyone to give her the time of day. For a while she had even thought maybe moving to Nachton had been a bad idea...if she couldn't get any material, she couldn't write her book...and if she couldn't write her book, why was she there?

"Addison? Hello, I'm Shalimar O'Mannon, and I'm not here to buy...just browse. I'm looking for reference."

She took his hand and since it was daylight, she expected it to be warm...and it was. She shook it firmly and then reached for another boot, this one a softer leather...quite nice actually, but not near fancy enough for a 'club', she thought.

"You must forgive me, but I'm extremely new to Nachton...is there a nice club close by?"

"Nice to meet you, Shalimar." Addison's eyebrow rose. "Reference? For a job application?" So he was slightly confused. He'd only heard that word in applications, learning/libraries and in tacking on to things.



"I'm new myself. But yes, I believe there are a couple of clubs, but the one I am going to tonight is called the House of Pain." Addison put these boots to the side and picked up the next pair... they were knee high with a very nice heel to them and some decorative belt looking things around them with buckles in silver. Yes, these would do perfectly. Holding them for Shalimar to see, he asked "what about these?"

"Oh, please, call me Shay. Shalimar still reminds me of my mother's perfume." She said with a wrinkled nose.

"Reference material for my book...I'm a novelist...and occasionally need to refresh my data bank...keep up to date with latest styles...fads. And if I don't make a point of getting out to check on things, I might never leave my flat."

She laughed, and nodded when he picked up the next pair of boots.

"Nice again...you seem to have a good sense of style...House of Pain? Now that's an interesting sounding club...public or private?"

Well, now that little bit of info just might have made Shay's night...that, and meeting this guy. She knew there was a good reason for having gone out when she did.

"I'll do that, Shay. Unfortunately, the only shortening of Addison I can think of is Dison and then I sound like a vacuum..so not really all that appealing." The red head flashed an amused grin her way. So a novelist. Seems she was in the perfect spot. From what he'd learned today truth was much stranger than fiction. He wanted to mention that, but even though Carol hadn't mentioned anything about keeping a lid on things, he knew better than to leak that sort of thing out.

"Interesting. Sounds like an exciting profession. What have you heard on boots? Are the buckles still in?" He was mis-interpreting things slightly, but was curious. She would know though.

"I believe it's public. Down in the...industrial district, I believe. And I can't swear to that...tonight will be my first trip...first trip anywhere out other than shopping and my interview. When did you move here?"

She had to laugh at the vaccuum reference...that kind of handle didn't necessarily sound bad though.

"Nor would 'Addy' work..." Again she wrinkled her nose....she did that so often, she wasn't even aware of it.

"But...you never know...nicknames are rarely built off someone's real name...so..." If she knew him longer, she'd have thought of one for him...and she let the thought drift, because that day might still come.

"Exciting? Oh my god yes...sitting in a room, hour after hour... day after day...in front of a computer...typing, typing, typing...living on coffee and cigarettes...never seeing a soul...my poor heart really can't take much more excitement like that."

And she laughed again. Yes, the research was interesting, and could be exciting...but was such a small part in the grand scheme of things...or at least it seemed that way.

"I think you'd be looked upon very fashionably with either boot...depending on what you wear with them...or what you are trying to say about yourself. Personally, I would skip the buckles though."

She debated inviting herself to the club...it was public, he said...

"Are you meeting someone special there?"

She was now curious to know if he had already met someone who would want to use all of his time...time that she might be able to use to learn more.

"I've just put the finishing touches on my flat today...bought groceries!"

She said it like it was a triumph.

"The last of my furniture was delivered yesterday...fridge, stove, bed..."

Addison smiled at the little nose crinkles as Shay contemplated possible nicknames. It had been done before, by friends in high school and college, but no one had really come up for any nicknames for him other than Red or Cherry, thanks to his over-vibrant hair. He was on the fence for both of those. Red sounded too...female and Cherry...well, held a whole different meaning if in a different context. So, he'd long ago given up on any cute nickname and just gone with Addison.

"Well, you get to put down a whole different type of story to paper. I'm in accounting, and sometimes that can get into fiction, but mostly it's very calculated and measured." He loved it, though...and yes, it did get 'creative' at times, but he would never be world famous for it like a fiction author might. "Nicotine and caffeine, hmm....sounds like the staple of the 20-something diet, yes?" He smoked on occasion, but not often enough to call himself a smoker, persay.

"Skip the buckles...gotcha. I have a ton of shoes, but they are in transit and the only pair I brought...well, they seem boring after the thought of getting something new." Addison set the newest pair in his hands back on the shelf and pulled up something similar in height, but without all the fancy metal work. It did have some designs in black on the back of the heel, but they wouldn't be noticeable in the dark of the club, or well...he was assuming it would be dark. He'd rarely been to a well lit club...only once in fact. But it had been dimmed before the cops had arrived to bust the owner for over occupancy...



"Special? You could say that. I just got hired today and am meeting a few of the coworkers there just to get acquainted." yes, that sounded better than, I'm meeting my vampire boss who might want to suck me dry tonight. Yes, much better. "You thinking about going?"

Ah...turning to the living arrangements. "Excellent...I haven't gotten that far yet. I'm still out of the hotel, but I've only been here since yesterday, so that's my excuse for now." Granted, if that excuse had to stretch a week, it was pretty...weak of him. He really needed to find a more permanent living space before then.

And yes...these boots would do nicely. His little leather, sleeveless getup with the sheer arm shirt thing would look perfect with a pair of leather pants and this...unless that was too much leather...maybe shorts? No...they looked too unprofessional. Turning again to Shay, he mused aloud. "How much leather is too much leather when you've been told to wear leather to a club?"

"An accountant? Hmm...yes, I'll bet under the right circumstances that could get rather imaginative."

She winked. Being an ex-cop, Shay had run into some very 'interesting' people over the few years on the force...and as far as white collar crime, embezzlers were often accountants. But she never labeled someone, just because others in his field were crooks.

"Yes, well, living on cigarettes was a bit of a writer's embellishment...though I do drink a good eight to ten cups of coffee a day. So far it doesn't keep me awake...just a bit jittery, which keeps the creative juices flowing."

Shay had moved a shelf over, and was now admiring a pair of deep red stiletto heels...they were quite 'fuck me' crazy looking, but she was still very tempted to buy them. She really didn't need them...boots...she had come in for boots...but they were really hot.

"I don't really need these either...but what do you think?"

As she held up one, and then lifted the hem of her jeans and slipped her size seven foot right in. Being that her other foot was encased in a very practical loafer, the difference in heights threw her balance off, so she didn't try to walk in it..but she turned her leg in front of the mirror and decided these were definitely for her.

"Ooh ho! Celebrating a new job...you really must be a wiz of an accountant to have landed something so quickly...Congratulations."

So he was just meeting coworkers...nothing extremely special there...yes, maybe she would go...she was having tremendous good luck so far today...the night should only prove as profitable.

"And yes, I may stop by...if you'll let me buy you a drink for your accomplishment...though don't worry about me horning in on your little get acquainted party...I probably won't end up staying long...but I'd like to see this place for future reference."

She had removed the shoe, and was now looking for a salesperson to get the other one for her.

"You might check out my building, for a place to live, that is. They're quite nice sized, in one of the upper scale neighborhoods, and seem very quiet and safe."

She smirked at his next question.

"Doll...is there really such a thing as TOO much leather?"

Danielle rested one manicured hand on the counter and pulled her purse up more securely on her shoulder as she waited for Zach to return from the back. Being somewhat of a regular here, she knew the clerks by name and would sometimes inadvertently keep them tied up in conversation, but today she needed to be in and out.

Of course, that was, like most things, relative; for Danielle, being in something of a rush meant she only asked Zach briefly about how school was going (knowing that he studied economics, something she herself took an interest in), how his dog was feeling (having seen his miniature schnauzer at the dog park one day), and of course how he had been in general before handing over the intricately beaded sandal and explaining that the strap had snapped at a wedding when she got a little too energetic on the dance floor.

She gave her green bubble tea a little shake to let the tapioca balls in the bottom settle a bit before taking another sip through the oversized red straw, then brightened when the clerk returned with the promise that the shoe would be ready in twenty minutes.

Danielle grinned at this pronouncement and slid her hand down the counter a ways, leaning forward a little to speak to the clerk.

"You're a dear, Zach. I'll wait then. I don't think I can get into too much trouble looking at shoes for just a few minutes...well, who am I kidding, of course I can, but that's our little secret, right?"Â?

She took a look around the store as if checking to make sure no one else was listening, and noticed a couple of people chatting by the boots. She turned back to Zach, still smiling, and gave her hand a little wave.

"But I'm keeping you from your customers! I'll be quiet, honest."Â?

With a little chuckle and one last wave she walked over to the boot display with Zach right behind her. Grinning sheepishly at the pair of customers, she turned her attention to the boots and left Zach to helping out the two people who seemed about ready to try on.

Zach the clerk returned from the back with a smile on his face for one of his favorite customers, and not only for the nice amount of commission she tended to bring him; he knew about the soft bake chocolate chip cookies in her purse too. Plus her visits tended to signal something of a break in the day; if his manager, a complete tool named Brett, happened to look over at him, well, he was obviously helping a customer and therefore working. The boss didn't have to know that he could spend upwards of half an hour just shooting the breeze with this particular customer, and everyone walked away happy.

Of course, that only worked when it wasn't horribly busy in the store, and it seemed things had picked up a little while he was in the back. He kept half an eye on the pair checking out boots as Danielle chatted away, showering him with compliments even though he quite modestly felt he was merely doing his job.

"It's no problem; I'll let you know when your shoe is ready."Â?

With that, he approached the two customers with a smile and spoke in polite, professional tones, gesturing to the shoes in each of their hands.

"Ready to try those on? What size can I get you?"Â?

Being a decisive woman, Shay would have liked to hear Addison's opinion on the heels, but she had pretty much made up her mind on her own.

"Oh, yes, thank you...I'd like these in a seven, please...but only if you have the same color...and if you don't, these are sevens here, so I'd be happy with just the mate."

She looked over to Addison, and waited to see which of the boots he had decided on. In the mean time, Shay had also noticed another woman had come into the shoe department.
She smiled and nodded.

"Excellent...."



"Thanks...it was quite fast...I think I am still reeling from the surprise. Not that I am complaining, mind you." Addison broke off to put the boot back. He really did want something with a little decoration...aaah...and some classic lace up boots...perfect. Addison picked it up and inspected it. Yes, these were The it.

"I'll take you up on that if I see you there." Granted, he didn't want his employer to think him trying to run off to say hello to a new aquaintance.



Addison started to laugh. He supposed that was the truth...and now in his mind, he was actually leaning towards the thigh high nylons too...

Breaking from his train of thought, he looked up at the young man who came over to assist them.



"I'd like these in a size 9 please...no need to try them on, I'll take them."

Zach gave a quick nod and smile to the blonde woman as he took the model shoe from her hand.

"Oh, those are great, we just got them in; I hear they're surprisingly comfortable actually. I'm sure we have plenty in red in the back."Â?

Turning to the red headed gentleman, he took the proffered boot with a grin that turned to a look of concern when the customer mentioned not trying on his purchases.

"Alright, if you're sure; if it turns out they don't fit just bring them back with a receipt and we'll get you some that do."Â?

Nodding once more, he retreated to the back, speaking over his shoulder.

"I'll just be a moment."Â?

"All right then...I'll make a point of it. It will be fun to get into some club gear and see what the nightlife is 'REALLY' like in Nachton...I'll admit it to you...I came here because of some ... rumors. Now would be a good time to start seeing if there's any basis for them."

And truly, even more than research, Shay just wanted a little fun, to break up the monotony. But now that she was buying these great heels, and did have a black leather skirt to wear with them, she still needed something in red... Once the shoes were her's, she'd wander off and see what else this store had to offer.

"Excellent." Addison moved towards the counter, where there was a lovlely and expensively dressed young woman standing. "I'll look forward to seeing you there, then."

The boots...or at least the box that he assumed they were in, were brought up front and Addison hurried to pay for them. He wanted to spend a little time worrying about what to do with his hair and maybe take a nap in preparation to being up all night. Hopefully they wouldn't want him at the office too early tomorrow morning.

With a thank you to the clerk and a smile at the young woman, Addison turned to go, pausing where Shay was standing. "It was good meeting you, Shay. I will look forward to seeing you later."

(OOC: Addison out)

Claire rarely shopped, in fact she rarely left the Manor or the estate surrounding it but she had recently returned to Nachton after a very long time and felt she should get out and see the city and how it had changed.

Quite a bit in the 400 or so years since her last visit. Had it really been that long? Yes, her memory supplied her with a clear image of her last day in Nachton and why she had left. That was neither here nor there though, She needed a comfortable pair of shoes, something that would hold up for her walks in the woods but still look decent.

Pulling the long thin white shawl tighter around her shoulders, Claire walked into the shop. Boots would be nice to keep her legs clear of the brambles but she didn't think they would look right with the delicate fabrics she tended to wear.

No doubt she looked a bit lost, finally picking up a pair of soft suede half boots in a beige color, Claire still looked undecided. Seeing a smartly dressed woman in the store, She decided to ask another woman's opinon.

"Do you think these would match?"

Danielle watched the clerk retreat to the back before sucking a tapioca ball through the wide straw and chewing it thoughtfully as she browsed the shoes. The red ones that the blonde woman had picked out were quite cute and she shot her an approving grin, though the pair seemed to be caught in conversation. As lingering might appear to be eavesdropping, she wandered over to a rack of brightly colored shoelaces until Zach returned and gave her a beckoning wave.

She waited while the red headed gentleman paid before approaching the counter and taking the offered shoes with a smile, giving them a look over while Zach went about his business.

She looked up, however, when a dark haired woman approached her, inquiring about a pair of boots. Smiling, she put her drink on the counter and turned to face the much taller shopper.

"Good choice; those will go with just about anything. Though I think I have a pair like those in beige and black just to be sure. They're perfect for fall too."Â?

Taking in the woman's appearance more carefully, she nodded her head and continued.

"The beige will go nicely with your shawl especially I think; it's gorgeous by the way, where did you get it?"Â?

Zach carefully laced up the requested boots, as such details were nice for the customer, then went further back to pick up the pair of red leather shoes in a size seven. Both boxes in hand, he headed back to the floor only to be stopped by his coworker, who had finished his work on the little brunette's sandal.

He took the pile of shoes to the front and rang out the gentleman before giving the sandals to Danielle for her inspection and walking over to the blonde with the remaining box.

"We did indeed have your color,"Â? he said, setting the box on the bench next to her. "And do let me know if you need anything else."Â?

He put the model shoe back on the small plastic shelf and looked over at the counter, where Danielle and another customer seemed to be engaged in conversation. Wanting to stay available, he moved about the floor, straightening anything that needed attention and keeping an eye out for who would need him next.

"Thank you very much, I'll take these then."

Shay took the box from the clerk and carried it to the register. She checked out the other two women who were now discussing a specific pair of shoes, and thought about going out to the club later. She hoped she could find it easily enough...Addison hadn't been too clear on directions.

"Excuse me, but would either of you women know of a club called The House of Pain, and how to I can get there from here? My friend mentioned it earlier, but neglected to tell me how to get there."

Of course she wasn't going to go directly there. She would need to go home and change first. But if she got directions from here, she'd be able to find it later.