with my hair trying to make it look better. My hooped earrings weren’t exactly perfect. But when I touched them, hair and earrings, to make them more perfect, I became enthralled with myself. I’d never seen anything so beautiful. I guess I said so because Emilia was laughing at me. Maybe the effects of the spray hadn’t quite worn off. Emi was shaking her head at me like she seen it all before.
“Get focused girl,” she said. I ignored her. She tapped her sword on the counter and it made a strange angelic hum that almost made me turn away from my reflection, but I shook the feeling off.
“How long's that shit last?” Emilia asked.
“Jane!” Maisie screeched at me.
Much as I wanted to I wasn’t able to ignore Maisie. She commanded something in me that insisted on obeying her. That was going to be frustrating. I turned away from my gorgeous window reflection, to look at Maisie.
“What do you want?” I said irritably. “Why send me with this hairspray, if you don't expect any escaped tarot people -- I mean majors .”
“I do expect majors, but I don't know for certain. Take the hairspray in any case.” She held two small canisters out to me. I thought that was pretty generous of Maisie, so I took them and pushed them into my purse.
“Emi, you should try this stuff. It makes you feel a whole lot better about yourself.”
Emi smiled politely but continued to polish her sword. “I don't have your insecurities, sweetie,” she said, a little smugly, I thought. Then, without any provocation from me, Emilia got up and started to ‘show off’ as Maisie liked to call it, with another demonstration of her sword fighting abilities. Emilia did a few quick moves with her sword in the cramped shop, a thrust and then another, as if she stabbed at some invisible spirit. She twirled and swung, stopping short of Maisie’s candle display. I looked to Maisie who looked horrified.
Then Emi did something I wasn’t expecting. She lost her balance in the narrow aisles and brought her sword down sharply to correct her misstep, its blade slammed down on the sales counter, an old oak door placed on its side. My purse was still there and Emi’s sword sliced through the handles of my five hundred dollar Gucci. The two sleek handles fell to the floor like a couple of dead snakes.
“No! Oh-my-god!” I screamed.
“Oopsy,” said Emilia.
I guess I’d lost it for a moment. When I saw the state of my purse something kinda mean rose up inside me, and I grabbed a canister of hairspray from my purse and walked over to Emilia and gave her hair a shot with it. “Go find a mirror and look in it. Go look at your beautiful self.” I don’t know why I did that to Emi. It was a spur of the moment anger reaction to the death of my Gucci. I wanted her out of the room; I wanted to hurt her.
To my surprise Emilia hurried away to the back room. Where, Maisie informed me, there was a mirror in the bathroom. The hairspray stuff really worked. But in a moment I, too, became filled with the urge to look in a mirror, and began to follow Emilia, but Maisie grabbed me by my wrist. She grinned so hard I thought she might bust a cheek dimple. Clearly Emi and I were keeping Maisie amused.
“You've got the idea, Jane. Don’t use the spray on yourself at the same time you spray a major. Or you’ll be looking in mirrors together.”
“Why are you sending Ms White belt with me?” I pointed over my shoulder with my thumb in Emi’s direction. “She's way more dangerous than any black belt. She doesn't know what she's doing.” I was still really angry about my purse.
“She’s scarier than you may think, and I don't want Devon robbing you of my cash.”
“Will this spray work on Devon?
“Spray him in the eyes. It stings like hell.”
“Good to know, but isn’t that kind of nasty? I mean isn’t he your sidekick and all? Anyway, why don’t you just do an e-transfer yourself?”
“Electronic trails. I want as
“Get focused girl,” she said. I ignored her. She tapped her sword on the counter and it made a strange angelic hum that almost made me turn away from my reflection, but I shook the feeling off.
“How long's that shit last?” Emilia asked.
“Jane!” Maisie screeched at me.
Much as I wanted to I wasn’t able to ignore Maisie. She commanded something in me that insisted on obeying her. That was going to be frustrating. I turned away from my gorgeous window reflection, to look at Maisie.
“What do you want?” I said irritably. “Why send me with this hairspray, if you don't expect any escaped tarot people -- I mean majors .”
“I do expect majors, but I don't know for certain. Take the hairspray in any case.” She held two small canisters out to me. I thought that was pretty generous of Maisie, so I took them and pushed them into my purse.
“Emi, you should try this stuff. It makes you feel a whole lot better about yourself.”
Emi smiled politely but continued to polish her sword. “I don't have your insecurities, sweetie,” she said, a little smugly, I thought. Then, without any provocation from me, Emilia got up and started to ‘show off’ as Maisie liked to call it, with another demonstration of her sword fighting abilities. Emilia did a few quick moves with her sword in the cramped shop, a thrust and then another, as if she stabbed at some invisible spirit. She twirled and swung, stopping short of Maisie’s candle display. I looked to Maisie who looked horrified.
Then Emi did something I wasn’t expecting. She lost her balance in the narrow aisles and brought her sword down sharply to correct her misstep, its blade slammed down on the sales counter, an old oak door placed on its side. My purse was still there and Emi’s sword sliced through the handles of my five hundred dollar Gucci. The two sleek handles fell to the floor like a couple of dead snakes.
“No! Oh-my-god!” I screamed.
“Oopsy,” said Emilia.
I guess I’d lost it for a moment. When I saw the state of my purse something kinda mean rose up inside me, and I grabbed a canister of hairspray from my purse and walked over to Emilia and gave her hair a shot with it. “Go find a mirror and look in it. Go look at your beautiful self.” I don’t know why I did that to Emi. It was a spur of the moment anger reaction to the death of my Gucci. I wanted her out of the room; I wanted to hurt her.
To my surprise Emilia hurried away to the back room. Where, Maisie informed me, there was a mirror in the bathroom. The hairspray stuff really worked. But in a moment I, too, became filled with the urge to look in a mirror, and began to follow Emilia, but Maisie grabbed me by my wrist. She grinned so hard I thought she might bust a cheek dimple. Clearly Emi and I were keeping Maisie amused.
“You've got the idea, Jane. Don’t use the spray on yourself at the same time you spray a major. Or you’ll be looking in mirrors together.”
“Why are you sending Ms White belt with me?” I pointed over my shoulder with my thumb in Emi’s direction. “She's way more dangerous than any black belt. She doesn't know what she's doing.” I was still really angry about my purse.
“She’s scarier than you may think, and I don't want Devon robbing you of my cash.”
“Will this spray work on Devon?
“Spray him in the eyes. It stings like hell.”
“Good to know, but isn’t that kind of nasty? I mean isn’t he your sidekick and all? Anyway, why don’t you just do an e-transfer yourself?”
“Electronic trails. I want as
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