Reduce, REUSE, Recycle (Meg/Open)

[brooke]

The twinkle of a silver bell rang above the soft 90s music in the air. It's delicate sound alerting Brooke and she quickly stood from her crouched position, organizing shoes. Her wide rimmed black glasses falling to the tip of her nose. She didn't need glasses, it was just part of her look. Along with her glasses, she wore a black sweatshirt with the words "Cool Story Bro." in white lettering. Multiple gold necklaces at different lengths hung from her neck, ending with feathers and little owl trinkets. The sweatshirt (with no hood) hung below her pelvis so she simply wore some ripped skinny jeans with some grey Toms shoes (she had colored a cherry blossom branch on them out of boredom) . Over the years people had given her names based off her clothing and style, the number one name on the list being "hipster". She just shrugged it off, knowing they were just teasing. She didn't care what people thought about her look. She wasn't defiant, she just loved her style! Her dark hair was in messy, volumized, waves today.

Brooke watched as a group of teenagers walked inside, her finger fixing the position of her glasses. She smiled and waved to them, recognizing a couple. "Welcome to The Carousel!" Her voice was genuinely pleasant. She absolutely loved working here, everyone who came in was mostly nice. But then again Brooke wasn't the best at reading people. She made friends with even the most uncommon people. One of the guys smiled back at her and yelled across the store, "So what does it take to get a discount, Lynn?" That was one of the Carousel's usuals. Bradley thought he was funny by not using her preferred nickname. "Maybe if you grow a couple inches, Little Lee?" He wasn't the tallest Junior in Highschool. She snickered to herself as she continued placing the boots and shoes in numerical order by size. Highschoolers amused her. As long as they didn't steal anything, she could happily tolerate their obnoxiousness. She wasn't too far off from one herself. It was around 8pm and she was getting ready to close shop at 9. Brooke had to fix the racks of clothing that had gotten out of place, and return the ones in the dressing rooms. Since those teenagers came in, she'd have to wait to go into the men's dressing room.

After the shoes were in place, she moved on to the front display window. She liked to change the outfits on the mannequins every five or seven days. She exchanged the skirts and flannels for some tacky halloween outfits. According to the signs, one was a "Disco Diva" and the other a "Scriptor Bay Hillbilly". Brooke had also brought out the usual decorations. Some fake cob webs for the window, a couple of plug-in jack-o-lanterns, and her favorite, a mechanical black cat that moved whenever someone passed. The cat reminded her of herself. Of course she was bigger than that housed-sized replica but it was nice to have some "brethren" around. Brooke was also relieved that the moon was shrinking. The full moon had given her an attitude that she never normally had. She could finally relax... So long as this group would buy something and leave before she'd have to kick them out for closing.

[megmasters]

Despite the fact that she hated the cold, the cooler seasons were Meg's favorite time of the year. It meant that it got dark earlier in the day and stores were still open when it was time for her to wake up from her slumber. She found tonight to be a good opportunity to seize this seasonal treat and hurried into a couple of stores to purchase some items. There were always stores like the large corporate chain stores that stayed up late and even some were twenty-four hours but they didn't have the same quality that the privately owned stores had in their products. She wasn't a materialistic person but it was nice to have a little selection every so often.

She made a point to save the best for last; The Vintage Carousel was an easy store to get into even if it was coming close to the time they shut the doors and turned off the lights. She was always able to do some night shopping there as long as she played nice with the granddaughter of the shop owners. And the Vintage Carousel definitely had her taste in clothes. She was simple and preferred to wear long shirts or even dresses with faded jeans underneath. That night she had on a black dress that had a bit of flair, puffing out at the waist a little. Her jeans were light and torn up at the knees. Her feet in a pair of converse since they were easy and went with everything. What she needed to get though, was a sweater. Or jacket. Anything that would cover up her bare shoulders since it was chilly out and she didn't keep the ones from the last time it had been cold in Scriptor Bay.

The little bell jingled again when Meg opened up the door and leaned against it, using her weight to push it open and then stepped inside. It was nicer inside than it was outside. Although her skin didn't flush pink the way someone who didn't have thick skin would have, her skin was still cold to the touch. Not that she liked anyone touching her and she would prefer to pull away if anyone tried. She could hear the chatter of a group of teenagers. Meg looked like a teenager. She could pull off the look of an eighteen year old with the right amount of makeup. Not that she tried to.

She peered around the store, taking notice of the Halloween ensembles that were displayed and became curious if whether or not she'd get in the mood to dress up that Halloween or not. Probably not. Seeing the familiar face of the granddaughter, Brooke Rowan, Meg took her time heading to the girl. It wasn't as if she was wasting her own time. She had all night long.

"It's getting late. Shouldn't you be getting ready for bed?" Meg smirked. Most people would greet someone and exchange pleasantries. Maybe even ask how the weather is or even give a compliment or two. Meg wasn't most people. She didn't like greetings and hated goodbyes even more. They were an unnecessary waste.

[brooke]

After the decorations were set up, Brooke headed over to the register across from the window. She had a Clorox wipe and was cleaning off the counter when the bell chimed again. A rush of cold air blasted through the room, making goosebumps rise on her arms. She expected to see the retreating pack of teens, but when she looked up she saw Megaera Masters make her way inside. Her usual smile appeared and stayed constant even throughout her taunt, "It's getting late. Shouldn't you be getting ready for bed?" She deposited the dusty wipe into the trash before crossing her arms over her chest. "Nice to see you, too, Meg." Her head bobbed right and left with each word as she taunted back, her smile continuing strong. Brooke liked her, even if she had a hard exterior and somewhat of an attitude. Of course she liked about everyone, but still, she appreciated her qualities. "So what brings you here tonight?" She always came in late, but Brooke knew why. Meg had the burden of being a Gargoyle, the whole turn-to-stone thing and all. Night was the only time she was ever active.

Brooke was hoping to get out of here on time at nine so she could run upstairs to visit her grandparents. They made some apple pie that she was dying to try. But they always were in bed by 9:30 sharp and didn't want to disturb them any later. She hoped Meg wouldn't stay long and she chewed her lip while glancing at the clock. The hands showed 8:32. Her personality wouldn't allow her to kick Meg out, she was way too nice to do that. Brooke just did not have the heart! It must be hard for her to even get around to buy things at stores when the night begins so late. She could cut Meg some slack, as usual.

The group of teens were making their way up front, a few with some clothes slung over their arms. Brooke cleared a box off the counter to make room for the clothing before they approached. Bradley stepped up first, placing a blue and brown flannel hoodie and some worn-in rocker boots on the counter. "Oh and about that little comment? You're not too tall yourself." He glanced over towards the chick Lynn had been talking to, "and neither is she." His smile was wide and goofy, the usual teen smirk. Brooke rolled her eyes, a grin still visible, and ignored the comment. She glanced at Meg and shook her head with a sigh, obviously not pleased with the cocky male. She began to ring him up, manually typing each price into the out-dated register. The noisy 'click-clack' of each button sort of fitted the vintage shop in a way. "Twenty-two dollars, Lee." He handed her a twenty and a five, and she gave his change back quickly to get started on the next customer's items.

[megmasters]

Meg somehow managed to be friends with Brooke. Despite their different species, Meg being a gargoyle and Brooke a therianthrope, they got along well enough. Meg mostly hung around her so she could get clothes from her and mooch off her whenever she felt like it, and for some reason Brooke was always around. Meg didn't know if Brooke just ignored the fact that Meg did this or she really didn't see it.

The gargoyle hopped up onto the counter with ease just as the group of teenagers came to the counter. She used one hand to slide herself down the counter a bit to give them room and stared at them with a bored look in her eyes. "I'm bored. Came to see what kind of trouble you've been getting into."

"and neither is she." Meg was ignoring the ramblings for the most part of the teens, knowing she was above that kind of stuff. She was much older than them. But whenever someone commented about her height her temper usually got the best of her. She knew a lot of people thought she was weak and just a girl because of her height. But she was actually pretty damn strong, and for some strange reason had to prove it.

"But I'm stronger." She said and the right corner of her lips creased up in a smirk, staring at the boy who had made the comment. Her hands gripped the edge of the counter and her legs dangled, swinging aimlessly back and forth. She didn't have time for morons like these teenagers.

"When you're done helping them how about helping me find a jacket." Meg said looking over at her friend and then hopping off the counter again and heading towards a group of racks that appeared to have jackets on it. Or at least long sleeved shirts which she was fine with also.