I had moved to Frankincense a few months ago. The little Germanic town was an ideal spot for my business so I uprooted my life to settle there. Frankincense has the largest population of 'Creatures' in the world. Orașul Nopții had vampires, Moonwake had werewolves, and this little hamlet had Creatures. Humans weren't exactly uncommon in town but not many people chose to live in such a foggy, rainy place. Those that did, aside from myself, were really into body building, if you know what I mean. I, on the other hand, wanted to repair bodies.
Since the population of humans in Frankincense was so low, there weren't many people repairing bodies; they were more into building them. They would help when asked, of course, but often charged an extreme price since taking the time to repair a Creature took time away from the ones they were building. I opened my shop in order to fix that. My fees for a repair were reasonable and considerate since I'm not fixated on building a body and everything that goes into that. On the side, I sew and tailor clothing, just to make ends meet, but my main focus is on fixing up Creatures.
It was a quiet day for once so my shop was empty when the bell above the door rang. I left my office to receive the customer and found a rather tall Creature standing in my parlor. Why were they always so tall? He was standing there, holding a detached arm with his other, still attached, hand.
"Excuse me, are you the seamstress? I saw an ad but I am not sure that I have found the right address."
I noticed that one of his yellowish eyes was a bit fogged which was probably why he was having trouble.
"You have the right place, sir," I told him. "How can I help you?"
A warm smile came across his bluish lips, stretching the pale skin of his face. I returned his smile and gestured to one of my plush seats. While he made himself comfortable, I retrieved my sewing kit and settled myself on a stool in front of him.
"So, I assume you're here because of that arm?" I asked.
The Creature gave a sheepish smile and nodded. "Yes, miss. I suspect a mouse gnawed through my stitching while I was asleep."
"Mice always seem to get into things they shouldn't. May I see the arm?"
He handed me his detached arm and I inspected the frayed stitching at it's severed end. Yep, a mouse definitely chewed it.
"Well, the stitching will need replacing but I'm confident that I can sew the arm back on."
The Creature smiled at me again. "I am glad to hear that."
I returned his smile and got to work, sifting through my threads to find one that closely matched the rest of his stitching.
"If you don't mind me asking, where are you sleeping that has you exposed to mice?"
His face flushed a pale pink as he averted his gaze. "A barn..."
"A barn?" I repeated. "Why on earth are you sleeping there?"
"My builder threw me out... I was not the creature she hoped for."
"That's terrible! What sort of creature did she want? You're very well-built and articulate. I don't see why anyone wouldn't want you around."
The Creature's flush deepened in color but he managed a slight smile. "Thank you... I believe she wanted more brawn than brains. She said that I think too much."
I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Oh, she's one of those. She wants a dumb servant she can order around and such."
"That sounds about right," he replied.
Shaking my head, I returned to my task and found the thread I was looking for. First, I removed the damaged thread from the detached arm and repeated the action on the Creature's stump. Then I washed and disinfected the area. Creatures weren't prone to getting sick but their parts could get infected and decay if not properly taken care of. Even though their parts were artificially made in a lab, they were still just as vulnerable as human parts.
"Could you hold your arm in place for me?" I asked.
The Creature nodded and obliged, watching me as I began to sew him back together. Hearing him wince, I lifted my gaze to meet his. "Do you need pain relief?" Most Creatures didn't but I felt it only right to offer.
"No, I am alright. It does not hurt much," he replied. "You are very gentle."
I smiled at him and resumed my work. "I certainly try."
It didn't take me long to finish sewing his arm back on. When I was done, I cut and secured the thread before looking up at the Creature. "How does that feel?"
Gently, he moved his arm to test my handiwork. "It feels great." He smiled again but the expression didn't linger. "...but I do not have any money to compensate you with." He averted his gaze again, looking much like a scolded dog. "Is there another way I could repay you?"
While I was surprised that he didn't have any money, I shouldn't have been. This poor Creature slept in a barn, of course he didn't have any money. I glanced around my shop while I considered his question and what to do in response. Most would have taken back their services, if possible, and kicked this Creature to the road; but I couldn't do that, it was just wrong. Besides, it wasn't like he didn't want to pay. He was there, asking if another form of payment was possible.
"...Well, I do need some help around the shop, specifically in reaching high items. Getting the ladder every time can be tedious. You could work for me. I have extra room in my apartment upstairs. You could stay here instead of that mousey barn."
The Creature's yellowish eyes brightened and a wide smile formed on his bluish lips. "That sounds lovely. I accept! I will happily work for you in exchange for room and board."
I smiled back at him. "I'll start paying you once you've paid me back. I could use your help indefinitely. My shop does tend to get pretty busy at times. Honestly, it's been a bit much for me to handle."
He reached out and grabbed my hands in his, still smiling as his eyes became a little teary. "That would be wonderful. Thank you, miss. Thank you so much!"
"Please, call me Mary. Mary Wollstonecraft."
"Thank you, Mary. You've blessed me today, given me a new purpose in life." He leaned down and pressed a kiss upon my knuckles.
With my face turning pink, I smiled once more. "You're very welcome," I replied. "So, what might I call you?"
"My name is Adam."
And that was how my mundane, but fulfilling, job allowed me to meet the love of my life.
Since the population of humans in Frankincense was so low, there weren't many people repairing bodies; they were more into building them. They would help when asked, of course, but often charged an extreme price since taking the time to repair a Creature took time away from the ones they were building. I opened my shop in order to fix that. My fees for a repair were reasonable and considerate since I'm not fixated on building a body and everything that goes into that. On the side, I sew and tailor clothing, just to make ends meet, but my main focus is on fixing up Creatures.
It was a quiet day for once so my shop was empty when the bell above the door rang. I left my office to receive the customer and found a rather tall Creature standing in my parlor. Why were they always so tall? He was standing there, holding a detached arm with his other, still attached, hand.
"Excuse me, are you the seamstress? I saw an ad but I am not sure that I have found the right address."
I noticed that one of his yellowish eyes was a bit fogged which was probably why he was having trouble.
"You have the right place, sir," I told him. "How can I help you?"
A warm smile came across his bluish lips, stretching the pale skin of his face. I returned his smile and gestured to one of my plush seats. While he made himself comfortable, I retrieved my sewing kit and settled myself on a stool in front of him.
"So, I assume you're here because of that arm?" I asked.
The Creature gave a sheepish smile and nodded. "Yes, miss. I suspect a mouse gnawed through my stitching while I was asleep."
"Mice always seem to get into things they shouldn't. May I see the arm?"
He handed me his detached arm and I inspected the frayed stitching at it's severed end. Yep, a mouse definitely chewed it.
"Well, the stitching will need replacing but I'm confident that I can sew the arm back on."
The Creature smiled at me again. "I am glad to hear that."
I returned his smile and got to work, sifting through my threads to find one that closely matched the rest of his stitching.
"If you don't mind me asking, where are you sleeping that has you exposed to mice?"
His face flushed a pale pink as he averted his gaze. "A barn..."
"A barn?" I repeated. "Why on earth are you sleeping there?"
"My builder threw me out... I was not the creature she hoped for."
"That's terrible! What sort of creature did she want? You're very well-built and articulate. I don't see why anyone wouldn't want you around."
The Creature's flush deepened in color but he managed a slight smile. "Thank you... I believe she wanted more brawn than brains. She said that I think too much."
I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Oh, she's one of those. She wants a dumb servant she can order around and such."
"That sounds about right," he replied.
Shaking my head, I returned to my task and found the thread I was looking for. First, I removed the damaged thread from the detached arm and repeated the action on the Creature's stump. Then I washed and disinfected the area. Creatures weren't prone to getting sick but their parts could get infected and decay if not properly taken care of. Even though their parts were artificially made in a lab, they were still just as vulnerable as human parts.
"Could you hold your arm in place for me?" I asked.
The Creature nodded and obliged, watching me as I began to sew him back together. Hearing him wince, I lifted my gaze to meet his. "Do you need pain relief?" Most Creatures didn't but I felt it only right to offer.
"No, I am alright. It does not hurt much," he replied. "You are very gentle."
I smiled at him and resumed my work. "I certainly try."
It didn't take me long to finish sewing his arm back on. When I was done, I cut and secured the thread before looking up at the Creature. "How does that feel?"
Gently, he moved his arm to test my handiwork. "It feels great." He smiled again but the expression didn't linger. "...but I do not have any money to compensate you with." He averted his gaze again, looking much like a scolded dog. "Is there another way I could repay you?"
While I was surprised that he didn't have any money, I shouldn't have been. This poor Creature slept in a barn, of course he didn't have any money. I glanced around my shop while I considered his question and what to do in response. Most would have taken back their services, if possible, and kicked this Creature to the road; but I couldn't do that, it was just wrong. Besides, it wasn't like he didn't want to pay. He was there, asking if another form of payment was possible.
"...Well, I do need some help around the shop, specifically in reaching high items. Getting the ladder every time can be tedious. You could work for me. I have extra room in my apartment upstairs. You could stay here instead of that mousey barn."
The Creature's yellowish eyes brightened and a wide smile formed on his bluish lips. "That sounds lovely. I accept! I will happily work for you in exchange for room and board."
I smiled back at him. "I'll start paying you once you've paid me back. I could use your help indefinitely. My shop does tend to get pretty busy at times. Honestly, it's been a bit much for me to handle."
He reached out and grabbed my hands in his, still smiling as his eyes became a little teary. "That would be wonderful. Thank you, miss. Thank you so much!"
"Please, call me Mary. Mary Wollstonecraft."
"Thank you, Mary. You've blessed me today, given me a new purpose in life." He leaned down and pressed a kiss upon my knuckles.
With my face turning pink, I smiled once more. "You're very welcome," I replied. "So, what might I call you?"
"My name is Adam."
And that was how my mundane, but fulfilling, job allowed me to meet the love of my life.