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 Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2026 7:55 pm
Leiko wandered into the arts and crafts store with a shopping list of supplies for Tymiko and Kit. He thought the errand would be simple enough to run, so when Kit had been about to go out to do it instead of staying behind to read over a manuscript, Leiko offered to do it instead. Tymiko had made sure to make the list as specific as she could, including brand names and types of supplies, but only after Leiko got to the store did he bother looking at the list. And only then did he realize he was in over his head.
Markers, for example. He first discovered there were several different brand names for professional markers - Copic, Ohuhu, Arrtx, and others. But if that wasn't confusing enough on its own, each brand had several different types of art supplies, including marker types. Acrylic markers, water-based markers, alcohol-based markers - Leiko had no idea there were so many different types.
And then there were the different color sets (skin tones, bright hues, neutral palettes) and even different marker nibs (brush tips, fine tips, chisel tips) and other features. Some acrylic markers required you shake them before using, some didn't but instead required you store them sideways, some said to do both - it was all so overwhelming for Leiko.
He knew he had to stick to what the shopping list said, but if he was going to find everything on the list, he knew he would need some help. Glancing around, he tried to find someone who might have worked at the store - or at least knew more about art supplies than he did.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2026 5:56 am
Arlen wasn't really sure what his game plan was.
He figured that Jack was right, really. He needed more foot traffic so that he could hire more people, and with more people he could work a little less hard and maybe have a bit of a life.
And maybe find out how he was going to convince the redhead that he was worth dating. Very important in Arlen's list of goals.
So here he was, scanning the shelves for random craft stuff, loading his arms and then unloading into a cart so that he could go through it at the end.
He figured he would go for something superhero-themed. Kids loved that stuff, and it was good for adults, too. Comic book guys existed for a reason.
He wasn't exactly an expert in any of this, but art was something that had occupied his time for a long, long time. When he was at his lowest and loneliest, art was his entire life.
The top floor of Ye Bochord could attest to that.
Of course, with his haphazard way of shopping, he was bound to make a mess and step on a few (perhaps not so) proverbial toes, and he was rounding a corner for some watercolour markers when he slammed all of his bodyweight into some poor guy as he turned into the aisle, dropping and scattering his current armload of items that had caught his eye all across the floor.
"Oh, my jeez, I'm real sorry, my guy, are you okay? I wasn't watching where I was looking---"
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 7:47 am
The sandy blonde fell backward upon impact with the other young man about his height, dropping his shopping list as arts and craft supplies scattered everywhere. He quickly scrambled to help pick them up, reaching for the materials while crawling on his hands and knees. "That's okay! I'm okay!" he said quickly as he gathered as many items up in his arms as he could manage. "Wow, you got a lot of things! Are you an artist?" Leiko wondered idly if maybe the other fellow would be able to help him find what he was looking for - after he got all his own things back together, of course.
But as he finally though he had picked everything up, he realized he had lost sight of his shopping list. "Uh oh," he murmured. "Do you see a shopping list anywhere around here? I think I dropped it just now."
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 7:56 am
Arlen collected everything that the stranger missed, wheezing a small laugh.
"I'm glad you're alright, and thank you. Hope I didn't break anything..." he glanced around at the floor, humming as he tried to gather all the scattered supplies.
"I'm a little bit of one, but B also needs some new supplies in storage," he explained, gesturing at his array with a nod, "are you an artist? And—oh, a shopping list?"
He scanned the floor for it, frowning. "Jeez, I'm sorry, yeah—we'll find it. What colour paper is it on?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 7:56 am
"Oh. Is 'B' for 'boss'?" Leiko asked, tilting his head curiously. Then he laughed when he was asked the same question he had just asked.
"No. Um. But the people I work for are. I came here to run an errand for them and I thought it would be simple, but it turned out to be harder than I thought."
He paused, looking as though he just remembered something. "My name's Leiko, by the way! What's yours?"
Then Leiko looked at the things in their arms. "Maybe we should put this stuff in a cart or something, first...but the paper was blue, i think. It was on a large sticky note, so maybe it got stuck to one of these things."
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 8:02 am
Arlen hummed, clearly quite interested indeed, and nodded. "You work for artists? That's really cool! And nawh, B's not my boss. But what's making it hard to shop? Could I help you with anything?"
He dragged his cart forward and flipped open the basket, using a big piece of cardstock he had grabbed for a sign as a divider.
"Here. You can put your stuff in here, and I'll keep mine on the other side! I'm Arlen, by the way. Nice to meet you! Sorry again about knocking all your stuff around. I'm sure we'll find that list somewhere..."
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 8:03 am
"Yes! Well, they're authors and illustrators for books. And...sorta self-published, so they're not big or very well-known yet. But they're siblings and their names are Kit Paine and Tymiko Waters." He sighed. "Normally one of them does the shopping, but they both had to go to a book signing thing, so I offered to do the shopping this once instead. I just didn't know art supplies could be so...complicated," he admitted with a sheepish smile.
"Ohhh...is B your girlfriend, then?" Leiko pried with a sly smile. It didn't seem to occur to him that Arlen might have not said who B was for a reason.
"Oh, thanks, but I didn't get anything yet," Leiko explained, setting the items in his arms in the cart. "I just had my shopping list. I was too confused about what to get to actually take anything yet. I never knew there were so many kinds of markers! Or pencils! Or paper or paints or any of that."
He beamed at having learned Arlen's name. "Nice to meet you too, Arlen! And don't be sorry! No harm done."
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 8:05 am
Arlen felt like everything in his life had aligned for this moment in particular. Siblings? Authors? Waiting to get their start and self-published?
Well, what better event to host at his library than that? Even better, it seemed that they were already familiar with book signing processes---that could be really fun!
He grinned broadly, and nodded excitedly. "That's so cool! I always wanted to write books. Well---comics, more specifically. Any chance they would want to do another signing at a library?" He asked, quirking his head to the side.
He could only laugh when Leiko inquired further about B.
"Nawh, not my girlfriend either," he replied, giving a little wink, "good guess, though."
What could Arlen say? He did so like to be mysterious.
Upon hearing the other's plight, he nodded sympathetically. "Well, if you need any help, I'm certainly happy to," he chirped, setting to the process of digging around in the cart, looking for the elusive little list, "I draw a lot---I dunno if it's on the same caliber as your bosses, but hey---I could do my best to try and help you decide what to get!"
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 8:06 am
"Really? Why don’t you make a comic, then? If you need help starting or publishing one, I can give you their number!" Leiko offered excitedly. "And I'm sure they’d love to do another signing! The more publicity, the better, I think. For both their books and the library!"
"Then, does B stand fooooor…boyfriend?" he asked next, seeming to enjoy the guessing game.
"OH! Here it is!” the short young man cried, removing the large, blue sticky note from the side of his pants. "It must have gotten stuck on me when I fell. Let’s see..." Leiko glanced over the list.
"Do you know the difference between alcohol markers and acrylic markers? What even are those? Which ones are normal? If either of them even are."
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 8:07 am
Arlen wheezed a breathless sort of laugh in response to that, because no, definitely not, he would not draw for anything, least of all a comic, and---
"I'd love their number," he agreed easily, smile gentle as he nodded and pulled out his phone, affected by the enthusiasm, "Ye Bochord could really use the publicity, and I love book signings."
He only laughed harder at the next accusation. "No, no---not a boyfriend, either. But good guessing skills."
He grinned, all dimples, when Leiko produced his sticky note. "That's great! Happens to me all the time with barcodes for my books---not used to the scan-in system yet."
"Well, alcohol markers are dye-based, and acrylic markers are water-based. Both are good for different things, but if you ask me, acrylic is much better for craft projects, and alcohol is better for illustrations and such, so if your friends are comic artists, I think that's probably what they're looking for."
He flushed slightly. "Not to ramble, or anything."
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 8:18 am
"Great!" He borrowed Arlen's retrieved phone to type in the number under the contact name, 'Kit-Ty Publishing' before giving it back. "I can't wait to see what you come up with! Art is so amazing, stories are fantastic, and art that tells stories is even better!!"
Then he stopped. "Wait, what's Ye Bochord? Is that the library?" He paused again, his tickle-me-pink eyes positively sparkling with delight. "Do you run a library?!" He wasn't sure how that worked, exactly, but if Arlen could arrange book-signings at a library, surely that meant he was a VIP of some kind at said library. Maybe he even owned it.
"Aww, who is it, then?" Leiko wanted to know when he was told 'B' did not stand for 'boyfriend' either. "At this rate, I'll never get it."
Upon hearing that something 'happened to him all the time with barcodes for his books', the sandy blond looked at Arlen curiously. "What happens to you all the time? Barcodes stick to you?"
When the library VIP then went on to explain the difference between alcohol markers and acrylic markers, Leiko listened attentively. He then a marker set hanging on a peg caught his eye and, laughing, said, "Oh, good! Thanks for telling me. The packaging on these are confusing; it says these alcohol markers are alcohol-based."
Then he put his knuckle to his chin thoughtfully. "But...isn't acrylic a type of paint? Is that paint water-based, too? Or are those watercolors?" He groaned and ran a hand through his hair, muttering under his breath, "...are there watercolor markers...? Which ones are the normal kind?"
Eventually, he shook his head and just held up the markers he had pulled off the peg. "If you think they're looking for alcohol markers, then I'll get these." Leiko looked back at his list. "Oh. They need both. But what are 'paint pens'?" he asked, seeing another set of drawing utensils on another nearby peg. "Are those the same as acrylic markers?! Why does this have to be so confusing?!"
Turning back to Arlen, he shook his head. "You're not rambling! I need all the help I can get!!"
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 8:20 am
Arlen glanced over the contact entry before sliding it back in his pocket with a brief smile, shaking his head. This was certainly an odd afternoon. It was something like fate, to suddenly find the answer to his foot traffic problems in the library on the very day he was seeking to put real effort into fixing it.
"I tend to agree, yeah," he replied, chuckling slightly. He couldn't recall the last time he had talked to someone with so much energy. Certainly refreshing, if there was any name for it.
"Ah, yes! Ye Bochord is my library ---and yeah," He grinned a little further, "for all intents and purposes, I do own it. Have the title deed, anywho, and we haven't been officially in the branch system for the past three years."
And sure, part of that was due to the infrastructure issues, but he had been doing his best to DIY his own fixes to that, and it was a lot better these days.
Winking at the question, Arlen shook his head. "You'll have to keep guessing, I suppose, eh? I'm sure you'll get it eventually."
Would probably be a little bit better in conversations if he stopped spending so much of them in his head, but he was trying!
"Oh, yeah! Barcodes. When I print them out to tape, I usually, ah... Lose quite a few of them."
He was a bit of a butter-finger-y fellow.
"Alright, ah... So, paint pens are these---" he dragged a package of them from a peg a little ways down, "---and they're not markers, unfortunately, so no. And here are some acrylic ones for you."
It was endearing, to see the fellow be so determined to figure this all out, and Arlen, in that moment, decided to dedicate however much time was necessary to make this happen and help out.
"What else do you need, mate?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 8:21 am
"Whooooaaa. That's amazing," Leiko marveled in awe and wonder, astounded to have a real, live owner of a library standing right before him. At an arts and crafts store. Wanting to make comics. Whatever he had thought of people who owned libraries, it certainly didn’t match anything that Arlen was. "Can I come visit it sometime? Will I see you there?"
Come to think of it, library owners didn’t necessarily mean they were librarians. Perhaps Arlen didn’t spend time at his own library much and was too busy elsewhere. Purchasing more books to add to his collection or something. "Why aren’t you in the branch system? Is that bad?" Maybe if Arlen talked about it some more, Leiko would get an idea of what, exactly, a branch system was.
"Awww. But I don’t know who you might know whose name starts with B! Unless it’s a title. Like…businessman."
He looked blank about the talk of barcodes until he recalled Arlen had just said he owned a library. That must have meant he put library barcodes on the books. "Don’t you have employees to do that for you? Or a machine or something? You have to do it by hand?"
"Ohh…great, thanks! What makes them different from acrylic markers, though?" He glanced at his list. "I need some special type of paper, an exact-o knife…uh…kneaded…eraser?" Leiko shook his head. "Is that even something you can get here?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 8:23 am
Arlen chuckled despite his best efforts not to, and nodded, ears flushing lightly at the blatant excitement and enthusiasm in something that Arlen himself didn't usually think twice about.
"Aw, shucks, it's---I mean, it's just a job, but ah---yeah, you can come visit! I'm there every day," he agreed, nodding sagely, "and well--being a part of a branch system means that you share funding and adverts with a bunch of other libraries in your area! It makes it easier to complete projects, and bring people over to your location, because all the different branches advertise and help each other out. If YOU'RE not, it means you don't share funding, but you also don't get the advertisement, and, well... If you're not getting the funding anywho, it's mostly a bad thing, yeah."
He sighed, and shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not sure if it would be a good thing to join back up, now, though---we had already been outside the district branches by the time I bought the title for the place---might just be a hindrance, now, especially since they'll want to remodel the old girl, and well... B definitely wouldn't like it."
He grinned. "Well, if we get to know each other better, maybe you'll be able to guess better! Like a game!"
He laughed nervously at the mention of employees. "Well, with really low funding come ah... Comes really low chances for new hires. Can't afford to really pay anyone on the grant they gave me, so---well, I'm kinda on my own right now, until I raise Ye Bochord out of the dirt. Which is why we need more events."
He gestured at his own cart of miscellanea with a sheepish smile. "And paint pens and acrylic markers are really kinda like---used interchangeably. Acrylic markers usually use water-based paint, though, and some paint pens are oil based. Kinda depends. And as for your paper, we've got all sorts down aisle three, and the kneaded erasers are easy---most craft stores sell them. This way, huh? Let's get all your things."
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 8:24 am
"Yeah, but that's gotta be one of the coolest jobs ever!" the pink-eyed adolescent proclaimed. "I can't wait to see!" He wondered idly how big a person's book collection had to be in order to technically qualify as a library.
Leiko's enthusiasm mellowed a bit at the explanation regarding the branch system. "Oh. But then why don't you become a part of it?" he asked. "Wouldn't it be better for you than worse if you're not getting funding?" Then he paused. "Wait – what do you have to do to get funding?" Did libraries get funding from late fees?
As Arlen explained why it could be more of a problem to join back up with the branch system than to stay independent from it, Leiko grinned at Arlen’s use of the term, 'old girl' for the library. "Wait - is B supposed to be your library?" He laughed. "Why do you call her that?"
That question, like several of his others, was answered as he continued to listen to Arlen explain. Presumably, 'B' came from 'Ye Bochord', though Leiko didn’t dare ask where the name 'Ye Bochord' came from. He doubted he would get a straight answer.
Some of what the library owner said went over Leiko’s head, he felt, such as 'the grant they gave him' – whoever 'them' was – and what exactly Arlen meant by 'raising Ye Bochord out of the dirt'. He thought he got the basic jist of it, though. Ye Bochord, Arlen's library, was in trouble because they didn't have much money and they needed to be more popular and have more events to get more money somehow. To that end, he was sure Kit and Ty could help. Arlen would see. Leiko just had to wait until they met – or else get them to meet himself. Maybe he could even bring the siblings to the library when he went to go visit Arlen there. Well, someone would likely have to hold down the fort at home, but bringing at least one would likely do the trick. More publicity for everyone!
He nodded as the librarian-slash-library owner-slash-potential comic book artist elaborated more on the art supplies Leiko had spoken of. He was grateful for the help, but as with the talk about libraries, he didn't think he was understanding everything completely. Still, he thought he was comprehending enough and that was what was important, right?
"How about I follow your lead, drive the cart, and get what you tell me to?" the blond suggested. "If you help me, I can buy your supplies for you, too!"
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