under the weather || open
chaikanonâ:
what a dreadfully dreary day. as another earthshaking clap of thunder boomed outside, the ferocious pounding of rain - harder even than just mere moments before - against the solid glass of the storeâs windows, she was once again immensely glad that she was here inside the safety of the shop instead of out in the storm.Â
it had already began to drizzle as she finished her shift at the cafe earlier. still, she considered herself pretty lucky : while the rain had certainly worsened by the time she reached the little black dress, it looked like she had just happened to miss the worst of the storm. thank goodness.Â
unfortunately, judging by the drenched clothes and pale faces of many of the other patrons and employees inside, it seemed that others werenât so lucky. an attractive man - a staff member, she presumed - had just approached her when another roll of thunder roared, eliciting a shriek from his lips. he had startled her, sure - even she had jumped a bit at the sudden scream - but judging from the uneasy look on his face, it was clear that he was the one who had been most affected. oh dear.
she offers him a patient smile.
â please, donât worry about it. quite a storm, no? are you all right? â
ââ„â Julius responds with a weary smile and a shake of the head. âYou just-- you donât get a lot of warning, you know?â The sudden, loud noises-- they have been the bane of his existence for fucking years... decades, now, God Iâm so old. But simply saying heâs surprised by them is easier to explain.
âItâs honestly nothing, Iâll be alright once--â a flash of lightning outside, and Julius freezes, waiting for the harsh follow-up. He still shudders when it hits before pulling back to set the mannequin right once more and smooth down his shirt, check the bangles on his wrists, make sure he doesnât look like an absolute mess.
âOnce, uh... it settles down.â
The next smile is wider, an attempt to look more at ease that is really, really bad. âI meant to ask, are you just waiting out the storm? I-I wonât pressure you to buy anything, but Iâm trying to be, uh... a help.â Some help he is, looking at the window every other minute. Whereâd the charisma go, Jules?








