De Soto Pharmacy
Large windows on the front and sides of the building allow outside light to shine upon the grey walls with a festive green horizontal stripe. Two cashier centers have been set up on either side of the entrance, though generally only one is occupied at any given time. Neatly lined rows of shelves comprise the majority of the pharmacy, carrying a vast assortment of over-the-counter medication, herbal remedies, bandaging, greeting cards, junk food; pretty much everything one could expect to find on a pharmacy shelf.
At the very back of the De Soto Pharmacy, is the actual pharmaceutical department. A pharmacist is on duty here twenty-four hours a day, filling out prescriptions.
It's in that middle period of the afternoon, here in the pharmacy, after the morning rush of the older crowd getting their scrips filled before they go home to do their gardening, or crafts, or whatever else it is one does when you get to the age when the most important part of your day is picking up your medications, and the after work rush when too many people, wanting to avoid the lines of the grocery store, decide to fill the pharmacy to capacity onto to what…that's right, wait in line.
Such is the onus of the place, but Mignonette appears to be trying to avoid both instances. But she seems to be here neither to fill out a scrip, or to buy any of the tchotchke's the store has available. Rather she comes in dressed as she always is on a day for doing business, with a briefcase under her arm, skirting the few people wandering the aisles, on her way back to the pharmacy proper.
~*~
Luck; a thing that is very rarely on Alexa's side, is on her side today. Someone called in sick, and thus she winds up having something that constitutes a normal shift. A middle of the day shift, which means that there is less of a chance that her poltergeist is going to outright attack her. Even with the lessened chance of it coming out to hinder her life, she would rather that that little Colby Anderson running around the store.
The child runs down an aisle, screaming at the top of his lungs and waving a lollipop around, his mother hot on his trail. They bolt past Mignonette as she makes her way back to the pharmacy, and the lollipop gets tossed toward her in little Colby's valiant attempt to keep away from his mother.
Back at the counter, Alexa is busily pulling out what looks to be wad of gum from her hair. It won't need to be cut, but it certainly made a mess.
~*~
Little Colby Anderson seems to have wonderful aim, as the lollipop hits Mignonette on the toss, sticking to the lapel of her suit jacket as if it were coated in superglue. The woman looks down, actually contemplating the candy for a moment, before she carefully pulls it off of the fabric, and carrying it with her, business end pointed ahead, like some kindergarden lance, she continues onward and upward towards the pharmacy. "I think these must go together," she offers in that always pleasant, always accented voice, "He'll probably want them both back at some point."
~*~
Laid out in front of Alexa are a pair of surgical gloves and a bottle of mineral oil. All preparation for trying to get the gum out of her hair without needing it to be cut. A practiced eye sets to the lollipop and she groans. "I am so sorry about that. Mrs. Anderson let go of the child leash and he went a little wild." A small garbage pail is lifted up for the woman to plunk the gooey candy into. The majority of the gum is placed in it as well before she lowers it back to the ground. "I am sure he'll have another soon enough."
~*~
"Ah, well, then I won't bother to save it for him. Though I doubt a bit of lint ever hurt anyone." The lollipop is chucked into the trash can on her side, before she sets her briefcase down on the counter, "Mignonette Savoy, Savoy & Savoy, Attorneys at Law. I was hoping to speak to the lead pharmacist or at the very least, the pharmacist on duty?" And her tone is still pleasant, not seeming at all as though she might be here with…duh duh duh…paperwork.
~*~
Mineral oil is applied to a piece of cloth, and she rubs it along the gummy hair that is left in the wake of the bubblegum. With her other hand, she extends a moist towelette to to the woman, so that she can wipe the stickiness from her lapel. "The lead pharmacist won't be in until Friday, but I'm authorized to sign for things for him." There is a minor pause before she adds, "Being the pharmacist on duty." Once the gum is out of her hair, she points to her little brass colored name tag which reads "Alexa Whyte".
~*~
"Oh, there's nothing to sign, not yet anyway, but I'm here on behalf of Dr. David Trudeau, of the CDC and Bright Futures." Mignonette will take care of the intro, as it were, while Alexa handles the gum. The briefcase is opened and she removed a trio of manila folders. One is labeled, "Trudeau, D., MD, PhD", the second is labeled, "Bright Futures - Inoculation Drive" and the third is labeled, "Volunteer Packet." Once Alexa has finished with the housekeeping, Mignonette accepts the towelette, swabbing the remnants of the candy as carefully as possible, "Thank you. I was hoping to drop off some information for you, and with any luck, recruit a few volunteer from your staff for an upcoming series of free inoculation clinics we'll be holding throughout Dallas and Fort Worth in August, just before the children go back to school. We're also approaching local pharmacies, to see if your staff would be willing to help provide information to families in the area about the clinics and the vaccinations we'll be offering." She sets each folder down on the counter, pointing to each in turn, "Dr. Trudeau's credentials, as well as his research into the needs of the local community, the scope of the clinic drive, and information for your staff, to be reviewed, before you decide if you'd like to participate or not.
~*~
Wiping her hands on another moist towelette before taking the manila folders, Alexa nods. "I've heard of the Bright Futures organization. Charity work that's been going on, right?" The girl may spend quite a bit of time on graveyard shift but that just means she has more time to read the local papers. "I think that's a commendable idea. I'll definitely get this to the head pharmacist as soon as possible. I'm sure he'd be willing to donate whatever time he can." This will likely translate to less free time for Alexa since she's the new-kid-on-the-block, but she doesn't seem to mind that much. "You can count me in if the dates are alright with my schedule."
~*~
"Yes, that's the one. We just came off of a rather successful charity auction, and we're working on getting the final touches on our next event, but we're really trying to reach out to the community, and that includes the local businesses. Considering the number of inoculations Dr. Trudeau is projecting that we'll be administering, we really won't be able to do it without the help of healthcare workers, and pharmacies are one of the best places for the distribution of information to the people living within the communities we're hoping to service." That's the thing about pharmacies and pharmacists…not only do they know MORE about medicine and drugs than doctors ever will, simply because medication is their business, but like hair stylists, people will often confide in a pharmacist or ask questions they might be too intimidated to ask someone else.
~*~
"I'm happy to hear it was successful. I have been reading wonderful things about the charity," Alexa offers with a wonderfully bright smile. The conversation seems to have her at ease which definitely a plus for her. It means that her torturous haunting is also at a calm. No cotton balls floating, or prescription bottles up-ending on her head. "I can imagine you'll have quite a large number, especially considering how many children are in the housing projects in West Dallas." The lawyer seems to be complimenting her without meaning to, and she laughs gently. "If the head pharmacist has an issue, I'll still sign up. I'll just ensure it's on my free time. It seems like a really worthy cause, and I'd be happy to do so."
There she pauses, peeking down a few aisles before quietly adding, "Provided not all the children are like Colby Anderson."
~*~
"Well, we've really been trying out best to make the charity all that it can be. And people have really seemed to take to the idea of putting their money back into the communities in which they live." It's almost a shame that the poltergeist isn't rearing it's head. Given the lawyer's background, it might make for interesting conversation, "Dr. Trudeau is projecting a need well into the hundreds of thousands. So you can see why we'll need all the help we can get." There's laughter, as Mignonette too looks back to see if the whirling dervish is within earshot, "If it makes you feel better, or the children are too barbaric, I'm sure there will be more than enough work to do prepping injections and managing our supplies. You might not even have to see a child."
~*~
Given enough time, it's sure to. Especially if the mad-running child decides to come back and throw more sweets at the pharmacist. Alexa giggles a little and gives her head a minute shake. "I adore children normally, I'm just not used to them in this setting. I normally get the graveyard shift. Midnight until morning. Not really a lot of children running around at that ti— "
There is a crash a few aisles over, and the quiet curse of a woman. The cashier is taking care of it, and soon the wails of a cranky child can be heard.
"— time," she continues with a sigh. Fingers lift to gently rub her temples, though she is quick to return to the soft smile as she silently tries to will the angry ghostie away. She nearly does it. What misses her attention is a pen beside the computer which hops up a little of its own accord.
"Janice," she calls, "do you have that under control, or do you need help over there?"
A call back tells her that everything is fine for the moment.
~*~
Having grown up in a family filled with women of all ages (and one man!) making things move hither and yon, Mignonette has learned to pay attention to little details. Always have to be ready when the next words you hear might be, 'Look out, it's coming at you!' Followed by, 'Oops.' And the pen hopping around does catch her eye. But as the woman is a stranger to her, it's neither the time nor the place to really bring it up in conversation. But if nothing else, it bears watching, particularly since there's no indication that it actually IS the woman, and not anyone else in the store. "I can imagine it's got to be irritating, no matter how much you love children. Bad behavior that affects your business does tend to make people a bit cranky. But I should probably allow you to get back to your shift. I think I see a couple coming in through the storm to see you."
~*~
Once the pen is spotted, floating, Alexa clears her throat. "Yes, children can be rather difficult." Her cheeks have a faint tint to them though it could just be embarrassment that such a poised woman is having to deal with little Colby Anderson. Gaze shifting toward the door, she brushes her hands down over her lab coat and puts for her best smile. "Thank you again Ms. Savoy. I'll go through the information and send one of the forms back to your offices. I'll do my best to see that you get as many volunteers as you need." The information will not only be posted but Alexa will see to it that all she knows that work here are told about it via word of mouth as well. "Be mindful on your way out. I think that was a jar of gumballs he tipped over." Heaven knows she does not want the lawyer to be assaulted with gooey gum.
~*~
"That's why they're called ankle-biters. Rug-rats, backyard monsters…" Well, you get the idea. Mignonette seems not to have any sort of reaction to the pen, even though she too sees it floating. But then, being that she doesn't react, when a normal person might be all WTF? that says something. "And thank you, Ms. Whyte. I do appreciate your time, and your willingness to contribute your time and efforts for Bright Futures. if you have more questions about the charity, feel free to contact me, or Dr. Trudeau, though I will admit that if the questions are medical, he is more appropriate a choice than I am. But I've included all of our contact information inside the folders." She holds out a hand, to offer a handshake before she departs, "Thank you again, and good afternoon."
~*~
Taking the lawyer's hand for a shake, Alexa smiles. Then she waits until Mignonette begins to make her way out of the pharmacy before she starts admonishing her poltergeist. "You couldn't just be quiet for an afternoon could you," she hisses at no one in particular. Her hand slams out to grab the floating pen and slam it down to the counter. There she remains, waiting for the couple to approach so she can fill out the next script and have happy people on their way swiftly.
Provided they aren't assaulted by the little child-sized monster that's still lurking in the store somewhere.
