2023.10.10:Pierre Gassendi's collected letters

2023.10.10:Pierre Gassendi's collected letters
A discussion of rare books.
IC Date	Oct 10th, 2023.
IC Time	Late evening.
Players	Mark, Tillie
Location	Five Points Rare Books

<Phone> (Text from Tillie) Do you have any letters of Gassendi? (text from unknown number... around midnight)
<Phone> (Text to Tillie) We have a complete publication from 1912, and an earlier copy from 1678 that is sadly only 60 complete but does have some interesting annotations from a Jesuit priest written in the early 1700s.
<Phone> (Text from Tillie) The Jesuit volume does sound intriguing... your window mentioned private appointments available?
<Phone> (Text to Tillie) Yes, accommodations can be made for late or early openings if needed. Depending on circumstances though, some advance notice may be necessary.
<Phone> (Text from Tillie) I'm more than a little bit of a night owl. Would you be available sometime this week for one of those late openings?
<Phone> (Text to Tillie) Yes, I'm still here late tonight, and I can also set appointments for Thursday or Friday this week.
<Phone> (Text from Tillie) Perfect! I can swing by in about thirty minutes if that works? Maybe my shopping list will grow by Thursday or Friday.
<Phone> (Text to Tillie) Certainly, I'll be here and the lights will be on.

Mark admits Tillie into the store and leads her to the back after being fairly unsurprised that she had been behind the unknown number. Both copies of Pierre Gassendi's collected letters are laid out on the center table for her examination. "Welcome back to Five Points Tillie, it's nice to see you again. Especially considering your quite discerning tastes and interests."

A Woman of Mystery or just blissfully unaware of texting etiquette... who is to say? Either way, it is indeed a Tillie that arrives at the appointed time, dressed much as she was the night before. She offers a smile as she follows back to the office, a smile which grows when she sees the gloves and glasses waiting. "Well, when one finds a shop that caters to more than just the feel-good wave a crystal at all your problems type literature, they're worth patroning. The general public seems to have completely forgotten than Newton himself studied the ways of alchemy... could he have made the discoveries he did if his other research didn't affect his thinking?"

Mark smiles warmly at Tillie, his smile getting just a tad wry at the mention of crystal waving. "The general public... Well, if it helps, think of it as soccer moms buying candles as a form of subsidizing the actually interesting stuff. And a shame about Newton. Either he wasn't able to find what he was looking for, or the records and notes were lost. Either way, tragic."

"True enough," Tillie nods as she picks up one of the sets of gloves and carefully puts them on like she's done this a time or two before. "Though figured it was more angsty teenage girls that was the larger demographic than soccer mums?" A tilt of her head as she looks back at Mark for confirmation. "But then again, I was a teenage girl once. Not much experience on the soccer mom front. And Newton may not have found what he was looking for, but the discoveries he made a long the way... I would think anybody would be proud to have a CV as extensive as his."

Mark laughs, amusement spilling out of him as he partially confirms her question. "Sure there's a ton of teenagers, but the moms are way more bored and have way more money to spend. At least the teens are actually learning something most of the time. And don't get me wrong, I was not throwing shade on Newton. I was just thinking about what might have been if we were a little luckier. Oh, also, the gloves were left over from the previous tenant here, which was part art gallery and maybe a little bit pretentious. These aren't going to disintegrate under your fingers, so feel free to skip them if you'd rather."

Tillie loudly snaps that second glove on. Unnecessary, but she's grinning. "Perhaps a little bit of pretension every now and again can do us all a bit of good? Why else would little girls be so enamored of tea parties? And larger girls have also been known to break out tiaras and stronger libations for parties when given the opportunity. Do you not have any habits you do not because they're necessary, but because of the way they feel?"

Mark grins at Tillie, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I took out a serious small business loan to run a magic book store, my whole life is built on unusual habits that feel right at this point. But it's working out so far, so I must be doing something right."

"Built is perhaps the right description for it, since one usually doesn't decide to open a niche book store overnight... at least outside of mid-life crises, but you seem far too young for that," Tillie says as she turns to the copy of those Jesuit letters, spending a good amount of time looking at the cover even as she speaks. "What were the foundation stones which lead to such a decision?"

Mark looks thoughtful at the question, giving it actual consideration before answering. "No, not a mid-life crisis, I don't think I'm ready for that yet. I think maybe the first stone was actually Dungeons and Dragons? Not like the groups that think that's actually occultism, but it did put me into the nerdy group when I got to high school. This was before there was a D&D movie, or a good one anyway. After that, I just started reading what I could found, and got sucked in. Not a very dramatic story, but there's just so much interesting stuff, and... Well, you're here looking at centuries old letters, I don't have to tell you what's interesting."

Tillie smiles softly as she turns the first page. "I was born 'nerdy', though would never have called it that. Child of two intellectual sorts... growing up without a television. Lots of time to read like that. And very quickly expand from the traditional academics into more interesting theories."

Mark leans sideways against the table, crossing his arms as he watches her begin her examination. "Intellectuals with no TV, what were they, both college professors? Still, I guess that's not the worst thing in the world, especially if you had access to a good library. And it's not like you learn the really neat stuff in school, either. No wonder so many people come out of high school either crazy or burnt out and useless."

Tillie shrugs her scrawny shoulders. "Something like that. Philosophers, mostly. They taught some. But the library was indeed good and it worked out for me. And indeed, learning what one is forced to instead of what one chooses is frustrating... especially if the need for the less desirable is poorly explained. Sometimes you must force yourself through some to train yourself to prepare for the rewarding."

Mark nods, his brow furrowing in thought. "Yeah, yeah... The schools are just... I didn't fit in that well, but they just didn't seem set up for real learning. Sure, knowing match and the basics of things are good, but as it goes on... Ultimately, the schools these days are more designed to create unquestioning laborers. I don't like it. Uh, but that's more of a side rant, isn't it? We're here surrounded by the interesting now, we should be focused on that instead."

"Public schooling, like soccer moms, is another thing I don't have much experience with," Tillie admits with a little smile. "Homeschooled... which probably made going to university all the more enlightening. So many different people, all trying to surround themselves by the interesting."

Mark smiles, easing up a bit more. "Oh yes, of course! College is so much better. You can finally pursue what you want to, follow your heart and your interests, and along with others doing the same. It's a whole new world!"

Tillie has had time to peruse further into the book as they've been talking, multi-tasking. About midway through, she's seen enough to close it and give an affirmative nod. "My heart at least will enjoy being able to take this one home. There are a few of the letters I hadn't seen before in the collection. It may be a new world, but there is still plenty of the old to look at, luckily for us."

Mark nods sagely, standing back up straight. "Lucky indeed. There's so much of the old than can teach us, that we can build on to keep going. And I'm glad you like it, it's always nice when I can connect someone with something that brings them some joy. It's what I aim for, at least."

Tillie laughs a little at that, taking off the gloves and depositing them into the wastebin. "Glad for now. This may just be the start of a rabbit hole where I keep asking for more and more obscure collections. Would you be quite as enthused if trying to hunt down lost writings from an Armenian scholar as you were about connecting something that was already in your collection?"

Mark gives Tillie a crooked smile, raising his palms in a shrug. "I don't know, maybe? Sometimes a challenge can be fun, right? It's for sure more interesting than ordering the latest self help book recommended by Oprah for someone who will skim through it at most. And you've got a good eye, for sure. Even if you were the only new customer I got here in the city, I think it'd be enough to make it worth it. Intellectually, I mean. I do still need those soccer moms to pay the lease."

Tillie holds up a hand like a girl scout. "I swear, I will not ask you to order anything Oprah has recommended." Before dropping the hand and giving a wink. "We'll leave that to the soccer moms as a form of their civic duty. My own requests I would think will always be much more interesting... or at least a challenge."

Mark laughs heartily at that, going well past any professional customer service level of mirth. "Well, that would be excellent. I'm already looking forward to it. I'll do my best to not disappoint!"

Tillie steps closer at that, her hands tucked behind her back. "So, is now the part of the evening where you check me out?" The book is still waiting there on the table.

Mark looks down at the papers and starts to nod, then looks back at her as the alternative meaning of the phrase filters through his brain. Unable to help himself, he does fall into that trap, his eyes flicking down over her and then back up to her face with a guilty flush creeping into his cheeks. He looks back down at the table, trying to cover as he stammers a bit. "Uhhh, right. So, you wanted the, uh, elder annotated version then?"

What literary nerd would ever pass up a chance for world play? Certainly not Tillie as she doesn't seem at all ashamed of herself, but then again turtleneck and floor length skirts don't really leave much to be checked out. Though she does have enough mercy to nod along with the stammers. "Right, the elder version. Can't let the soccer moms do all the work now, can I?"

Mark clears his throat and collects his wits enough to scoop up the copy and return it to its protective plastic case and head for the front room and the register there. "No, of course not, can't let them have all the fun. What do they know about fun, anyway?"

"Hopefully I didn't delay any fun plans of your own requesting you stay this late?" Tillie asks as she follows to the register. "They do say all work and no play makes dull boys."

Mark shakes his head as he wakes up the register from sleep mode and punches in the inventory number without looking at it. "What? Oh, no, of course not. Tonight I was just doing some inventory work anyway. Tomorrow I had some plans for elbow rubbing and deal hunting, but tonight was going to be much more simple."

"Thanks again," Tillie says after paying and carefully tucking that package away in her bag. "And hopefully I'll see you again soon? Really soon?"

Mark closes the till and answers quickly, blurting it out before really considering his words. "Sure, as soon as you'd like!"

"You also have my number, sir," Tillie points out with one last wink before she heads out the door.

Mark waves as she heads out, swallowing hard and starting to wonder what truck just ran him over tonight.