Aziraphale's bookshop (open post)

[sohoangel]

A.Z. Fell and Co.'s bookshop has stood on the same corner in London's vibrant Soho district since it was established in 1800. The hours posted in the store window seem more like a deterrent than anything, but to anyone who was formally invited, or simply has uncanny timing, the store will miraculously be open.

The shop smells like old books, pleasantly so to welcome visitors, and occasionally like baking. If Aziraphale is not behind the till, then he will come find you soon. Seeking him out, especially if you are trying to buy something, will prove fruitless.

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for <user name=scotch_egg>

[sohoangel]

[Continued from here.]

[Aziraphale is in the back room of the bookshop, taking advantage of the lack of customers to fix himself a cup of tea. When he hears the jingle above the door, he sighs and bustles into the shop proper, determined to find out what they want so he can usher them out as quickly as they came in.]

Hello there, how can I --

[The angel stops short when he finally lays eyes upon Detective Hardy. The resemblance to Crowley is uncanny! Not that there hasn't occasionally been a human here and there who looked like the demon, but it still manages to throw him off his usual shopkeeper spiel. He clears his throat and smiles.]

Er, that is. Is there something I can help you with? Or are you merely browsing?

[scotch_egg]

[Fell catches him off guard enough so that anything he was about to say vanishes. He's taller than Alec thought, average height, average in general except for the fact his waistcoat looks like an old worn sofa. But there is something about him that puts Alec off a step, something strangely nostalgic, as if he's been here before or had met him when he knows he hasn't.

He shrugs off the question and browses a little further, debating what to do, debating whether to leave altogether and then deciding against it. It wasn't as if he would have to come back here and London was too bloody expensive to make a habit of anyway.

That in mind he picks an older looking book off the shelf-- Treasure Island-- a book he devoured as a boy. He has a sudden memory of summer nights, reading outside with a torch and listening the song of a night bird signing somewhere in the neighbor's hedge.

He clears his mind of that too somehow and says instead]

I was wondering, actually, if you could do me a favor.

[sohoangel]

[Aziraphale purses his lips a little when not-Crowley shrugs his shoulders and returns to browsing. He supposes he'll have to put that cup of tea off for a little while longer.]

Well, if you need anything, I'll be at the till.

[Contrary to human opinion, angels are not mind readers, nor do they immediately know the identities of every human that they meet. Aziraphale has no idea that this is the detective he texted with a few weeks ago. It's enough, however, that he resembles Crowley that keeps the angel's eyes upon him. Well, that and he's the only other person in the shop.

When the man approaches with a copy of Treasure Island, Aziraphale smiles politely, hands on the counter and eyebrows raised curiously.]

Well, it depends on the favor, doesn't it? What is it?

[scotch_egg]

[he lays the book on the counter, briefly resting his hand on the cover and then drawing both hands into his pockets]

I was in need of a burglar. [his smirk is a bit unsure but he doggedly continues, his heart picking up in tempo as it does when he's actively trying to be clever and not entirely sure he'll succeed]

To steal a mountain from a dragon.

[sohoangel]

[Aziraphale's polite smile turns to a look of confusion. Not because of the reference, he catches onto that immediately. But what does Bilbo Baggins have to do with anything? Is he looking for a copy of The Hobbit? Or maybe --

Oh! His smile returns, much friendlier than when he first thought of the man as merely a customer.]

Detective Hardy? Finally decided to visit, have you?

[scotch_egg]

I was in the neighborhood. [he shrugs again. Now that his joke is over he feels awkward and stupid. Small talk was never his forte and somehow Fell's presence makes it worse]

Nice place you have, though I'm surprised it's lasted this long. Books seem to be in a downturn lately. [there would always be a bookshop in Britain so long as an Englishman had breath, but strange to find it in the middle of SoHo in all places]

[sohoangel]

Well, it's lovely to finally put a face to a name. [Especially if that face is eerily similar to Crowley's. What a funny coincidence; it automatically endears himself to the detective.] And thank you. Are you referring to electronic readers? Yes, it does mean fewer sales on average.

[Not that he seems all that broken-up about it. Fewer people trying to buy his precious first editions, what's not to like?

As if sensing Alec's awkwardness, Aziraphale's smile softens and he taps the counter between them.]

I was just about to make myself a cup of tea before you walked in. Would you like one, as well? Maybe you'd like to look through Treasure Island some more? Is that a favorite of yours?

[scotch_egg]

You don't seem bothered.

[which was odd. It could be that Fell came from old money or even oldish money and the bookshop was kind of a hobby. Or maybe he was one of those bohemian chips fall where they may but looking at this man, he felt pity for any chip that might fall astray.

He hesitated at the offer. It somehow seemed like a dangerous proposition. Well getting acquainted with someone always was. He shrugs]

I've got nothing to do, but fair warning I'm not good at small talk. [he glances at Treasure Island, knowing that is dangerous. He'd like to introduce it to his daughter, but had the feeling Daisy wouldn't be as connected to it as he had been. Well, she's a little old for that now anyway]

I've outgrown it a bit. [a faint smile as he goes to return it right where he'd gotten it from. It felt like it belonged here in any case]

[sohoangel]

[In Aziraphale's case, it's very much the first, having been around since before money even was a thing, along with an irrepressible desire to not sell his books. He chuckles a little when Alec comments on it.]

My, nothing gets past you, does it?

[He nods his head towards the side of the shop where a pair of comfortable armchairs are located.]

That's quite all right, I'm rubbish at small talk, as well. I'd much rather talk philosophy or literature. For example, I personally think it's impossible to outgrow reading an adventure upon the high seas, but perhaps that's just me. Have a seat, dear, I'll be back in a tic with tea. Do you take cream or sugar?

[It's several points in Hardy's favor that he puts the book back where he found it, although the angel wouldn't have been opposed to him sitting and reading it, either. He's happy to let humans read his books, so long as they are respectful and remain in the shop.]

[scotch_egg]

Not really that fond of the water anymore. [the less said about father's that leave and piracy the better. He finds himself following the man and standing a bit uncomfortably in the overstuffed backroom, not sure where he can sit and decides to perch on the edge of a sofa, leaning forward, hands between his knees]

Neither.

[he's trying to be health conscious to avoid another incident]

What's your favorite book? [it sounded like a horrid pickup line as soon as it was out of his mouth]

[sohoangel]

No? Is that part of the reason you don't care for Broadchurch?

[Aziraphale returns to his kitchenette, where his tea is miraculously still hot. He pours a cup of earl grey for his guest, perfectly serviceable to drink black, and adds a healthy amount of milk and sugar to his own angel-winged mug. When he brings them over to the cluttered corner where his desk is, he's almost surprised to find Alec sitting semi-properly instead of lounging all over the sofa. He has to remind himself that the similarity between the detective and Crowley is only superficial.]

Here we are. [He hands Alec his cup, then sits at his desk chair, mulling over the question.] You know, you'd think over the years I'd have a definitive answer, but it's a bit like asking a parent which child is their favorite. I love so many of them for a variety of reasons, but if I have to choose, then I'd say anything by Shakespeare. I have a great deal of fondness for the Bard's works.

[scotch_egg]

Oh come on... [he accepts the tea but holds it between his fingers] Shakespeare is easy. Everyone says Shakespeare. You've got to have more varied interests than that. Give me your second favorite then.

[sohoangel]

Everyone should say Shakespeare. He's one of the greatest writers who ever lived.

[Aziraphale gives a prissy little sniff and takes a sip of tea.]

Well... there's Paradise Lost. A very intriguing bit of fiction, far ahead of its time in some ways. I'm very partial to Gustave Dore's illustrations for it, too. It's always interesting to see how people imagine Heaven and Hell to look like.

[Usually because they get it wrong. Especially Hell, humans are so much more creative than (most) demons ever could be.]

[scotch_egg]

I mean he didn't work alone, he collaborated. Actors aren't just going to let him get away with anything. [he's known a few. Or well, arrested a bit player at a local community theater who kept making bomb threats when high on speed, which was often]

It doesn't mean he's not good but-- [Alec gestures with one hand, the other still gripping his tea]

I read Paradise Lost in school. I hated it. Too much sympathy for the devil if you ask me.

[sohoangel]

Actors can give pushback on how they're directed on stage, it's true, but Will wrote the words. He even made a few of them up, when the mood suited him.

[Aziraphale speaks of the playwright fondly, as if he were an old friend. Alec's comment on Milton has him smiling wryly and taking another sip of tea.]

I'd argue it was empathy, rather than sympathy. He's a tragic figure from the very beginning, letting his pride and vanity overwhelm him.

[That, at least, Milton got right.]

How about Dante's Divine Comedy, then? Or are you not a fan of biblical fiction in general?

[scotch_egg]

[he hums about Shakespeare, but knows better than to go down that road. The comment about Satan however makes him snort]

How is that tragic? He had pride and vanity and a complex, sure, but that's no excuse for making things horrible for everyone else. The true tragic is if he had a choice in the matter.

And the Divine Comedy was just an excuse for Allegheri to be supercilious and punish popes he didn't like. It's ridiculous. It's not justice either, if you ask me. The whole concept of crime in punishment where it relates to sin-- If you blaspheme, if they are just words, because you don't know, because you're angry, because you're questioning, that shouldn't mean you get hot coals on your tongue or whatever it was. There's too much emphasis on wrong thought rather than wrong action and it's the people that go out of their way to hurt others that need to be looked to. Not this horseshite of, oh you don't believe in my specific slant of Christianity or whatever so I'm going to nail your ears to a door.

[sohoangel]

It's the most insight that an author has given to Lucifer's motivations, other than the circular argument of Satan being evil because that's just how he is. He was an angel first, after all.

[Not that angels are necessarily the good guys that humans like to perceive them as being, but Aziraphale tries not to dwell on that bitter little thought. His smile returns briefly at Alec's pronouncement on Allegheri's motivations. The detective is surprisingly astute when it comes to literature.]

It was also an excuse to write about his crush. And you're only preaching to the choir, dear fellow, religion is wielded far too often as a weapon, but I find Dante's descriptions of Hell to have a sort of poetic justice to them. The punishment fitting the crime, even if some of those things I don't consider crimes. But, you know, I'm personally fascinated with religious imagery. You could say it runs in my family.

[scotch_egg]

Well if you follow that argument then it could be said that God made him how he is so made him to fall. In which case he started off evil and it went downhill from there. [but theology was never his strong suit]

It's not really my thing. Religion. It never really was. It's just something that's pervasive, people use it as an excuse, and they turn to it in times of need. But I think that if anyone is up there, they either don't really give as much of a shite as we seem to believe or have left a long time ago.

[sohoangel]

Well, one could say that, but it would turn all of Paradise Lost into something of a farce, wouldn't it?

[Aziraphale sips his tea, reminding himself that they're talking about the book, not actual events. Alec is not the first person Aziraphale has spoken to who has turned their back on religion, or not thought much of it in the first place. To hear him say that he thinks God has abandoned Earth, however, gives the angel a rather sad look to his eyes that he tries to hide by absently tidying some papers on his desk.]

I'm afraid we'll simply have to agree to disagree on that last bit. Although, admittedly, it isn't like the old days. But so long as the world doesn't end, I think it's safe to assume She still cares.

[scotch_egg]

The world ends a little bit every day, or someone's world does. But if that's the case then we're all fucked.

[he realized he'd gone too far. This was supposed to be...well who the hell knew, really, but he doubted Fell signed up for a conversation in nihilism]

Anyway, thanks for the tea...and the invite. Maybe I'll come back some day. [he wouldn't]

[sohoangel]

[It's not the nihilism itself that bothers Aziraphale. Humans struggle with their own mortality in many different ways, and after having to confront his own end-of-the-world scenario, both biblically and in a personal sense, he won't begrudge them a pessimistic sort of view. But to hear it from a man wearing Crowley's face, a man who has probably seen the worst of humanity and as a result has lost his faith in something greater than himself, that has him wringing his fingers together and wishing he had something comforting to say in return. But too soon, Alec is taking his leave.]

Oh! Ah... well, the pleasure was all mine, dear. Please feel free to visit anytime. Or perhaps I'll see you in Broadchurch? I promise to stay out of trouble.

[He gives Alec a small smile before standing up and offering to take his teacup. As he does so, he passes a blessing onto him. Nothing life-shattering, just a little something to hopefully make the detective's day easier. Lord knows that the poor man could use it.]

[scotch_egg]

[a faint smirk]

I wouldn't count on it. You bookish types are always getting into trouble.

[it's a joke but a bad one-- Though it does enough to cover, he hopes, the sudden flush of heat in his cheeks and through his body-- as if some strange emotion is flickering through him, a candle put to light. He wasn't going to let it get to him, certainly not in regards to this man who had a partner and who Alec wasn't even very attracted to. Even if there was something]

If you do come by... I have tea...

[it was an even worse line to end on so Alec did his best to shrug it off and headed out. The sooner he was back to where everything made a passing sense, the better]

[sohoangel]

You have a lot of experience with bookish types, then?

[Aziraphale smiles faintly. His own penchant for getting into trouble has frazzled a certain demon's nerves on more than one occasion, but he's sincere in not wanting to make Alec's job more difficult than it already is. Besides, how embarrassing would it be to get arrested while on holiday? Crowley wouldn't stand for it.

The bit of offered hospitality makes his smile grow. There's hope yet for Detective Hardy.]

Sounds lovely, dear. Mind how you go.