Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

The land of Gaia. It was well known for it's, well, it's well known for it's retard ability, but that would be beside the point I'm trying to throw out there. It was 1934 when Gaia seemed to be going through it's brown and beige days.

Somewhere in Halloween Town, there was a Candy Shoppe. The only Candy Shoppe in Gaia which, after all, made it so popular. The store was owned by Zachary Cohen in the early 20's. His brother Gerard, was running an underground militia known as "The Order'. Zachary, however, had went in another direction.

The younger brother, Thomas Cohen, was the first man to re-create and pilot the famous, flying, contraption that the Wright Brothers had invented. His daughter, Eleanor was entrusted with the shop by Zachary who had no children nor a wife.

The candy shop was such a sight to see. The entire building was built in the replica of a black and orange piece of candy. It was two floors high and inside painted with warm browns lined with oak shelves with rows and rows of wooden buckets filled to the brim with candy and chocolate of all sorts. The checkered floor with barrels, also filled with candies.

On other walls were large dispensers that Eleanor, herself had created for easy access and less probability of theft. The candy had a wide range of variety. From shape to size, to color and flavors. On the second floor was a bakery, where the woman use to provide Gaia with the very best sweets and breads.

Even then, she still enjoyed other hobbies outside of work. Painting and building was another love. Along with her companion, a brown and beige pup named Tec.

Eleanor smiled as she flipped the Closed sign onto Open, unlocking the door and heading on in, little Tec trailing after her. The staff had already been hard at work getting the shop ready for opening. The chefs were upstairs baking away and decorating whilst the stock boys (and girls) had been pulling out the recently made candy into their specific boxes/dispensers.

"Good morning, everyone!" she said, tying an apron around her waist as she headed for the , large, bulky, register. Tec had followed behind her, trotting over to the small dispenser behind the counter with puppy food and water. His little paw pressed down on a lever and the food and water was dispensed into his two favorite bowls.

Eleanor knelt down and ruffled the little puppy's ears. "Good boy. Okay, I have to get ready for work, so try to stay out of trouble, please," she told him, smiling warmly.

Standing up again, she tied her hair back and adjusted the goggles on her head. When that was straightened out, she patted the wrinkles out of her brown and cream skirt.

It wasn't long that children and even adults had come rushing in, eager to shop. It was nice to see how happy candy and sweets made the children. It was even nice to watch adults light up as if they were young again. As she calculated the weight and sorted through the candies, the bell on the door rung and opened, a tall, man in a brown, pilots hat walking in with a cane. His snowy white hair obscuring his features.

"Good morning, my dear daughter! Have I got some news for you!" he began.

Eleanor finished bagging the candy and placing them in a burlap sack, handing the heavy haul to the customer. Watching them leave she smiled at her father. "What kind of news?" she asked, tilting her head. Thomas grinned and pulled out two pieces of paper. "We have been invited to the first launching of the S.S. Gigantic."

Eleanor took the tickets and looked them over, one of the people who helped in the back coming up to the register to take over while she walked from around the counter, reading the tickets. She reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out her small, round, glasses and placing them over her nose. As she scanned the tickets, she raised an eyebrow.

"A convention for Inventors?" she asked.

"Yes! Splendid isn't it?"

"But...dad, I'm not an inventor...I'm an artist and a shoppe owner," she said, sadly. Her father shook his head, taking one of the tickets and leaving her with her own. "Nonsense, you built those dispensers for the candy and Tec. You created that musical locket you have draped around your neck and you even draw up blue prints to projects you never finish. You, my dear, are an inventor!" her father argued, lightly tapping the tip of his short daughter's nose.

The woman sighed. "I like to make things but I prefer to paint it. On a canvas," she responded, looking back down at the ticket again. "Besides, I'm not as smart as those men and women that'll be there. I'll just be out of place or looked down upon. And besides! Tec gets sea sick!" she said worried of her puppy.

The father batted his hand at his daughter. "Tec will be fine once me and him scope out the open bar! You'll do fine. Maybe you'll even bring home a nice young, inventor man for yourself!" he teased. Eleanor's face flushed as she groaned and placed a hand over her face. "Oh dad...Alright, fine, I suppose I can leave the shop to someone while I'm away. Hopefully Uncle Zachary won't be upset," she said.

"Good, good, you better get all packed up. You may want to bring one of your projects. I was asked to bring photographs of my plane."

Eleanor shook her head. "Alright, dad."

"Just becareful not to run into the wrong crowd," a voice said from behind Thomas. Eleanor looked over his shoulder to see her uncle Zachary. "I'm sure the riff raff will be there as well. And by riff raff I mean those dirty Dark Elves," he finished. Eleanor narrowed her eyes a little bit. "Dark Elves aren't dirty. They're just like everyone else in the world. We all bleed the same you know," she told him. Her Uncle chuckled and put a hand under her chin, making her look up at him while he looked sternly down at his niece.

"My dear, sweet, niece. So naiive. Just try to stay clear from them, will you?" he asked, sighing and letting go of her face. Eleanor felt her ears burn from how angry she'd gotten. She didn't like hearing people talk down about other races. It was ridiculous. Thomas decided to jump in the conversation at this point, grasping onto his daughter's arm and pulling her towards the counter. "I don't believe you have any say so as to who MY daughter may befriend and who she cannot," he notified his older brother.

Zachary glanced back at his brother and merely chuckled again. Eleanor growled and gritted her teeth. "Ooh that Uncle Zachary...why if I didn't love working here I'd...ooh!"

Thomas smiled and straightened the goggles on his daughter's head, then dusted off her shoulders. "Everything will be just fine! Now then, I'm going to go have a mid-afternoon drink, care to join me?"

Eleanor smiled meekly at her father. "No thank you," she told her father, politely. Tec's ears perked up as he trotted over to his owner's father. "Well then, how about you, my good man?" he asked of his favorite little drinking buddy whilst ruffling his ears.

Tec barked, only to have Eleanor place her hands on her hips. "Tec, I told you I didn't like you drinking. You're too young! Now come on, we have to notify the others that I'll be leaving for the week," she said, a little reluctantly. Tec whined and followed after Eleanor.

"I'll see you later, then, my dear!" Thomas told his daughter as he exited the shop. Eleanor turned around and waved then sighed inwardly. She really didn't want to go, mainly for the fear of being told she was inferior and shouldn't be there. She'd had quite enough of that with the people who weren't inventors.

=====================================

After leaving the shop, Eleanor trekked her way back to her home in Barton. Along the way, she had unfortunately came across Connie Leoni, one of the popular young inventors who she'd unfortunately had to put up with in her childhood. The taller woman, smiled triumphantly at little Eleanor, tussling her blonde locks over her shoulder. "Oh, Eleanor, dear. It's been ages!" she said, pompously. Eleanor sighed and adjusted her glasses a little.

"Um, I'd just seen you the other day...You stole my blue print for the dispensers...And then pattened it," she said, sadly. Connie scoffed. "I did no such thing. How dare you accuse me of stealing an idea that you clearly stole from me," she retaliated, thrusting her nose up in the air.

Eleanor frowned and then suddenly shot a glare. "I didn't steal anything from you! My customers can tell you now that I had made those before you came out with those ridiculous modified tubes you call dispensers. Your little change made food stale within a day!"

Connie was red in the face, trying to keep her lady-like posture before deciding to use this to her advantage. Suddenly she began bawling like a baby, pulling Elanor into a tight hug, which baffled the young woman.

"Oh Eleanor! Please don't say such cruel things! I never accused you of stealing my plans! My plans are there to share with everyone! Oh please don't be angry at me!" she sobbed, quite pathetically. People in the streets had stopped and gawked, all muttering and glaring down at Eleanor.

"She should be ashamed of herself! Making that poor Connie girl cry like that!"

"I didn't think Eleanor was that type of girl..."

"That Eleanor is such a cruel girl!"

Eleanor knitted her eyebrows together as she listened to them whisper harshly about her. "B-But I..." she trailed off. Connie grinned a little before wiping it off her face and pulling away from Eleanor and staring at the others. "No! Don't be mean to her! Eleanor doesn't deserve that!" she said, sadly.

"Such a kind girl, that Connie."

"That Eleanor Cohen could learn a thing or two from Connie," Another person said.

"Agreed."

Eleanor sighed and pushed away from Connie, walking on home, Tec whimpering by her side and looking up worriedly at his master. Connie waved a little from behind her. "Eleanor, sweety! I'll be attending the convention on the S.S. Gigantic! I do hope I'll see you there!" she called out, smiling as sincerely as she could. Of course that was all a show for the people around them. Eleanor held her head down and made her way on home.

"Come on, Tec," she said, sadly.