After her quick stop for breakfast, Spencer spent most of the day wandering. She didn't have anywhere particular in mind, despite recalling a few interest points off the top of her head. As a novice when it came to traveling, the illusion of choice tormented her. She knew the internet could provide an endless list of places to visit but would have gotten overwhelmed, so she chose the path more leisurely traveled.

Japantown welcomed her with open arms, courtesy of a cozy late-morning stroll through shops that carried cute accessories and knick-knacks. She bought too many pens she didn't need, a few blind boxes, which were her weakness, and a couple of manga books that were certainly going to weigh down her carry-on item. While she was tempted to grab lunch there as well, she decided to purchase a bento instead and take a ride over to the Painted Ladies for a picnic. Plenty of people set up along the tall hill straight across from the houses. Spencer thought it charming the way most people didn't seem that occupied with the view in front of them. They enjoyed relishing in nostalgia.

Eventually, she drifted back into the Castro. Stumbled around a few more shops, bought souvenirs for people who may or may not even know she was in San Francisco, and walked with her head down to admire the Rainbow Honor Walk. An old gay couple helped her take pictures with the bronze plaque for Freddie Mercury before they walked away while singing I Want To Break Free.

Spencer walked into a bookstore with a bright purple exterior for a reprieve from the cold. It felt nice to be able to remove her hands from her pockets. Wiggled them around for good measure. Fabulosa Books, the sign above the door read. (The small sign outside that read Books Books Books Books Books Books with each line a different color of the rainbow was as subtle as any proud LGBTQ-owned store in Castro could be.) The front display was simply labeled as Queer Stuff, with a colorful selection of titles handpicked by the staff and written by a diverse collection of authors. Spencer loved reading and couldn't figure out what to check first.

"Welcome to Fabulosa," said one of the employees. They smiled at each other. "Looking for anything in particular today?"

Spencer shook her head. "Just browsing."

"Alright. Let me know if you need any help. 'Kay, babe?"

"Thanks."

In true Spencer fashion, when faced with the torture of endless choice, she scurried over to the small section of the store with stickers, pins, and other small items. She didn't believe in heaven, but if she had, it probably would have looked something like that.

Stickers were her vice. Water bottles, notebooks, her laptop. All of them were covered with stickers, and most were either ordered online from small shop owners or gifted by her sister. While many held the debilitating sticker anxiety that led them to keep their stickers in drawers and folders to collect dust, Spencer had no such problems. She took too much pride in finding places for new stickers, even if that meant retiring an old one.

Better Out Than In read one of the stickers. Shrek's outhouse with a rainbow bursting out. Nice. Spencer giggled under her breath. Only paying two bucks for it felt like a crime, but she was okay with taking advantage of it.

A long row of different pride flags stretched across the upper part of the display table. Spencer always found the Trans and Pansexual flags to be the prettiest colors. The Progress Pride flag never went unnoticed. Her eyes fell onto the Bisexual flag. While Sakura probably owned a billion of these, she snatched up one anyway, just in case she wanted another. (Who turned away free stickers? Obviously, she grabbed her the Shrek sticker as well.)

Spencer reached for another bisexual flag again. Let her fingers glide across the smooth surface. She took a deep breath, shook her head, and placed it back onto the pile.

The indie bookstore was well stocked, even considering the small square footage. Not quite at the chaotic level that came off as stuffy and overwhelming. But enough that Spencer knew she could spend hours wandering in front of those shelves. And even then, she would leave knowing that there were plenty of titles she hadn't considered because she didn't have the time. They included extensive sections for different genres, cultures, and identities. Books highlighting Trans lives, Black voices, and Indigenous experiences, whether it be about Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, Palestinians, Africans, or anyone else in between. While she did feel weighed down by the options for her to take home, she had to be cutthroat about her selection. The last thing she needed was to have to pay to check her bag because she bought more than she had room for, especially since she hadn't even stopped by Trader Joe's yet for very necessary snacks to bring home.

"There you are."

Sakura found her flipping through the box of vintage postcards priced at fifty cents each. Spencer already held eight in her hand.

"How'd you find me?" Spencer checked the cat-shaped clock on the wall. A child walking around earlier told her they named it Barbara. According to Barbara, it just turned four o'clock. "Does ditching work early get you into the running for employee of the month?"

"Obviously. They're prepping my portrait as we speak." Even a ruffled Sakura, who endured two-thirds of a workday, stood out in the small gathering of patrons. Pretty enough that people stepping aside for her had no choice but to take a second look. "And I stalked you."

The customer standing next to them looked mildly alarmed. A little older than the average person who utilized their location-sharing capabilities.

"How was work?"

"First rule of being employed—" Sakura pulled her hair up into a ponytail. "—Never talk about work unless you're being paid to."

"Is this your way of saying you don't want to talk about work or that you want me to pay you to answer the questions?"

"I'm fine with either."

Sakura winked. Spencer looked down at her items.

"Let me just pay for these and we can head out."

"I'll be right here." Sakura wandered over to a shelf carrying books about popular queer icons.

Spencer walked over to the register where the employee who first welcomed her stood.

"Ready?" they asked.

She nodded and placed her selections on the table—too many stickers, even more postcards, Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon, Gumbo YA YA by Aurielle Marie, and a few pins.

"Nice haul," the cashier said. They tapped the cover of Beyond the Gender Binary. "Love this one. They have such an empathetic view of the world."

"Nice store. Could've emptied my entire wallet in here." Spencer laughed. "And yeah, I've seen some of their interviews. They're great. I'm excited to read this."

"Consider this a thank you for supporting us." They tossed a sticker on top of her pile—a Fabulosa Books sticker.

"Oh, thank you so much." Spencer smiled at them and tapped her card against the reader before seeing a sign on the opposite side of the register. "What's this?"

BOOKS NOT BANS, it read.

"An initiative sponsored by Fabulosa to send LGBTQIA+ books to organizations in conservative parts of the States where access and resources are being heavily restricted to those who need them most," they answered, sliding the sign over so Spencer could take a better look. "We reach out to organizations to see if they would like a box of books. If they do, they tell us what their audience needs so we can select books that serve them the best."

Spencer opened her wallet back up. "Do we buy specific books or—"

"That, or we can accept contributions." They pulled a list of books that were used most often for the boxes. Spencer quickly grabbed a stack of them from around the front of the shop, focusing on Trans, Lesbian, and Black authors. When she returned to the register, they rang them up with a smile. "This is incredibly generous. Thank you, darlin'."

"Thank you for the work you do," Spencer replied. Best $120 she spent in a long time.

After placing the books in the donation box and handing over her purchases with both receipts, the employee placed a business card and a small flyer into Spencer's hands. "Not sure if you're from around here, but we do events sometimes. Drag readings of banned books, live music, raffles, those sorts of things. We also appreciate volunteers who can help with preparing the boxes."

"Oh, I'm not from here. Hawai'i. Unfortunately. I mean, not unfortunately. But... you know what I mean."

They laughed. "No worries. Praying for a free Hawai'i in the very near future."

"Thank you." Spencer pointed at Sakura. "My friend lives here, though. I'll let her know. I'm sure she'd love to help."

"Ah, friend. Yes. Here, take another for her." They handed Spencer another Fabulosa Books sticker. "Enjoy the rest of your time in San Francisco."