Catchall Catchup (Various)

[notquitedracula]

Alchemical Aptitude (Trunks, maybe Bulma?)
[True to his word, Soma managed to show up at the Capsule Corp building in Nova the day after his conversation with Trunks. He's wearing his usual attire - long white coat, jeans, boots, and black turtleneck - but doesn't seem to be wearing a sword, for once. Not that that means anything, necessarily, but it's generally considered to be bad manners to go armed to a friendly meeting.

He's carrying a folder with a stack of what looks like loose printouts as well as a smaller pamphlet that looks to be handwritten.]

My Demons (Dante)
[Dante's invitation to demonstrate his capabilities put Soma in something of a tight spot. On the one hand, he was pretty sure the hunter would agree that he had all the control he needed to work with them on Attleton turf. On the other, his methods were... decidedly not normal, and might be a bit off-putting. Hopefully Dante won't object TOO violently when he finds out he's playing host to a soul eater.]

Uptown Downtime (Open)
[It's the weekend, and Soma has a whole entire day to goof off. What better way to do that than spend time shopping around, talking to friends, and generally trying to seize a few hours of normalcy from a world that's been dedicating itself to making his life as abnormal as possible? About the only place he won't be spotted is probably Attleton. Feel free to chat up the dhampir!]

Comments

Uptown Downtime

[innocent_royal]

[Since it is the weekend, Anastasia is somewhere cozy with plenty of room with all her Pokémon. The weekend also means bath time!

She was still setting up a collapsible kiddy pool when she spotted Soma strolling nearby. She waves and calls out to get his attention.]

Soma! Good morning~!

[notquitedracula]

[Walking around town was, admittedly, probably not the fastest way to get around. Not for most people, anyway. But when you can jump over buildings and run at highway speeds, well... you have options. Half of Nova probably thought he was some kind of speed-happy 'borg.

He doesn't spend ALL his time running, though, and so he's really just walking along when Anya hails him. He waves and walks over to the fence, leaning on it from the outside.]

Hey, Anya. Bathtime for the furballs?

[innocent_royal]

Yep! They got to play a lot this week so they need a good cleaning.

[Her Nidoking made a disapproving roar as it turned and tried to walk away.]

Now, don't pout, Nido. I'm just going to brush your armor.

So what are you up to, Soma?

Alchemical Aptitude

[light_of_willpower]

[The building entry area is clean and sparse for now, with a potted plant or two for décor and a comfy couch for guests. There's a front desk, with some boxes over it and something being installed on it besides the computer system.

Trunks looks up at the footsteps, from behind the desk. Part of that whole 'helping his mom' thing, in terms of being free labor. Not that he minds at all. Soma is given a wave and directed to the couch to sit.]

Give me a minute okay?

[Then back under the desk, and there's a faint whirr of a monitor activating along with some more subtle beeps indicating active connections. It's not more than a minute or two, before Trunks lets himself out from behind the desk. Normal black combat pants and boots, with a black shirt and his blue Capsule Corp jacket over it.]

Sorry about that. Wasn't sure what time to expect you.

Uptown Downtown

[priceofmagic]

So~mah!

[Satou does not have this particular day off, but she’s doing rounds about Everglade as a precaution. Though she knows she can’t stay long, she does wave Soma down when she spots him.]

Goo~ood afternoon! Whatcha up to? Haven’t see you out in a while!

[notquitedracula]

Taking a walk to clear my head, mostly. That castle gets WAY too stuffy sometimes, especially when His Lordship is in a mood... which is pretty much all the time.

[He considers his options for a few minutes, shrugs, and hops the fence to make conversation a little easier.]

To be completely honest, I'm bored out of my skull.

[notquitedracula]

[He takes the indicated seat, sprawling a bit. After a couple months of stiff formality, it feels nice just to relax for a minute.]

No problem, my fault for not calling ahead. How are things shaping up here?

[innocent_royal]

[His Lordship?

She needed a moment to realize he means Dracula. Well, moving on.]

Well, do you want to help me with the Pokémon? Six of them is quite a handful.

[And spooking about into visibility was her Mismagius, who seems to be giving Anastasia one of those, "You are mistaken" stares. One the girl did notice.]

...Five are a handful.

[notquitedracula]

Hullo, Satou.

[By happenstance, they've met near a sidewalk bench. Soma takes one side and gestures at the other; a bit of conversation used as an excuse to take a short break won't hurt, right?]

I've been trying to keep Vlad from going off the deep end. I think we might be starting to make some headway, but I don't want to jinx it.

[notquitedracula]

[Soma gives Nido a dubious look, before turning his attention to that Mismagius. Having one of his own, he knows exactly how much trouble they can be.]

Sure, why not? If nothing else, it's one more shot at making peace with the big guy.

[He takes his coat off and drapes it over the fence, trusting it to take care of itself while he prepares to do glorious battle with superpowered fuzzballs.]

[innocent_royal]

I'll take care of Nidoking, since he's not going to let you any nearer to me. You can start with Sylveon or Glaceon. They should be no different that dogs.

[She used videos of dogs getting baths as reference to how to take care of her eeveelutions.]

Oh, and... If Sylveon manages to give you a bath instead, Primarina can refill the pool.

[And said Fairy dog-thing was getting excited from hearing its name. It will probably be the most wiggly of the pokemone getting bathed.]

[notquitedracula]

Hmm. This could be interesting...

[Actually... a turtleneck is probably not the best thing to be wearing to give out pet baths. Not even really thinking about it, he shucks that too, putting it over the same fencepost as his coat. Bare from the waist up now, he approaches the pool and the pair of Eeveelutions.]

Let's see... which one of you is Sylveon again?

[light_of_willpower]

Most of it's automated, but I know Mom plans to have more employees eventually. For now, that's what I'm doing though. Besides just helping wherever she needs me to. It's going well enough, considering Torchwood has been one of our biggest buyers of storage capsules.

[innocent_royal]

[Anastasia was taken by surprise, and wonders for a moment why she can't look away. Surely there was one reason, but the other clear one was...

Upsetting.

All those scars and lacerations on his back, she wanted to do something to help him, but what? When Soma asked for Sylveon, the pink and white one squeaked happily, dancing around the dhampir once before jumping into the pool, making a big enough splash to get Soma, and the Glaceon.

Soma's busy now, so Anastasia will ask later. But she was distracted enough that she isn't brushing Nidoking's armor, who is patiently waiting beside her.]

[notquitedracula]

[The wounds are almost all completely healed by this point, leaving just the scars behind. They're a bit uncomfortable - they pull when he moves in certain ways, which is kind of a pain considering how acrobatic the martial art he's studying is - but not in any further danger of reopening.

He doesn't even bother trying to dodge the splash - he's dealt with pet bathing before, and there's just no percentage in arguing with the tide. He'll use a cup to ladle water over the Sylveon.]

What sort of shampoo are we using?

[notquitedracula]

Free labor. The greatest privilege of parenthood. [He smiles, just a bit.] What are these storage capsules you've mentioned?

[light_of_willpower]

[There's a grin from Trunks.]

Guess you missed seeing 'em at the party huh? From what I can tell, Capsules are kind of like the pokeballs, except we can't store living creatures in them. They're used for all kinds of things back home, but for some reason here we can't store anything bigger than a car.

[Turning, Trunks gestures for Soma to follow him. Down a hallway, into a clear Employee's only area, and to a small room set up as a 'break' room. Table, fridge, stove, and water cooler. Along with some storage counters and cabinets. Basic, but good enough for now.]

[notquitedracula]

Hmm. I can do something similar with my coat pockets, but it's limited by what I can fit through the openings. About the biggest thing I've managed is a positron rifle.

[...Yes. Soma just admitted to carrying an antimatter beam weapon. In his pocket.

He follows along to the break room, taking in the scenery as they go - such as it is.]

[light_of_willpower]

[There really isn't much to see in terms of scenery---it's all pretty utilitarian walls and a door or two. There's a faint whir and hum of machinery in the background if you pay close attention, but otherwise it's kind of boring and practical.]

I'm going to guess that it's 'magic' for how you hold things? I'm also hoping you don't just walk around casually with said positron rifle.

[There's an amused eyebrow-raise from Trunks, leaning against the counter by the Refrigerator.]

Uptown Downtime

[lunarlegionnaire]

[Sand Gym, 8:20 PM. Another day, another successful capoeira class. Marc's feeling almost as good as new after a long rejuvenating shower. All that's missing is a good dinner. He slings his gym bag over his shoulder and turns to Soma, holding an ice-cold bottle of water to his forehead.]

So here's the thing: I've got coupons for this Thai place a block away. They expire tomorrow and I'd feel weird using them up all by myself. Wanna come with?

[He downs said water in a single gulp and tosses it into the trash bin without really looking.]

I'll make it worth your while, promise.

[innocent_royal]

[Watch out, Soma! Sylveon is going to try to tickle you with its ribbon-like feelers.

Anastasia eventually gets around to the Nidoking, gently brushing the broader parts of its rock-like hide.]

The pink one is for Sylveon. It has a bubblegum smell that I think she'll like.

[alwaysimpaled]

[As Soma arrives, Dante is at his desk, practically buried under paperwork, though there is an open bottle of whiskey within arm's reach. When he glanced up at the arrival he let out a sigh of relief. Any excuse to get away from it.]

C'mon in. I take it you're Soma?

[Pardon him a moment while he drains the rest of the bottle.]

[notquitedracula]

[An impressive feat, that gulp. Ice water is tough to chug. Soma doesn't have a gym bag - his coat makes them superfluous - but he does have a towel around his shoulders, which he's just finished using to dry his hair.]

Good food for cheap? I'm in.

[He finishes up his post-practice cleanup and takes a bottle of water for himself, though he doesn't down it in one. The big wuss.]

[notquitedracula]

[He winces a little at the sight of Dante downing the remainder of the bottle. He's never had a taste for the stuff himself, beyond the odd cup of sake.] If I'm not, he's going to be pissed at me for stealing his shorts.

[He finds a seat someplace, clearing it of any debris it may be holding.] I should warn you up front - my methods are... a little different.

[notquitedracula]

[As any such place should be, before it's completely finished.]

Honestly? I'm not sure what it is. I woke up in a demon-infested castle and found my pockets had become a pocket dimension. And I don't carry it openly, but... it's right there with the rest of my armory.

[He reaches into a pocket and extracts a rather large hammer, gives it a little toss, and then puts it back. From the look of the head, it had to weigh at least fifty pounds.]

I try not to ask too many questions. I might get answers.