genessia | November Catch-All

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November Catch-All

1: Cloak and Dagger: New Employee Orientation
[In the couple months since Soma inherited the magic shop, it's gone through a few changes. Biggest among them, perhaps, is the array of magic available, now including necromancy and other 'dark' arts. Admittedly most of the texts on offer are of a 'What NOT to Do' bent, but still. Acknowledging that those other branches exist is a huge step forward.

The other big change is the personnel. Entirely new to the business are Grima, Tina Goldstein, and Anastasia. All they need now is a scribe, and the shop will be at full operating capacity.

Of course, working in a magic shop is... not really something you just walk into and start doing. Hence this little meeting. Direct your questions and suggestions to the white-haired dhampir, folks.]

2: Out and About in the World
[Over the coming weeks Soma can be seen at random times out and about in Everglade, Nova City, and Fayren, doing random things in random places. Feel free to randomly bump into him!]

3: Moving Day
[At the first of the month, following his successful acquisition of the lease on Satsuki's old apartment, Soma carries his few belongings from the haunted apartment complex in Everglade to his new home in Heaven's Court Apartments. Feel free to meet him along the way - for someone who's moving from one place to another, he has a shockingly small amount of luggage.]

4: Holodeck'd
[With Marc gone, Soma continues his capoeira training on his own. With the assistance of Holodeck'd's simulations, he's steadily adding to his unarmed combat repetoire, and anyone who's studied the arts will notice he's learning at a shocking speed. Almost like he used to know some of this stuff, and is just brushing up...]

5: Castlevania Shenanigans
[With Lisa back, plus Alucard and Trevor showing up, things are likely to get very strange around the castle. Soma will be spending some time there, just hanging out with his adoptive family.]

6: Surprise me
[Just what the label says!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Why? She thought men would have, like, things. Clothes, at the very least. One box doesn't seem like much.]

Oh... Ah, no reason. I was going to have Nido carry things for you, but... If that's all you have.

[She makes room for him to come inside. Appreciate her hard work to tidying the room up, Soma.]

Well, since you own the apartment, the master bedroom is yours. It's to the right and down the hall if you want to get settled in.

[And closing the door once he's inside.]

Have you eaten yet?

Oh. Well... remember that my coat is kind of unique. I've got some of my effects in my pockets. [...About the same amount he's carrying, to be truthful.

There's only a minor flutter of trepidation as he steps over the threshold. Is he doing the right thing, here? But that soon passes.]

You've kept the place clean. Satsuki taught you pretty well - I'm glad you haven't let things slip in her absence. She'd be proud of you, Anya.

[He carries the box and suitcase into the bedroom, and leaves both sitting on the floor. And for perhaps the first time in this apartment, he takes off his coat and hangs it on a convenient hook just inside the door. Home is where you hang your coat.]

I had a light breakfast, but otherwise no. I was thinking later we could try out a cafe I found last week, that I think you'll really like - but for now, if you have something available, that would be great.

Yeah, she would...

[Satsuki would also have some choice words about Soma moving into the apartment.]

Certainly, I can fix up a small sandwich.

[She makes her way to the kitchen area, and past a...children's chemistry set? That's mildly out of place. Anastasia begins gathering the materials to craft a meat-lovers sammich. With ham and bologna.

Guys like meat, right?]

What sort of cafe is it? Is it new?

[If she were around to make those comments, Soma wouldn't need to be moving in, now would he? Catch-22.

The presence of the chemistry set catches his eye, and when she returns, he'll be poking at it. Meat is fine for the sandwich, as long as there's also some cheese. He isn't completely a carnivore, after all.]

It isn't new, but I doubt you've been there before. You'd certainly have mentioned it if you had. You'll understand why when you see it - I won't spoil the surprise. What have you been working on, here?

[Soma, are you asking her out?]

I can hardly wait then~

[Her mood has skyrocketed then. Oh, what is she fetching from the fridge? It's... Yes! It's cheese! The crafting will soon be complete.]

Oh, that? Um... I wanted to learn potion-making so I can have some knowledge. I wouldn't want to bother the others with questions while they're to work, you know?

But anyways, I wanted to try brewing something called a "Nirvana Potion."

[Poor bastard doesn't even realize he's setting himself up. He pokes at a couple of vials, observing the ripples within, and then examines some of the dry ingredients. He doesn't even notice one of them cutting his fingertip - it heals almost instantly.]

Recreational alchemy? It's a good place to start, I think. It's harmless, as long as you don't let yourself get hooked on it.

[Sandwich crafting is a seriously underappreciated skill. His own efforts to date have been workmanlike, but without soul.]

Right? You know how I want to be of help. I want to make this as little potency as possible so it isn't overwhelming.

[Sammich complete! She cuts it in half and brings it to Soma.]

Here you are~ I figure half a sandwich is enough to feed and not spoil this cafe.

[He nods, gratefully accepting his half.] Diluted properly, you should get somewhere between five and ten doses with what you have here. I'd recommend using a sweet, white wine as a base, though - it gives the effect a subtlety that you don't get with pure alcohol.

[He stands well back from the chemistry set, so as not to contaminate the ingredients with bread crumbs - not aware that he's already contaminated them.]

You should be ready for the next step in about an hour. Once you've done that, we can head out to the cafe. That sound good to you?

Certainly. Come have a seat~

[She was already seated, of course. It was when she was settling in that she didn't notice his cut.]

It wasn't easy finding the recipe, so I had to translate one from Japanese. I'm sure I learned the language well enough.

[He takes a seat and munches his half sandwich thoughtfully for a moment, looking at the untranscribed recipe.] I'm surprised you found one here in Japanese, to be honest. It isn't a language native to this place.

[They chatter over this for a while, settling into an easy pattern that's similar to pre-cohabitation norms. Almost like there's nothing to be said about the new situation.

A little over an hour later, after Ana has completed her next step with the potion, they head out. The cafe isn't far enough to need the bike, so they walk, enjoying the clean city streets of Nova. The place they finally reach is... well. Different. Soma opens the door for her with a bit of a flourish and a bow.]

Anastasia, I present to you the Bunny Puff Cafe.

[Is It supposed to shimmer like that?

It was their usual idle chit-chats as they walked, with Anastasia pointing out things that impacted her as a child, such as the planetarium and the Schnee Company Nova branch.

When they entered, she positively lit up with a gasp.]

Oh my goodness~ How did I not know aboit this? Soma, you should have told me. We could have brought Patter!

[Patter being her pet bunny.]

If I'd told you, it would have ruined the surprise. Patter can come next time.

[Soma checks them in at the counter, claiming a reserved table in the back. As soon as they're seated, waitstaff descend on them with several extremely floppy and adorable buns, which all naturally gravitate towards Ana - all but the one solid black one, which takes up station in Soma's lap.]

Order whatever you like. This is a celebration, and I don't want money to be an object today.

[He smiles and gives his bun's ears a gentle rub. For some reason, this old fellow is the only one in the place that will come anywhere near him.]

[Poor Patter.

Anastasia gets settled in, but it's hard to when there's so many buns investigating her and demanding pets.

It takes her some time to decide on her order. As usual, it's modest.]

Thank you for bringing me here, Soma. It honestly feels like we're on a date.

You're welcome, Anya. I-

[Wait what? Did she just deploy the D word? It takes him a few seconds to process that, his cheeks going hot as realization dawns. The whole thing snuck up on him out of nowhere, but... the entire series of events could be interpreted in exactly that manner, couldn't it? Regardless of his intentions.]

I-I that is umm... [...congratulations, Ana, you bluescreened him.]

Edited 2018-11-06 11:39 (UTC)

Soma?

[Okay, what did she do? She leans over the table to extend her arm, having a habd in front of him.]

So~ma, what's the matter? Your bunny needs pets.

[Bunny. Yes. Pets are required. He focuses on that for now, and lets cognitive dissonance take over from there. Surely she didn't mean to say that, at least not the way it was implied. It was a joke. Right? Right. Had to be.]

Sorry. I kind of... blanked for a minute there.

Are you all right? You had me worried there.

[No, she wasn't joking. That's what this feels like to her. A date.]

[A date, given the circumstances, would feel like he was taking advantage. Something he has no intention of doing. So for now, let it remain a happy 'mistake' in his mind, Anya. Hunt him slow.]

Yeah. Sorry about that...

Good. This is supposed to be a fun little adventure with bunnies. I don't want us spending it worrying about anything.

[Is that their order coming? Hopefully. Its coming their way.]

[It is. There are no meat items on the menu here, because... well, bunnies. So it's no surprise that a significant portion of the menu is given over to things that can be fed to their little friends, as well as humans. Soma has a small platter of fresh fruits, which he shares with his friend - Ana is welcome to steal bits to feed her own fare.]

I can see us coming here on a regular basis. What do you think?

Can we? We can do it every weekend on our days off?

[Ana is fine with no meat in her meals. She's about 70% vegetarian any way. She peels off somenof her lunch and holds it out for her bun pals.]

If you'd like. It's a good place to unwind from the atmosphere of Everglade, at the very least.

[He smiles, and gives his friend another ear rub. Something about this old bun has grown on him.]

[Then it's settled! They can make this a regular thing every Saturday.

After their lunch is finished, they pay up and start making their way home. Of course Anastasia is sad to leave the bunnies, but they'll be back. And she'll bring Patter with her.

Now back at the apartment, Anastasia moves to the small chemistry station and the small vial of experimental potion. It looks safe? She picks it up and swirls it around to make the liquid shimmer. It's pink, and pink is safe, isn't it?]

Well... I think the potion is ready. What do you think?

[He checks the recipe, and then the potion itself. The shimmer isn't quite the same as described, but then, Japanese has about thirty words for any given descriptive term.]

Another two minutes, give or take a few seconds. The timing listed is very specific. We need to get you a clock that can keep track of both solar and lunar time, if you're serious about this.

Okay. A few more minutes, just to be safe.

[She sets it back down and leaves it alone. Checking the clock every once in awhile to make sure it's been a few minutes.

Then, that amount of time has passed. She picks up the vial once more.]

Well... Let's see how it works... Allons-y.

[She brings the vial to her lips and throws it back, downing the bitter-sweet concoction in one hard gulp.

She coughs and braces against the counter feeling the potion's effects taking hold.]

Re: Prompt 3

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