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

[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.]

[He observes her as she drinks the potion, frowning when she starts coughing. It's not supposed to do that. ...but then, it's designed to work on humans. Despite the overt similarities, Ana is from another world - her biochemistry may be utterly different from the human baseline, as much as his own was.]

Easy, Anya. Are you okay? Do I need to get you an antidote?

[The hard part was over quickly. She shook her head and pushed off the counter.]

No... No, I'm okay.

[Anastasia glanced up at him, and one look at his face... Her heart skipped in delight. Her cheeks redeemed as her eyes observed Soma's silvery hair, his boyish face and broad shoulders.

She managed to avert her eyes enough to scan her surroundings. She's alone with him, and though she's happy about it, it also makes her want to shy away to her room.]

Is... Is this what nirvana feels like?

[Oh no. The dreaded Shoujo Goggles. This is more serious than he feared... though he doesn't know it, so he is completely unprepared and unawares.]

I... wouldn't know. I'm immune to the potion, and any others of its kind.

[He rubs the back of his neck - an old, familiar awkward gesture. He doesn't know what to say or do now. She seems to be okay, at least?]

[Anastasia is full aware of what she's doing, staring at her new roommate, his arms, imagining them wrapped around her protectively.

She tries to dismiss the thoughts, but it feels like she can't.]

W-well, I guess that's that. Um... Have I told you... How, um...

[How cool he looks? Dreamy? Wait, no, she's grateful. Grateful! That he took up the lease so she wouldn't go homeless.]

I... I think something isn't right...

Talk to me, Anya. Do you need an antidote? I have some in my coat. Do you need me to get one?

[You're frightening him, Anya. Pushing all his Concern buttons. He's going to start to turn away, to go get his coat, to get... whatever he can find in there, to counter this.]

I, I don't know. I...

[The feeling of something fleeting, like if she doesn't do something, it's gone. Though her legs won't to carry her off away, her heart forces her to move and get in back in front of Soma, gazing up at him pleadingly.]

W-wait, please... Just... If it's okay, I mean, you can say no, it's no big deal, but... C-can you... H-hold me? Just for a little while?

[Why can't she stop? What is happening?]

I know I'm being selfish, and this is no way to express my gratitude, it's just...

[And now she feels herself beginning to shy away again. She's trying to fight through this, finally stepping out of the way so Soma can get his coat.]

I-I'm sorry, Soma...

Edited 2018-11-07 10:41 (UTC)

Anya...

[Damn. She's hitting all his buttons. Small and vulnerable, and afraid. On purpose? ...No. She wouldn't do that to him, not now, not ever. So she's either in genuine distress... or that potion was wrong, somehow. It doesn't appear to be acting as a poison, though - so his stock of antidotes won't be much use. He reaches to catch her, prevent her from running, and takes a moment once he's got her by the shoulders to look into her eyes. Nothing he can see there - no diluted or heart-shaped pupils.]

There's nothing you need to apologize for. You've been through hell in the past month. I told you before - I'm here for you. Anything you need.

[And he draws her into a hug. That's what she wanted, right?]

[To feel warm and protected in his arms, it's just as she needed. Or at least, she didn't know she needed. All these weird and selfish needs all started the moment she drank that potion. Is that what's making her act this selfish? Yet it feels right.

What is right? What is wrong? Why does she want to stare longingly up at him as she takes a gentle hold of his shoulders? Why does she want to bring her face closer to his? Because that's what she's doing now.]

[Every situation he's ever been in like this has led him to expect a flash of fangs and a fight for his life at this point. Every fiber of his being wants to tense up and ready itself for a fight, no matter who she happens to look like - the succubi in the castle have certainly never had a problem assuming forms he's familiar with.

But he knows Anya's aura. No matter how good a succubus's impersonation might be, it's not perfect... and he can't feel anything off about her. So. Can't fight. Can't run. That leaves freezing in place, like a deer in the headlights.

All the opportunity she needs.]

[Her heart and mind races between wanting this to continue and forcing herself to stop. What are her feelings? What is the potion's influence? As her face gets closer, she realizes she can't stop herself.]

Pankosmia aide moi...

[She closes her eyes as she feels her lips make contact with his. Her heart races at how right it feels.

Then suddenly, it feels like something released her. She opens her eyes, her lips still on his. She suddenly breaks it in shock over what she has done, cupping her hands over her mouth in timid embarrassment.]

Oh mon dieu...

[That... was not what he expected. At all. The whole thing was so unexpected that he hasn't moved, at all. He's still got his arms around her, and quite frankly, he looks like someone just poleaxed him.]

A-Anya... wh...

[Wh- indeed. Anastasia can barely remember what lead up to this point. All she can clearly remember is the kiss. Can she call it that? She's too much in a euphoria-induced panic to think of anything else at the moment than how nice it felt.]

I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.

[She still remembers it started with the potion. Something went wrong with it. She, no, they need to investigate it immediately. But right now, she would really, really rather run away to her room now.]

November Catch-All

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