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Post by T on Feb 12, 2019 9:36:44 GMT -5
Now that he lowered the tension between them, he could sit back, rest easy, and relax. Raven tinted eyes scanned the pages of this surprisingly-thick menu. He never had breakfast here before. It was always either lunch or dinner. If he brought a few friends along, all the better. At least then they could go dutch and he would not have to be broke at the end of the day. Yet, this visit presented a different situation altogether. A light smirk behind the sanctity of his raised menu betrayed his plan in action. This time, his wallet felt full for once in his entire existence.
Yes, throughout the two years of his afterlife, he saved and scrounged every single Zeni possible. Heaven did not require him to pay for food, and working odd-jobs whenever he lacked training meant that he had a steady income. That is his true power. Those are the lengths to which he will go to in order to avoid being bankru-
“Wha-?” Snapping out of his internal monologue, he looked over to Lillith. “Oh.” This troubled him immensely. Her next move placed him in check. Too true, he picked the restaurant. Too true, he had no idea what to order. Quick thinking kept him on his toes. Dodge and weave around her question. “Well, let’s see here.” Damn it. Things were going so well. Pressure now resided with him to settle upon a decent choice. All he could do now in the face of this impossible question was stare at the breakfast. Egg-fried satan rice? Hercule muffin? MEAT CAKE?
There was a point of time when he needed to cease mimicking a chess player’s thought process. It would have been just around the moment ‘quarter-pound-steak-burger’ was considered a viable option. However, this brought him to the conclusion that he should have thought harder. Pages flew by as his index finger traced the name of each item. Russ started to read so with such immense speed that he appeared to stare at the same page for a ten seconds straight. A plan. More plans. Thinking like a normal person? Poppycock. Ridiculous. Tempting, but probably not logical in the slightest.
When he next looked back to his friend, he had a plan of action. The boy scooted his seat closer as he leaned over the table. An arm reached while his hand flipped the pages of her menu to the breakfast section. “There’s a lot of stuff you can choose from here,” he started off. “It can get a little hard for me to pick sometimes too, since we’re spoiled for choice.” First, concede. To make an omelette, one has to crack a few eggs. “But if you’re looking for something light, you’ve got three main choices.” Now for the finishing blow. “It depends on whether you’re looking for something sweet or savoury though.”
“For sweet stuff, there are waffles or pancakes.” Both came with a tiny portion of fruit- usually strawberries, grapes or blueberry. As far as he knew, the waffles were crunchy on the outside while fluffy within. Some of the breakfast sets came with waffles on the side. This stemmed from clear analysis of decades-long research condensed into ten seconds of realtime. “If you don’t have a sweet tooth, I recommend Set C-12.” Two inch-long chorizo sausages, a bell pepper and tomato omelette, a slice of toast, baked beans, and the added option of jam.
“Or, y’know, we could share if you want to try out more stuff.” In truth, he wanted to try the waffles. That part was not in his original plan. He already decided to order something other than what he listed.
( Word Count : 0, 641 ) [ Total Word Count : 9, 351 ]
Lilith Nevermore
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Post by Lilith Nevermore on Feb 12, 2019 13:11:36 GMT -5
Lilith was so sure of her social victory that she got caught off-guard by Russ’ deft maneuvering. With few clever moves he escaped the checkmate... Tch, she had underestimated him. Unwilling to back down, however, she too leaned close to see his suggestions. For some reason she had always gravitated towards savory and salty, with some rare exceptions. Her mother had always insisted that her tastes applied to her personal life as well, though she didn’t quite understand the implication. Mother had been bit cryptic at times...
Ultimately even the demanding lady had to admit defeat. After reading through the description, she could only nod in agreement. "This set C-12 seems... satisfactory." Especially the omelette sounded promising. Taken aback by the young man’s offer, however, she suddenly averted her gaze. Nervously she twirled stray strands of hair around her finger. A blush was beginning to burn on her pale features again. For someone well-versed in the art of words, she was struggling to find the right ones. "Well... I... wouldn’t be opposed to sharing some... with you..." Waffles. She also wanted waffles and was too proud to admit it.
Meanwhile, a small bump shifted within Lilith’s sleeve. The tiny chest peeked out, tasting the air with its long tongue. It curiously scampered over the table and hopped onto a menu. For a moment it... erm... eyed? The selection? And then the stubby legs decisively tapped one choice. Fortunately the witch was there to translate. "Oh, and Chester wants the Hercule muffin." Apparently the mimic could read. Who knew?
The waitress, on the other hand, was straining to maintain her customer service smile. She tried her best to ignore the creature on the table. To be fair though, magical familiars probably weren’t covered by the no pets policy. Probably... So she just politely asked if they were ready to order. The witch didn’t even bother glancing at the poor peasant as she rattled off her choices. "I’ll take the set C-12 with a glass of lemon juice." Tap tap tap, the little legs drummed the table. "Yes, yes, and a Hercule muffin too." She cast an expectant, perhaps even hopeful glance at her friend. Should she...? No, nonono, she absolutely refused to hand him the victory on a silver platter. Words: 386 [Total = 8496] T
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Post by T on Feb 13, 2019 11:36:19 GMT -5
“Guess I’ll have C-14 then.” A compromise was made. Since his friend did not order anything sweet, the teen settled on having it on the side. Bacon alongside plain scrambled eggs would show up, but this meal also possessed two waffles with whipped cream on top and a chocolate-dipped strawberry. Clearly, he had planned a contingencies for his contingency ahead of time. With a light nod, he finished up the order. Only when the waitress finally left did he slump back into his seat. He inhaled deeply, twiddling with his thumbs while looking over to the witch.
As fun as trying to think five steps ahead of everyone else in the current room, the act of doing so left him exhausted. It brought about unwarranted stress when the slightest breeze shifted his way. All things considered, these kinds of situations ranked right below potentially-cataclysmic events and examinations. Even then, at least the latter of those two were taken off his schedule. He could rest easy for now.
Still, he sought something to do in-between ordering and eating. Something appropriate. As much as he wanted to pull out his holo-tab and play Quest for the Holy Orange, there was a friend in need of entertaining. Yet, the word ‘friend’ sounded a bit off in this instance. Russ tilted his head quizzically as he looked to Lillith, then to Chester, and back to the girl again. Little to no knowledge of their actual identities was possessed by him. He knew one was a witch and the other was a mimmic, but not much more beyond that.
“Hey Lily,” he started off once more. “When’s your birthday?” Making a mental note of this was of utmost importance. Of course, he too had to lay his cards down. Honesty could do wonders for trust on both their ends. “I just realised that I don’t know much about you, is all.” With both eyes closed and a slight smile on his face, a finger came to itch at the underside of his jaw.
( Word Count : 0, 359 ) [ Total Word Count : 9, 710 ]
Lilith Nevermore
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Post by Lilith Nevermore on Feb 13, 2019 15:24:24 GMT -5
With the food ordered, there wasn’t much to do other than sit, wait and perhaps gaze out the window. However, when Russ voiced the carefree question, Lilith immediately tensed up defensively. Suspicion filled her cold, crimson eyes. As if sensing the anxiety of the mistress, little Chester bared his tiny teeth as well. The dead man had otherworldly wisdom in him though. Honesty was his greatest tool in repairing something that was horribly broken.
Carefully the little lady circled the subject. "I... don’t like to talk about myself much... Not anymore..." Slowly her expression softened. The tension faded with a deep breath. Chester closed his lid too. "Still, I believe in equivalent exchange." Well, she had to, seeing as it was the basis of her spells. There was more to it than just magic though. "You have fed my curiosity and so I shall feed yours. Ask anything and I shall answer." Truthfully even. Thus far her friend had been... painfully honest with her. It would have been shameful to offer him anything less. She could use this as a test of character for him. Yes, this was an acceptable excuse for lowering her guard so.
After a brief pause, the young noble actually made good of her promise. "All Hallows’ Eve." She was quick to elaborate the old-fashioned, mildly cryptic answer. "That is when I was born. I just haven’t celebrated my birthday..." Her immediate reflex was to stop there, or to at least lie about it. Yet she tried to power through. "...in years." All she managed was a strained mutter. It was admittedly a difficult subject. Wearing a brave mask, she mentally prepared for anything else the man might ask. It bothered her immensely that she simply couldn’t figure out what was going on behind those raven tinted eyes... But perhaps his questions could offer a precious clue. Words: 315 [Total = 8811] T
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Post by T on Feb 15, 2019 13:45:00 GMT -5
“All Hallows’ Eve?” He parroted right back at her. It took him a second to realise she what she meant. A blank stare came her way for a moment. Regardless, he lightly slapped his own forehead upon recovering from the little processing error. “Oh, you mean Halloween!” Russ waggled an index finger in front of his chest. Thoughts of spooky-themed birthday parties flooded his mind. Though not for long as she mentioned the lack of celebration. A depressing notion. All he could do now was push on. “My birthday’s on New Year’s day.”
New plan of action- avoid any questions to do with his friend’s past or his friend at all. That certainly cut down the list of viable topics. Hobbies, favourite foods, and virtually everything under the sun was restricted territory. This posed a problem for him. Still, he could adapt. His expression turned lax- perhaps even cocky.
The young man leaned into the backrest of his seat. Arms crossed as he got into proper position. “Well then, I’ve got another question for you.” He announced at long last. Time came to reveal his super-ultimate-final technique. Air stiffened around the two. Murmurs from couples seated at nearby tables seemed to hush. They too could sense what immense power he held. With this move, he would topple the very heavens themselves. “What’s the difference between a fish and a piano?” A question transcending both time and space. Life and death. Success and failure.
None knew any wiser. He gave her ample time to either answer or succumb to defea-
“You can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish!” Hollered someone else from the opposite end of the restaurant. Suddenly, Russ’ mood and stature deflated. All the gas in his balloon had escaped. The joke was no longer in his grasp. All he could do was attempt to salvage this situation. With that, he smiled nervously and pointed to her.
“Geddit?” He could only hope for that much.
( Word Count : 0, 349 ) [ Total Word Count : 10, 459 ]
Lilith Nevermore
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Post by Lilith Nevermore on Feb 16, 2019 6:35:43 GMT -5
Much to Lilith’s silent relief, her friend didn’t even try to pry to her private matters. It was a rare quality actually... One she appreciated more than he might realize... Still, her word was her honor and she would have been rather embarrassed if she couldn’t keep it. The question caught her completely off-guard though. Slowly her blank eyes blinked. Her lips parted, yet nothing was coming out. What was this devilish riddle? Some manner of heavenly secret she couldn’t possible grasp? Aaand then the truth came like a pinprick to the side of a balloon. Only the awkward hissing was missing as the mood deflated.
Deafening silence fell upon the duo’s table. A dark shadow crept over the cold girl’s features. "...I want to kill him." Her icy voice rang out so clearly that even the joke thief heard it. "Uh... Excuse you...?" She rose from her seat, engulfed in hateful aura. The crimson glare cut across the room sharply. "You should die for your stupidity and leave behind a dumb corpse to serve as a lesson." Panic and disbelief quickly filled the room, especially at the back. "What?! For telling a joke?!" Her stare narrowed spitefully. "No... For stealing and ruining it." Even if it was a cheesy attempt at humor, she would not have some mouthy heckler disrespecting her friend. They needed to be taught a lesson... All of them!
Yet suddenly the wicked woman lowered herself down. Deep breaths drained the anger away. "However... I cannot be bothered to deal with you myself." Yes, a perfect excuse. She couldn’t have her friend getting any ideas, like that his forgiveness had rubbed off on her or something equally sappy. No, she had a strict image to maintain, even if she had been... reflecting. Thus the witch clicked her fingers. "Chester..." The mimic perked up immediately. "Fetch." With a motion best described as nyooom, the familiar zoomed across the floor and vanished under the tables.
Moments later a startled yelp echoed through the restaurant. A wave of gasps followed. Chester strutted back to the table, carrying some manner of heart patterned shred of cloth. It almost looked like the little creature was grinning mischievously as it gulped down the trophy. Then again, a chest couldn’t grin, could it? It bounced onto the girl’s lap and received an affectionate pat as a reward. Just one though. "Yes, I get it..." She commented idly. "The delivery failed to make me laugh, but I get it." Perhaps it was all a matter of who told the punchline... Words: 435 [Total = 9246] T
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Post by T on Feb 16, 2019 12:10:26 GMT -5
Russ froze when Lillith made her statement. If at any a moment when he remembered that she was a witch, it would be right as she stood up. He forgot just how much of a threat she could be to those around them. The boy stared at her. Lips recoiled into his mouth as he attempted to remain nonchalant. He was never one to cause a commotion in public- especially not because of something as simple as a ruined joke. The concept of spilt milk seemed lost on her. The exchange buckled his stature, causing him to sink further into his seat.
Suddenly, a glimmer of regret entered the realm of his mind. His friend had little to no patience concerning the general populous. That much rang true even when he first met her. He braced for the worst case scenario. Yet, any fear of wide-spread destruction was then dispelled by the sorceress herself. She failed to raise a wand against her foe. Instead, the chest rocked away with the speed of zoom. Despite the lack of spell-casting, he could not decipher if she truly displayed self-restraint in this situation.
Drumming his fingers together, the boy pondered upon what to say. The chest bought his attention for a few moments. Eyes squinted at the bouncy familiar. He began to wonder whether or not Chester ate someone’s boxer shorts. Still, this result was far more preferable to whatever else it could do to the clothing’s owner. “Alright.” Russ gulped hard. On the one hand, he wanted to withhold his voice. On the other hand, omitting his view might as well be compared to lying to a friend. “You can’t just do that to other people, Lily.” There it was.
“That’s a bit m-” Three plates were placed on the table. Their food had arrived in all of its glistening glory. When he looked up to thank the waitress, she was already retreating back to a different station. As it turns out, fear begets good service. Either way, the young man decided to drop the topic. No need to get into more trouble when their appetites were at stake.
Curious. The sight made him realise that he had not eaten for days. He deftly dodged the soup from yesterday. Even so, the young man held himself back. A hand lifted to signal the somewhat-rustled staff. “Can I have an extra plate please?” Resulted in the item being rushed over to him. “Ah, thank you.” Hence commenced a strange sorting process. With a fork and knife in each hand, he transferred the waffles, strawberry, and a quarter of his bacon to it. Only after this event transpired did he dig into the remaining omelette and bacon.
( Word Count : 0, 473 ) [ Total Word Count : 10, 932 ]
Lilith Nevermore
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Post by Lilith Nevermore on Feb 16, 2019 15:19:38 GMT -5
While Lilith hadn’t been expecting fanfares and praise, she was still left baffled when Russ voiced his disapproval. "What? Why not?" Honest confusion shined in those crimson eyes. She tried to wrap her mind around it, deduce what could possibly make him say that. Yet it didn’t make any sense. Peasants were, by definition, beneath her. Born to serve her every whim. What was so bad about reminding them of their rightful place?
Unfortunately the meal arriving interrupted the moment. The young witch had to bottle up her puzzlement for now. Her stare drifted between the third plate and her own. After a moment of hesitation, she begrudgingly shared some of her meal as well. Just a couple of sausages, bit of the bell pepper... Sigh... And a quarter of the delightful omelette. Sometimes honor was a heavy burden to carry. Still, she secretly longed for a taste of the waffle. It had been so long... For some reason demons couldn’t cook a decent waffle to save their lives. She knew from experience.
This time, it was Lilith’s turn to blankly stare at her meal. Not that it didn’t look appetizing... It did, but... She found herself horribly distracted by a whole new question. The longer she tried to hold it in, to mull it all alone, the more it wanted to be heard. Eventually it broke free. "Why do you care for these lowly peasants so much?" Realizing she just blurted it out, she hurried to explain herself. "It’s just... I thought a man of your caliber would be beyond mortal affairs..." She trailed off, idly poking the omelette. Hollow hunger clawed at her insides, but it couldn’t quite overpower the conflicting emotions.
Chester, meanwhile, cared nothing for questions of morality. He was very content munching the muffin that was as big as his minimized body. A fed mimic was still a happy mimic. And also far less likely to eat somebody. Words: 330 [Total = 9576] T
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Post by T on Feb 17, 2019 9:39:14 GMT -5
“I kinda want to talk about justice and some higher concept like that.” He stuffed a strip of bacon in his mouth. Russ’ eyes widened briefly. He made a mental note to come here for breakfast more often. Even thinnest portion felt both crisp and generous with its lean meat. Thereafter, the boy brought himself back on track. The dish would distract him later on. “But nah, I don’t really need a reason to not care about people.” Unless they were outstandingly rude or downright evil, everyone seemed fine to him. Without overbearing negative traits, regular people still had their moments of weakness.
“Anyway, don’t sweat it.” A light chuckle came out as he shook his head. ‘Beyond mortal affairs’ echoed in thought. Not once in his life or un-life did he ever consider himself above others. As such, he was unbothered by moral dilemmas or complex alignments. Doing good felt good, and he had the power to do good. So he did. Hence, the young man assured his friend.
“You didn’t turn the guy into a frog, so that’s progress.” Scooping up the chocolate-covered strawberry with his fork, he then brought it to place on a clean edge of her place. Nothing more came from him. Not a single peep while he immersed himself in the act of eating. The contents of his plates were polished off- plain omelette, bacon, and all. Meanwhile, he took one sausage from the extra plate. The rest of his waffles stayed alongside the other items remaining.
For some odd reason or another, he seemed oddly content. Russ stare pierced past the window beside him. He gazed out at the busy streets with a light smile. The restaurant calmed down by then. People minded their own business for the most part. Though a few stray looks came their way, not a care was present in the room.
Suddenly, the boy stood up. “Whoops- nearly forgot to pay. Be right back.” He headed over to the counter. Giggles and chatter took place between him and the waitress. While his companions finished up their food, he attempted to clear up any misunderstandings others had.
( Word Count : 0, 378 ) [ Total Word Count : 11, 310 ]
Lilith Nevermore
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Post by Lilith Nevermore on Feb 18, 2019 11:46:31 GMT -5
At first, Lilith was ready sneer, perhaps let out a haughty laugh even. Justice? There was no justice in the universe... However, the simple admission dispelled the thought. She could only stare at Russ like he had spontaneously grown a second head. His logic -if she could even call it that- was completely backwards. All her life she had been taught that by possessing magic she was better than the vast majority of people. Peasants lived and died to serve those who ruled over them. It was simply the natural order of things. Yet... Small cracks of doubt spread across her soul. She felt like she was missing a piece of a puzzle. Or several. How could someone so carefree, gentle and foolishly forgiving be so... happy?
Scoffing at the notion of progress, the young witch directed her attention back onto the plates. Progress...? Tch, regression more like. With a frustrated sigh, she took the utensils and carefully cut herself a piece of the omelette. She was starting to regret not cursing the heckler into a toad. Or a worm. Or perhaps... Fortunately, the first bite of proper breakfast popped such hateful ideas. She nearly dropped her fork as the flavor filled her mouth. It was like the dark clouds suddenly parted. Warm sunshine blessed the world again. Swallowing, she cleared her mind of excess thoughts. This was... erm... passable. Yes. And little more.
While savoring the bites at a calm pace, the young noble quirked a brow at her hasty friend. Pay? Like a peasant? If her mouth hadn’t been full, she would’ve tried to stop him. These mortals should have been thankful that she graced them with her presence and didn’t curse them. To mingle with a mere servant girl like that... Unthinkable... Hm, perhaps he was trying to court her? She had encountered young lords who found ignorant country girls charming... Shaking her head, she returned to finishing her meal. The waffle was left for the last, of course.
Outside, more trouble stirred. A veritable crowd of people had gathered at the cafe entrance. For some strange and unsettling reason, they were carrying pitchforks, torches and plenty of rope. Although for a lynch mob they were remarkably calm and organized. Politely they waited, giving way to people who exited. From every single one they inquired if the witch and her servant were still inside. It just so happened that most people knew immediately who they meant. Needless to say, the hero had another challenge ahead of him. Years of cruelty and grudges weren’t easily undone. Words: 432 [Total = 10008] T
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