tabularasa_rp | (open) a wizard and a fox spirit walk into a void

(well, at least kimihiro found something to eat. not that he could actually taste anything, but with how his stomach growled and roared at the smell of food, that was the last thought in his mind. kimihiro is exceedingly attached to the concept of give-and-take, so he has left a few rolled cigarettes somewhere in the stall where he took the bottle of sake and sushi from, vowing to return when he had something of more value to make up for the deficit.

right now, he sits composedly in an open area near mt. silver, both him and mugetsu with their respective cups of alcohol. kimihiro taps the pipe to remove any burnt tobacco before he replaces it with the contents of his smoking tray. not much came with him, he can't help but notice. only the glass on his face and the clothes in his body, his familiar and his smoking paraphernalia. this can be a problem.

with a rather annoyed expression, he exhales the smoke he has dragged, letting it flow through his nose while mugetsu keeps on soaking his little face in the sake, resembling a bird drinking from a fountain.)

I wonder if the shop is here as well. (he mentions to mugetsu, only to watch the fox shake his head and continue drinking.)

I'm sorry?

[Ignis just so happens to be wandering by, and if he notices Kimihiro's familiar, he doesn't realize that the man is addressing it and not him. he also didn't quite catch what Kimihiro said, regardless, hence the need for clarification]

(ignis must have come around while kimihiro was adressing mugetsu, because the words were out of the blue to him for a while before he exclaimed.)

Ah! Sorry, I was talking to him. (and mugetsu, always so protective, wraps around kimihiro's wrist in attempts of protecting - even if the other seems to be peaceful. sorry, he can't sense anything right now.)

You gotta pick a lane. (he frowns at the fox. either mugetsu's super friendly or he's protective and jealous, but at least stick to one!!)

I see.

[he does, because he does, in fact, notice Mugetsu, now. he also notices how protective he seems to be being, and that in mind, after a beat, he adds:] Well, if it makes either of you feel better, I can promise that I mean you no harm.

His powers are locked, so he's a little anxious.

(understandably so, because so are kimihiro's. well, all he can do is pet the fox, scratching carefully behind his ears.)

My apologies.

No need. That seems to be going around.

[both the locked powers and the anxiety it causes. he's not terribly thrilled by the idea that he can't call up his daggers, here, or a potion, if and when he should need one, or -- well, the list goes on. to his credit, however, he's managing to keep outwardly stoic about the whole thing, but then again, that's all but his job]

[but anyway] Ignis, by the way.

Are there other people like this?

(there's a long drag from the pipe, before he exhales the smoke in thought. so it's not just him, huh? kimihiro may have had arrived to the conclusion that maybe, he had been stripped of it so not to just send a message back home and have mokona retrieve him, but it seems like that isn't he case.)

Watanuki.

[he nods once, politely]

A pleasure.

[and backing up to his question:] People with fantastical abilities? There are. [Noct is one of them. so he is, if only through Noct and his connection to the Crystal] Though, again. [again, everyone he's talked to has been without their abilities]

Likewise.

(another drag, another exhale.)

Explains quite a lot. (and a beat later, he realizes it's rude not to share the sake if the other man seems willing to give him information.) Care to join?

I wouldn't mind a seat, if you don't -- [preferably upwind of Watanuki's pipe smoke, but] -- but I'll pass on the drink.

Don't let me stop you, though.

[he's not rude enough to ask him to stop enjoying himself]

(out of politeness, watanuki taps the tobacco on the built-in ashtray of his tray, leaving it aside with caution and care, like it's the most important thing in the world.

it is to him, in a way.

he takes a sip of the sake before nodding.)

New here too?

[Ignis inclines his head, a wordless thank you, and then shifts to sit down]

More or less. [a beat] I've a few friends here, who have filled me in on some of the details, but ... [but there are things that Noct didn't cover. there are things that he did that are bizarre, regardless]

But you yourself are still figuring it out, hm?

(he completes the sentence, smiling kindly before he offers a finger to mugetsu, who promptly sets his head under it for scratches.)

[he nods]

I am.

[and no matter how cool and collected he seems about the whole affair, it's been a hell of a learning curve. the wildlife is bizarre, the fact that he just arrived here out of the blue even more so, and some of the things he's heard from Noct about the future, his future are unsettling. not surprising, but well. it's been a lot to take in]

[rather than get into that, however, he turns the question back on him. sort of] What about you? Anyone familiar here? [a beat] Beyond ... [beyond Mugetsu, of course]

Not at all, it's just me and Mugetsu. (who in turn, squeaks to say hello.) I don't have many people as is.

[Ignis, meanwhile, has many acquaintances -- people he's met over the course of his travels, or before, when he was training to be the Hand of the King, under his uncle. he doesn't have very many friends, however. he doesn't have many people he trusts, unequivocally. so, maybe he doesn't have many people, either]

[he's not about to point that out, however. and so, instead, he just smiles at Mugetsu, and notes:] Well, at least neither of you are entirely alone. [someone is better than no one and all at that]

Where are people staying? I've seen many places, and yet, no houses.

(the mage takes the turn to drink some more. it may occur to him later that he might not have the same tolerance here, even if that tolerance is absurdly high as is. just let him have this.)

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thats_it - 2020-12-03 15:13 (UTC) - Expand

[ Yoshizawa is on her way to Wall Market to fetch some more of the barbecued meat. Without a source of raw meat to cook, she's been trying to experiment with making meals using the already-cooked barbecue meat from the stalls. At first, it was kind of troubling to her that the store stock seems to occasionally replenish itself, but now she finds it useful; it allows her to try different things with the dishes, and she's been able to come up with some interesting recipes as a result.

It's these thoughts that take up most of her brain's real estate as she moves through the cave, enough that she barely pays attention to the man she sees sitting nearby, despite having never seen him before. Rather, it's the small fox that draws her attention, her eyebrows lifting in shock when she sees him - and only then alighting on his companion and recognizing that he's someone unknown to her. ]

O-Oh! [ It's a soft exclamation of surprise, embarrassment written on her face as she quickly offers the man, almost certainly a few years older than her, a respectful bow. ] Please forgive me; I didn't see you there!

[ There's a pause as she considers his words, and her head tilts in thought. ]

I-Is there a place in particular that you're looking for?

(kimihiro barely takes notice of her himself, too busy sighing and downing more alcohol down his pipes. it's only when she's close enough that he realizes her staring at mugetsu that it hits him that there's someone who heard his conversation. she seems rather flustered for it, apologizing right away, and kimihiro just waves a hand as a response.)

Nothing to worry about, miss. (because her reaction is at least a thousand times better than when he first started being in contact with these beings. he remembers being terrified and throwing what he would easily describe as unnecessary, overly-dramatic annoying tantrums. so, of course, he just smiles politely.) He's friendly.

I was just wondering if my establishment came along.

E-Even to strangers?

[ The flustered stuttering doesn't come from a fear of Mugetsu - Yoshizawa is rather used to strange creatures, after all - but just her usual nervousness around new people, and so it continues even as she moves closer, even once she's told that the man's companion is friendly. ]

Do you think he would let me... pat him?

[ A beat passes, and Yoshizawa realizes she's focused on the wrong thing altogether, and her face flushes pink, an apologetic expression curving her lips downward. The man is looking for something from home, a pain she all too well understands, and she's too busy focusing on the creature at his side...! ]

U-Um! I'm so sorry! Maybe I can help you find it? What kind of shop is it?

You don't seem to pose a threat. I think both of us are in agreement on that.

(and it's said with a smile and a nod to the little fox, who in turn gives one back to the golden-eyed man. mugestu squeaks happily when she mentions petting, because if there's one thing this yokai is, that thing is loving.

kimihiro notices the red cheeks, the stuttering and all the nervous ticks and finds it curious, making a mental note to keep this encounter with the supernatural as calm as possible not to spook such a nice, young girl.)

There's your answer. Go ahead, he won't bite. (kimihiro offers his fingers and mugetsu happily wraps around the man's wrist like a bracelet, his head resting on the back of the hand and kimihiro holds it out for the girl to pet the tube-like fox.) Honestly, the store looks like a house, but it doesn't just appear for anyone.

[ A bright smile finds her lips when the man holds out his hand only for the fox to slip forward, curling around his wrist and resting in what she thinks looks like a very contented manner! How cute... and how encouraging, Yoshizawa stepping forward and reaching out a couple of cautious fingers, stroking them over the little creature's head. Gently at first, so as not to possibly hurt him. (He's so little!)

And as she does, she takes another of the seats at the stall, looking across at the young man. She doesn't know his name, but that doesn't occur to her just yet either; right now she's more focused on the idea of his friend, and the store that's missing. Her head tilts, even as she keeps stroking over the fox's head.

From the way he describes it... ]

What kind of people does it appear for?

[ ...it sounds special. ]

People who need it. (they have a wish, knowing or not. sometimes word-of-mouth brings clients, but should they not need it, it simply appears as a grass field between two buildings, enormous and imposing like most tokyo.

mugetsu coos, happily moving his tiny head wherever he'd like yoshizawa to scratch, as if he was guiding. non-chalantly, kimihiro complements it, as he belatedly realizes it might be too vague of a description.) People who have a wish they need granted.

[ In response to his words, Yoshizawa stiffens up, the expression on her face immediately turning from something friendly and kind to one a lot more guarded, hesitant. With just those eight words, the newcomer's store has gone from sounding like something innocent and missed to sounding sinister. In her experience, a granted wish isn't necessarily a good thing.

Her fingers continue to stroke over the little fox's head, appreciating the guidance, but it's an action run almost on instinct now as she looks at the man sitting in front of her, a small frown on her face. ]

What... what sort of wishes?

(sometimes, it isn't. it's not his job to weigh whether the wish is wrong or right, good or bad. such concepts just don't exist, they're solely based on a person's own perspective. his job is to help those who need it, receive payment to keep the store alive and wait for her to return.

he can tell that she immediately tensed up, though. he too wasn't too keen on that concept before he realized that mostly, they did more good than harm.)

Any wish as long as I can grant it, and the wish can be paid for with something of equal value.

(open) a wizard and a fox spirit walk into a void

wall market

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