|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 9:10 pm
Who: Vivi, Shepard, Anita
Where: Vermillion Bakery
When: Early afternoon
Weather: Bright and warm
"Name me..." Shepard Ryan was saying in a rather droning voice, swaying slowly on a barstool behind the Vermillion counter, his unfocused eyes up on the ceiling. "Four foods in sight that start with the letter P."
"Pears, plums, pies, peanuts." Vivi responded after a slight hesitation, looking up and around the bakery briefly, and then returning to her french fashion magazine. Garish colors all but popped off the page, smeared over mouths and across garments. This particular issue, having been read twice now, was doing less and less for her; she flipped a page with a quick movement, stifled a yawn, and then spoke: "... three things with the letter M."
"Muffins, monkeybread, and..." Shepard paused, tearing his eyes away from the ceiling to give a quick look about the room. "... mollasses."
It was one of the slower hours that Vermillion had passed. The morning crowd had been ample, certainly, and the lunch crowd hadn't been bad, but it seemed rather like everyone had decided to go on a picnic or somesuch, because customers had all but dried up after the clock had struck 2. The refrigerators hummed, the clocks ticked, and Vivi and Shepard attempted to find some ways to amuse themselves.
Unfortunately, "I Spy" in a bakery was not the most riveting of games.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 24, 2010 10:30 am
If Anita had been privy to the game prior to her entering the bakery, she likely would have jumped in, but as it was, she was not and had nothing to name that started with whatever the next letter was. Instead, the brunette stood outside, staring at the sign and then through one of the windows.
The outside of the structure was admittedly not very interesting, it looked like something normal on a street corner; maybe not a bakery per se, but it certainly looked like your average building. Inside, however, she could make out the faint gleam of golds and reds. Her mother had described it as a "circus of taste" when she tossed the half full bag of cookies at her, and it seemed as though the interior was completely belied by the exterior. Double checking the sign for the last time, Vermillion Bakery, Anita grinned ear to ear and pulled the door open to step inside, a jingling chime following her movement.
Only two workers seemed to be on staff today, a man and a woman, and besides the two of them--now three with the addition of one pigtailed woman--the bakery was completely desolate. As soon as the door closed she was enveloped by the wondrous smells and colors, even taking a moment to close her eyes and let out an appreciative (and somewhat hungry) "Mmm..." before stepping closer to the counter where both workers were situated.
"Hello," she greeted jovially, digging into her baggy cargo pants pocket and pulling out a tag from the cookie bag, holding it out for them both to see, "This is your brand, right?" A sheepish smile rolled over her features, feeling a little embarrassed that she bothered to ask when the tag had the same appearance as the sign outside, but best to make one hundred percent certain. "See, my mom bought some, but I ended up eating the whole bag..." and a chuckle. Hopefully they would find the situation was humorous.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 10:27 pm
For the briefest of moments, as the door opened, Shepard and Vivi both stared motionless in shock. For Vivi, the surprise did not linger -- she slid her magazine under the counter and leapt up from her seat with admirable speed, managing to look both completely unsurprised and totally welcoming in a brief matter of seconds. Shepard, on the other hand, took his time to blink, to remind himself that the bakery was indeed still open, and that yes, the stylized big top emblazoned on the woman's torn tag was indeed their store's logo.
"Aa, the cookies are rather addictive, are they not? Worry not -- you have indeed found yourself in the right place~" Vivi was saying with a little chortle as Shepard's mind finished its rounds. "Welcome to Vermillion~! Forgive us -- we had thought there was some sort of memo instructing everyone to stay outside all day, or somesuch! We are never usually so alone."
"It's alright, Vivi, I'm sure she won't be bookin' it out the door just because we happen to be completely deserted right now," the Aussie broke in with a snort, now returned to his usual self. He leaned over the counter and offered Anita a faded grin, gesturing to the torn paper in her hands. "Ate the whole bag, huh? You replacing them before Mom notices?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 5:59 am
Ahh, the accents! And such sudden hospitality and vigor, it was unusual to see this in people who worked retail but it quickly showed Anita that the woman held a true fascination and love for what she did for a living, and it made the brunette smile wider. The formality was a bit odd but Anita supposed that this might just be how the woman spoke; her French accent was quite apparent but non-intrusive, she could still understand her perfectly.
"Really?" she scoffed, looking around briefly, "National 'Don't Go to the Circus' Day." She had been in this store for all of a minute, if that, and she was already loving it. That was where the Aussie came in, a completely different accent from the French woman but not hard to understand at all, it more or less gave the man a flare. Looking down at the empty bag in her hands when he posed the question, she had to smirk--not quite the situation, but if it were anyone else he would have been right on the mark.
Shaking her head, she crumpled up the bag, holding it in her fist until she found a trashcan. "She knows. But I wanted to return the favor to her. I mean, she only got to eat one," and chuckling resumed. At that time, her green eyes wandered towards the shelves and counters, glancing at all of the various and unique goods. The whole place smelled of sweets and confection, the slight hint of ice cream and various toppings for cakes and cookies. Delicious. Putting her free hand in her pocket, she lifted her chin high and looked between Vivi and Shepard's eyes, a casual smile clinging desperately to her cheeks, "I'd like to get two bags of those--cinnamon cookies, I think?--and a small box of chocolates..." It was at that point that her words and eyes began to trail off again, searching curiously for something else, something nice and sweet and tasty.
Something for her dog.
It would be odd to actually make such a request, and would either of them be offended? Yes, I'd like a bag of special cookies just to feed my pet, would you mind?! It didn't quite matter that Tango was just as much a part of the family as she herself was and it was only an occasional treat, but dammit, if she and her mom were getting stuff, their pretty boy deserved something, too.
"Ahh..." she started again, slowly. It was a bit hard to find the right words for that, but she supposed she would ask as delicately as possible. "You guys don't happen to have anything that might be pet friendly, would you? Like, safe for dogs?" There wasn't a whole lot that wasn't safe, barring the chocolates in particular, but anything in moderation would pretty much be alright. Even if it was just a taste here and there and not a whole piece of something, he'd still find a way to get those treats from being such a good dog.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 8:26 am
"National ... 'Don't Go to the Circus Day'...?" Vivi had murmured, more to herself than in any sort of reply, her voice full of an innocent sort of awe that one gets when faced with something completely and entirely new. One side of her smile wavered with mixed amusement and distant chagrin: "What -- what a terrible invention that would be!"
"For us, at least," said Shepard with an air of deep solemnity, trying very hard to keep his faint grin from growing any further. He returned his attentions quickly to their customer, moving in his usual unhurried fashion to the display case where those small, crispy cinnamon cookies were kept. Deftly flicking open a paper bag, he slowly began collecting said cookies for Anita's order.
"For everybody, I think, non? A circus is a treat all of the year's days, I think! At least, if it is done properly," Vivi lilted from her station, cheerily opening a small red-striped box to fill with chocolates: there were all sorts in the little display box; cocoa-dusted truffles and round milk-swirled droplets and teeny polished-looking spheres. She turned to their customer with a winsome smile and gestured to the collection with a pair of tongs. "Anything, perhaps, that you do not like? Or would you prefer to be surprised with which flavors you receive?"
Shepard took this moment to study the newcomer from behind the display glass, his hands folding over the top of the cookie-filled bags. She had rather attractive eyes, he thought, and there was something in her bearing -- something in the curling of her pigtails or the rhythm of her walk or something else that Granny Maplethorpe might have called aura (to Shepard's immense annoyance) that seemed to spell fun. She seemed like the sort of girl that laughter invariably followed.
And-- what had she just said? Something about dogs?
Vivi was laughing.
"How interesting that you might say that~" the Frenchwoman was saying. "Not so very long ago I had a customer who had ordered many cookies for her stable of horses! If we can accommodate the horse, I am rather certain we can accommodate the dog as well. It is only... grapes, n'est pas, and chocolate that they do not eat?"
Shepard shook his head with amusement. "Don't mix don't and shouldn't. Pups'll eat anything."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 1:44 pm
Of course, Vivi's reaction was a surprise to Anita bearing her entirely sarcastic comment and she couldn't help but laugh at herself. "It'd be awful," she agreed, a highly amused grin having trouble shrinking from her face, let alone leaving. Her eyes drifted to Shepard momentarily as he got up, nodding to herself and looking back to Vivi once she realized where he was going and what he was doing. "Circuses do seem like they'd be exciting."
Perhaps a shock to both of them, but Anita had never actually had the time nor opportunity to visit a circus and see a show; not a traveling nor grounded one, not the cheap or high end, not a single circus in her life. Carnivals were another story, but they were far removed, were they not? Not nearly the same thing, oh no.
Leaning towards the counter to get a better view, Anita's eyes scanned the assortment of treats and bit her lip. Well, in regards to candy and snacks, there wasn't much she didn't like, but... "Anything with a fruit filling I'd rather not get. Love coconut. Elsewise, surprises are great," she smirked and shrugged animatedly, taking a step back, smile only growing wider as Vivi erupted into laughter at her question about dog safe treats. Surprise then gleaned over her face and she found herself laughing, too. "Horses? Really?" That seemed a bit more off the wall than dogs, but it was definitely interesting all the same!
Nodding, she glanced at Shepard again. His accent was much different than Vivi's but he couldn't quite place it while she immediately came off as French-- the 'non' could not be overlooked --but whatever it was, it certainly added an air to him that she couldn't quite place. It was nice and he seemed quite fit, tall.
There she was, getting ahead of herself.
"Oh, God, yeah," she piped in after Shepard's comment about dogs. "Chocolate and grapes are a big no-no, but then again so are shoes and plastic wrap. Oh, and electrical wires, those are delicious." He was certainly right about dogs eating anything, but luckily Tango knew better. Most of the time. "Probably just some plain biscuits or something, nothing too sweet but definitely tasty. Don't suppose you've got any meat flavored products," more sarcasm, she highly doubted that and would be extremely surprised if Vivi pulled out some sort of meat-cookie concoction.
Laughing at herself, Anita raised a hand and smoothed her bangs back, looking sympathetically up at both of them, "I guess you guys get weird requests a lot, huh?" What with her coming in asking about dog treats and someone else wanting horse safe goodies, it would be no surprise to her if someone came in asking if they had anything they could feed their pet bear or elephant, maybe even their fish which would of course turn out to be a shark and nothing less.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 9:54 am
"Not a lot. But we do get some whackos," Shepard snorted wryly from behind the counter, closing the two white cookie-bags with a sticker. He passed his knuckles along his stubbled jaw, eyes distant as he thought back to some of the more noteworthy crazies that had entered Vermillion's doors. "... mostly brides."
"Yes," agreed Vivi with a faint sigh as she filled the little chocolate box full of treats with impressive speed, the quick movements of her small silver tongs flashing in the light: coconut, grand marnier, nougat, mint; yes, those all seemed acceptable choices for the newcomer. She lifted her gaze back to Anita, her smile tinged just slightly with chagrin. "It is that the brides here, they are sometimes... you call them bridemonsters? But they are not always so bad!"
"Bridezillas. And they're bloody fruity," corrected Shepard, walking slowly up the display case in search of puppy-friendly cookies. Not being a dog, he hadn't the damn slightest what a pup might enjoy -- except for, as Anita had said, electrical wires and plastic bags and anything else clearly labeled as off limits. It had been a long time now since he'd had a dog; he threw his mind back to his childhood boxer, the one who'd eaten an entire pound of butter once, and a sack of grits... along with the apple pie that had been reserved as his little brother's birthday present...
"How about some apple oatmeal cookies?" the Aussie ventured, pointing to the treats in question. "Not too sweet; meant as a breakfast-type cookie. 'Fraid we've not got any plain biscuits..."
"Mmm~" Vivi approached, setting the box of chocolates next to the two waiting bags of cookies. She peered down at her wares, tapping her cheek with one finger. "Yes... I am afraid ground beef cookies have sadly gone out of the style. There are some peanut butter cookies as well -- I think I have seen peanut butter given as treats."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 3:52 pm
The two bounced comments off of one another so fluidly, it was obvious the two were familiar with one another. With the woman being exceptionally French, she probably had a few problems with English (and particularly Gaian) phrases, often forgetting the proper tenses or swapping words. This was evidenced by her calling Bridezillas 'Bridemonsters' and Anita couldn't help but smile.
"The ones that are that bad were probably already insane. I'm sure most brides are normal and nice," she tried to offer consolingly.
At the presentation of apple oatmeal cookies, Anita's face lit up like a light and she bounced on her heals, all smiles. "That would be perfect! Yeah, I'd guess you guys wouldn't have plain," it was pretty obvious just from the decor, but what fancy dessert restaurant has plain anything? Really, Anita. Fishing for a witty retort to Vivi, Anita smirked. "I would eat ground beef cookies," and ended it with a chuckle. She couldn't keep a straight face around these two, which was unfortunate as her best material was done on the fly and entirely deadpan. "Peanut butter and apple oatmeal are perfect, I really can't thank you guys enough."
Well, she knew what her cookie store would be, now and forever.
Finally, as they were beginning to finish up with her order, Anita couldn't stand it any longer. Curiosity was getting the better of her and she hoped it wouldn't be rude of her to ask, but it had been nagging at her since arriving. "So what made you guys pick a circus theme?" she gestured upward to all of the hanging decorations. The name was a curious thing, as well; Vermillion. Wasn't that a name for a color? A blue-green color to be specific, if her memory wasn't failing her. She was having a bit of trouble determining how the two connected and how either connected with either of the two workers.
This was, of course, her assuming that the both of them owned the store and weren't just hired help, which might have been a bit presumptuous of her as it was rather unusual to see these days, but if she was mistaken they would surely tell her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 6:54 pm
"I would love to see you make good on that and eat a ground beef cookie." Shepard cracked a grin in response to Anita's almost-perfectly-excecuted deadpan. He rested on his elbows against the counter, leaning his weight onto his arms. Although he was always critical of Vivi for making snap judgements on other people, Shepard had to admit that he liked this girl. It'd be nice, he thought further, if she came back sometime. "What do you say, Vivi? New menu item? We could make a new ice cream flavor -- it's been a while. "
"C'est merveilleux!" agreed the Frenchwoman with amusement, wandering over to the small ice cream display case and eyeing it critically. She drummed her fingertips against her lips in thought, and then brightened. "Yes, we can take out 'Hangover' and insert instead the flavor 'Meatloaf'. The caption, it shall say: lingers on your tongue like mother's old comfort food..."
"Rests heavy on your stomach just the same. Disclaimer, always eat near bathrooms," Shepard finished with a faint laugh, his bright, amused eyes still on Anita. "What'ya say? Think you can be the spokeswoman? We'll get you a photoshoot and everything."
Then, as Anita indicated the hanging birds and the general decor of Vermillion, the grin faded slightly from Shepard's face. It wasn't followed by any sort of discomfort or hesitance; no, the smile simply seemed to wither a bit, touched on the edges with a bittersweet sort of sadness. "Oh, uh..."
"--ah, cheri, it is that we are circus folk! The Shepard and myself, we opened the bakery in honor of our cirque after it folded." Vivi, if she felt any sort of that same sadness, certainly didn't show it. She was, instead, all but bursting with fondness pride. "It is unfortunate. It was not so long ago that I was an acrobat, but, ah~ the pastries, they are rather pleasant just the same, non? We brought much of our old things to decorate here -- the Shepard was our fabricator, so it is mostly his work. The tables, you see, and the birds, and so much more. So talented, is he not?"
The Aussie's stormy eyes went distant at that, and his smile became slimmer and slimmer as an aloof sort of embarrassment slowly settled in. What was it they had told Doucette? Fairly allergic to compliments?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 8:44 am
The playful banter was all Anita needed to make this confection shop her new favorite place; it was nearby, affordable despite seeming gourmet, and the people were good. Hell, if she could come in and joke around with them on slow days frequently, that would be the definition of fun. Whatever the case, since she had walked into this store, she couldn't stop laughing and she loved it.
If Zeke hadn't been here before, she had to bring him. It was then a thought struck her, a case of familiarity and a deep sense of deja vu, but she couldn't put her finger on it and before she even had a chance, those words had left her lips which ended the jovial nature of the conversation with the blunt force of a brick wall.
Anita's shoulders slumped as smiles faded, her expression turning from curious to worried. The woman's words spoke for both she and Shepherd, but Anita's eyes kept trailing back to the man who had fallen deathly silent.
"Wow, I'm sorry..." the tale, though interesting, was indeed bittersweet; in the end, they got to open up this wonderful shop and show off their creativity in business but they had to leave behind the circus that they loved in the process. She had to wonder what it would have been like to see them, and the turn of events that played out in order to make them be here as they are now, but it was not her place to ask, and far from the time. Perhaps if she got to know them better, but she was not the prying sort.
Casting her gaze at the decorations once more, she had to concur with Vivi, "He is very talented," and looked back at Shepherd, giving him a wry grin to try and cheer him up. "Real men need a creative outlet, y'know," of course she was speaking out of her a** but it sounded much better than saying 'you'd be a good housewife' as the comment jokingly lingered on the edges of her thoughts.
A swift change of subject was in order, however, and Anita stood there a moment biting her lip in thought. What was that feeling she had and what triggered it? This place, a bakery; Vivi, a woman in Gambino who owned a bakery...
Zeke!
Suddenly Anita's gaze shot up and she held her hands aloft, as if stopping time to ask her question, "Sorry if this is abrupt, but I just remembered something. Did someone from a place called Lab 305 come by here recently?" It might have been a few months ago, Zeke didn't tell her exactly when he had gotten to drop off the Essence but he had been particularly proud of himself, as was she. If this was, indeed, the place, well... she now had three excuses to come back: The food, the people, and the potential Raevan.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 11:16 am
The faint smile returned to Shepard's face at Anita's joke about creative outlets, and he seemed about to say something in reply as that thoughtfulness settled over the newcomer's visage. His brows knit, and as she spoke, a look of flat disbelief slackened his jaw and his posture, and he uttered an involuntary: "Oh my bloody --"
"Mon Dieu!" Vivi finished for him, her own face lit with pleasant surprise, her eyebrows and shoulders lifted. Her arms outstretched in a rather foreign expression as though offering a hug over the counter, her palms up and fingers spread. Another friend! Another comrade! First the lovely Doucette, and now this lovely Anita -- what fun, what an absolute joy! "Quelle coïncidence! Do you work in the Lab? Or perhaps you are also a guardian such as ourselves? How absolutely magnificent~! What are the chances?"
"Extremely slim," Shepard murmured, scrubbing both palms through his hair as he shook his head in astonishment. Lab 305 was becoming more and more truly bizarre to him; the people seemed drawn to each other as though somehow magnetized, from all he could tell. For years he'd never even seen a Raevan, and then -- bam! -- suddenly guardians and Raevans came out of the woodwork as though summoned. Then, feeling as though something needed explaining, he cleared his throat and said: "Well, damn."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 3:35 pm
Anita's eyes immediately shot wide, excitement accenting every feature and movement as she clenched her fists eagerly. If there were now counter space between them she might have leaped at Vivi and spun around with her. Her "brilliant" detective work (more like a penchant for remembering most trivial things over ones of importance) saved her from missing out on knowing these people as more than just bakers.
It was as Alex had put it when she and Zul visited her at work; they were family now.
Grinning, her hands went for Shepard instead, taking his own and giving their bodies a quick spin. "This is great!" she chirped, wishing she still had her Essence around if only to show it off. It was for the best as surely she would have been forced to give both strangers a kiss right on the lips. Instead, it was nestled tightly in the confines of the Lab and slowly churning its way into forming her Raevan. She couldn't have been any more proud.
Stumbling over her words in haste, Anita managed to choke out "What essence do you have?" as that particular detailed had drifted from memory. All she recalled of Zeke describing it was that it was beautiful. "Did you capture a soul?" her thoughts were scrambled and her mouth running a mile a minute. Up until now, Zeke had been the only other person affiliated with Lab that was in the same phase as she was, or at least close enough. All of the others had Raevans floating and talking, causing mischief (oh LuLu) or being a rebel. Theirs, however, remained a mystery yet to be born.
"I wish I could have shown you mine, but it's probably better this way. I had enough trouble with that mistletoe to last a life time." With all of the people she unwillingly had to kiss and all of the ensuing drama, perhaps it wouldn't have been so bad if she had to kiss Shepard, at least, and she cocked a brow in his direction. Coming from her, that was an unusual thought so she quickly tucked it away for later assessment and mental berating.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 6:58 pm
"Wh--" was just about all Shepard could manage as he was spontaneously snatched for a spin, his expression of grumbling disbelief being all but flung from his features with the motion. He sank his weight back on his heels, passing his momentum onto Anita and forcing her into a faster spin just for a moment before they stopped.
"Well, damn, Vivi, got yerself another dancer here," he laughed, taking a step back as if to remove himself from the line of delighted celebratory fire. Anita's sudden exuberance was certain to impress his friend, he thought, since her personal philosophy seemed to include a clause that any reason was a good reason to swing about.
"A moment, a moment!" Vivi, meanwhile, was busy rummaging behind the counter, retrieving her soul bottle and vial from their places of safety. Now that she knew Anita was part of the Lab, there was no way she could resist showing these off to her. And -- oh! -- Anita must have already turned hers into the Lab! Perhaps that could mean that their Raevans would be close in age? "This is beyond wonderful, ah!" the Frenchwoman said aloud, moving out into the store proper. "Come, you must see them -- this is the Broken Dawn, and here, this is the soul of the White Stag."
"Yeah, those are the -- did you say mistletoe--?" cut in Shepard, squinting slightly as he peered at Anita.
"Oh~" intoned Vivi in a low tone, sounding rather interested. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and leaned forward slightly, conspiratorially, to Anita, as though about to share a morsel of juicy gossip. "How very sensual, non? But the mistletoe, it is very lucky! Did it bring you luck?"
"Essences can't be normal, right?" Shepard's mouth tipped into half a smile. "Unlucky mistletoe."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 11:38 am
The sudden increase in momentum from Shepard surprised Anita, causing her fingers to dig into his shirt and cling tightly to him for a moment as his natural strength and the strength of the spin picked her feet up just an inch or two from the floor. Once she touched back down, she still held fast to the male, eyes wide and looking momentarily frazzled until a wide smile spread across her face and childish giggles peeked out. As he went to step away, Anita released his shirt but seemed to stay frozen where she was for a moment before straightening out and letting the laughter take her full force (though she covered her mouth with a hand to muffle the sound some).
"A dancer?" Anita chortled at the thought. She had never taken a single dancing lesson, never did ballet as a child, and if Shep called that dancing then she had a lot to learn. Vivi's sudden outburst, however, caught the pig tailed woman by surprise and she craned her neck to try and snatch a glance at whatever it was the French woman was preparing. Once called over, Anita wasted no time -- glancing back at Shepard with a wry grin -- and scurried over to Vivi with the enthusiasm of a kid in a candy store. When her eyes caught sight of the Essence and Soul Bottle, they went wide like saucers and her jaw went slack.
They were beautiful!
Zeke had described the Broken Dawn to her briefly at one point but seeing really put things in perspective. It was Essences like these that needed to be seen in person to be truly appreciated and this one was awe inspiring. The soul, as well, was such a beautiful white gold and it floated and moved in the same smoky way as her crocodile's green misty soul had. "Oh, wow..." was all she could articulate for a few moments and, thankfully, Shep then stepped in and turned the conversation to something she could actually speak coherently about. "Yeah, mistletoe," she chuckled in response before Vivi's voice turned interested and conspiratorial, which caused another grin to form.
Mistletoe was lucky, huh? Could've fooled her. It was uncanny how right on the money and yet far off Shepard was with that guess and it only made Anita snicker. "Not exactly unlucky, but definitely not lucky. Actually, it was mistletoe that made you kiss," so sensual was probably the correct way to explain it, which caused a light heat to raise in Anita's cheeks. Ooh, she had a rough time with that Essence alright, prude that she was, but these were fellow Lab family members so she would need to work through it and recall the events. Besides, it was in the past now anyway. "I got it as a present from one of the Raevans. Zul? He said it needed a good home so he sent it to me while I was at work," the fact he did that because he didn't know her home address was a nonpoint, "Turns out that hadn't been the best idea. Every - single - person that came up to me, I kissed. I didn't have any control over it and it didn't matter who they were: if we made eye contact, I kissed them." Exaggeratedly, she hunched over and buried her face in her hands, letting out a loud and embarrassed groan, "Uugggh, it was so bad! Even worse, I had no idea what kind of soul I was going to catch -- not to mention that little morality issue of me not wanting to kill anything for its soul, so it hung around for a bit longer than I would have liked." Straightening up, she prepared for the kicker as she glanced toward their own caught soul. A White Stag she said? It didn't strike Anita oddly, she wasn't the most knowledgeable on myths and so assumed it was something like an albino stag rather than a magical spirit, but she was eager to know how they would react to her soul.
Zeke and Alex both had interesting reactions.
"But it and its soul are brewing in the Lab now, have been for a few months," she smirked, building the suspense, "Forceful Mistletoe and a crocodile." And, cue.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 9:44 pm
""You know," said Vivi, her tone warm and considering, ""I suppose you could say that sort of mistletoe would be very lucky, non? For the ones kissed, I mean! Ah~! How lovely to go home and look at yourself in the mirror and think: Oh, how irresistible I must be! To be kissed so suddenly by a lovely stranger... Or perhaps, if there were someone one could not get up the nerve to simply run up to and kiss, and then this courage comes along~"
"Yes, welcome to Vermillion, where we splash a dash of silver lining onto yer misfortunes," Shepard said with a snort, folding his arms. "Sounds like hell to me."
""Well, for the Shepard, it would be a little awkward, non? Or for any man, at least. A beautiful woman like our Anita gives kisses, people swoon and feel flattered, I think, non?" Vivi said, her eyes gaining a faint twinkle. ""A big, tall, scowling man who says little -- he gives you kisses without waiting for refusals, and he gets put into jail quite quickly, kissing all the guards on the way!"
"And eats soft food in a soft room for the rest of his life. Huh." The furrow between Shepard's eyes deepened slightly, and he turned to face Anita. "See? Luckier than you thought it was, maybe."
Vivi hummed a little laugh then, and they both fell quiet as Anita went on to explain the state of affairs with her Frei-to-be -- and, of course, its soul.
"A croc?" Shepard clarified dully, his face unchanged.
""A crocodile!" Vivi exclaimed, delighted once more. Her face lit up as her imagination did, conjuring up images -- oh, so many images and possibilities! ""Oh! Oh, oh! This one, he or she shall kiss with a bite, n'est pas? Oh! How beautiful she or he is sure to be! How unique! And, cheri, it seems your mistletoe cannot be unlucky to have attracted such a rare companion for itself --"
"-- a croc?!" Shepard repeated, apparently still living twenty seconds in the past. The Lab, he decided (for the fifth time, and this time with finality), had absolutely no criteria in deciding guardians, no guidelines as to how to capture souls, and absolutely no measure of sanity whatsoever. "How in the bloody hell did you kill a croc?!"
""Oh, my, our new friend is rather dashing and gallant, is she not?" Vivi breathed, fascinated. ""She breaks the hearts and slays the dragons, it seems!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
