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 Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 7:02 pm
Quote: Prompt 9: Small custom shops and stalls always seem to open up this time of year, and Destiny City has no shortage this yeart. Several seasonal themed shops have already recieved raving reviews, and among them is a small cafe. Outside it looks like a cute vintage cafe, but inside, the shop has been decorated so convincingly that you feel like you've just stepped into a snowy northern forest. They have an array of delicious, cold drinks, and the trip would be worthwhile for that alone--except, shortly after the first sip, anyone who has ingested the drink will find that they sneeze a flurry of tiny snowflakes. The more drinks consumed, the longer you will find you are sneezing little snowflakes. It feels like there is a tickle up your nose for an hour or longer, depending on player choice; drinking more can also lead to longer effects. There are no negative impacts--just the need to sneeze often, and a little burst of cold snowflakes along with each one. Surprisingly, the shop still doesn't have any bad reviews.
Jonah shivered his way down the sidewalk, bundled up in a heavy winter coat over multiple layers of shirt, sweater, and hoodie, with a hat pulled over his ears and thick gloves protecting his hands. The wind blew against his face, which was already a bit pink in the cheeks and nose, and his breath rose into the air as white vapor.
He didn’t like winter much. Snow was pretty, and he liked watching it out the window, wrapped up inside with a blanket, a warm drink, and a good book. It would be much nicer if he had his own place, but since he was still stuck at home under the judgemental eye of his grandfather, winter was little more than a hindrance. He didn’t have a car to make transport to his usual haunts easy, so he had to rely on ubers and public transits. Those were always anxiety inducing; he tried not to rely on them unless he had to, which meant he did a lot of walking.
The cold made that miserable.
Today, he was on his way to a cute café, where he was meeting the injured young man he’d come across back in October. He’d successfully helped Yuuri home once he rested and woke at August’s apartment. They’d exchanged numbers after, so Jonah could ensure that Yuuri was alright.
The problem was, for a while, Jonah was too nervous to text. He didn’t muster up the courage until he was out last night, tipsy and lonely in his favorite piano bar.
He entered the café, blinking at its realistic interior, before shaking off the surprise and glancing around for Yuuri.
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 2:21 pm
Yuuri had honestly been surprised to receive the text from Jonah. Since he was apparently friends with a real life serial killer (because how else could he accurately describe Dr. August) Yuuri thought the only logical progression was for Jonah to end up murdered. Or at least starseedless and in a coma in the hospital. Like how Yuuri had almost been.
Also without his own car for transportation, Yuuri had to make sure he took the bus early enough to make it to the cafe in time to meet Jonah. He’d arrived before him and found a table under a very realistic tree, complete with what seemed to be a live owl.
He’d been watching the owl, still trying to determine if it was real or fake by the time Jonah found and joined him. This would be the third time he’d talked to Jonah, although only the second time as Yuuri. Jonah had no idea that the brightly dressed corrupt that saved him from a youma once was now sitting across from him.
“Hi,” he said a bit awkwardly as he straightened up in his chair and pushed his probably shaggy looking hair behind his ears. It had been a while since he’d bothered to get a haircut, but since he wore hats in public most of the time these days, and didn’t venture out often, there was really no point. So what if he looked a little more disheveled than usual?
“Thank you for the other night. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t found me and helped,” he said, his voice quiet but genuine. Well, he wasn’t sure about Dr. August, but in the end his starseed had been returned.
“Are you okay?” he asked, frowning a little in concern. No, he didn’t know Jonah very well, but if he was prone to hanging out with monsters and being attacked by youma, then there was no telling how he really was. Probably just holding it together like how Yuuri often felt.
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 4:05 pm
Jonah approached the table, as nervous and hesitant as usual, but with the smallest of smiles on his face to see that Yuuri actually looked well — or healed up and in no worse condition than before, at least. He was pleased to have helped. Sure, he didn’t know Yuuri at all, but he seemed nice so far, and something about him made Jonah wonder if he felt a bit lonely. Then again, he could be the worst person on the face of the Earth, and Jonah still wouldn’t want to see him hurting.
No one should be made to suffer or bear so much pain.
He was about to say something in greeting, but blinked when Yuuri asked if he was okay.
“... yes?” he said. Did he not look okay?
It didn’t take long for Jonah to realize that answering with a question probably led to more doubt and questions, so he sat in the seat across from Yuuri, leaving all of his winter gear on for the time being. It was almost as chilly in here as it was outside.
“I mean… yes, I’m fine, I—… Are you? I mean… is your arm okay? I… I wanted to check on you sooner, but…”
He glanced down at the table, feeling ashamed. Jonah flushed and mumbled, “Sorry, I’m… not great with people.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 6:41 pm
Okay, so Jonah’s questioned response wasn’t really convincing. It just meant that Yuuri’s frown deepened with concern. Who knew what this Dr. August did to Jonah when other people weren’t around.
But Yuuri nodded his head when Jonah asked if his arm was okay, and then shook it soon after when Jonah mentioned wanting to check on him sooner.
“It’s okay. I’m… not either,” he admitted, feeling a little stupid for saying it out loud. At least he was managing to talk to Jonah. Usually he kept to himself. In fact, he was tempted to ignore Jonah’s text, but it was the surprise that Jonah was even still alive that had him responding.
Maybe he was being a little too harsh, but when someone pulls your starseed, it kind of leaves a bad taste.
“My arm is better, thank you. And… yes, I’m fine,” he said, but cleared his throat when it didn’t sound very convincing to himself. He might not be fine but he was at least as normal as he felt. He was used to feeling like he did, so that was probably as good as it was going to get.
“They apparently have good drinks here. I didn’t know what you would like, but it’s on me if you’d like to try anything,” he said, avoiding eye contact for the moment as he let himself feel miserable without making anyone else deal with it. He disguised it by fishing into his pocket for his wallet.
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 8:29 pm
Jonah almost denied the offer, not wanting Yuuri to trouble himself. He opened his mouth to politely decline, lifted a hand like he meant to wave it off, then stopped before he could do or say anything.
Yuuri was being kind. That’s what people did to repay someone who’d helped them, but it was also what people did to be friendly. It’s what Jonah intended to do when he offered to meet Yuuri here. He should let Yuuri be friendly. It wasn’t often that people actually went out of their way to do so. Not to Jonah, anyway.
“O-Okay,” he said. “Um…”
He looked toward the counter. It blended in with their surroundings so seamlessly, he didn’t notice it until he was actively searching for it.
“This place is a little… weird,” he observed. “Maybe a good weird? I don’t know. It’s…” Cold. And the more he looked around, the stranger it got.
He noticed the owl above them when he turned back to Yuuri. It stared with wide eyes, hardly moving, so it was impossible to tell if it was real or not.
It looked real, and that made it creepy.
“Um, let’s… let’s go up and order.”
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Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 1:21 pm
The place definitely was weird. He already knew that Jonah hadn’t been to the place before since he’d said he found it in an online search when they agreed to meet up. It was one of those temporary shops that seemed to pop up and then close down in less than a year.
While he was impressed by the decor, he couldn’t imagine it was everyone’s cup of tea.
Speaking of tea, it didn’t seem as though the menu had any hot beverages. Just cold. Which made it even stranger. He and Jonah ended up getting the first couple things suggested by the cashier since they had no idea what they wanted, and Yuuri quickly paid before Jonah got it into his head that he should pay for himself. Jonah seemed the type.
“I prefer more temperate weather,” Yuuri commented without Jonah needing to mention how frigid it was in there. He tightened his jacket a little more as he sipped on the cold drink once they’d made their way back to their table.
The owl was gone. Had it been real?? Yuuri still wasn’t sure. Maybe the scenery changed every hour or so to keep things interesting?
“I apologize if I came across as ungrateful when you offered to see me home the other day,” Yuuri said, feeling guilty when Jonah really did seem genuine about wanting to help him. “I… live kind of out of the way. It would have been a waste of time for you to make the trip,” he tried to explain, wondering if it just sounded like an excuse.
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Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 4:52 pm
A cold drink in cold weather wasn’t exactly to Jonah’s tastes, but the first cautious sip was delicious.
He smiled from where he sat back down across from Yuuri, the look still a bit small and restrained, but brightening somewhat as they spoke. Jonah didn’t have a lot of people to talk to, so it often felt strange to converse, and while he was still very nervous, Yuuri didn’t make him feel uncomfortable.
“It wouldn’t have been a waste of time,” he gently countered, able to get the words out before he started stammering. “You were hurt, and I… wanted to make sure you were okay. Whatever happened to you must have been… scary. And you seemed… sad, so—”
Jonah cut himself off as a sneeze quickly built up. He lifted the back of his gloved hand to cover what sounded like a short squeak, blinking in confusion when his sneeze resulted in a burst of tiny snowflakes.
“Um…”
Well, that was weird. Maybe he was imagining things and the flakes were part of the décore that got disturbed?
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Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 7:33 pm
The cold drink wasn’t really Yuuri’s preference either, but it was surprisingly enjoyable. And it was kind of nice to talk to someone… anyone, really. Even though Yuuri preferred to keep to himself and often hid from social interaction, he knew he probably wouldn’t be able to survive off limiting his conversing with others while on Negaverse duty. The people he encountered in the Negaverse, or those on the other side of the war, weren’t always the most pleasant to be around.
Except that one knight that seemed as though she didn’t care to fight him and had asked if he was okay.
Yuuri had opened his mouth to respond, but stared in surprise when Jonah sneezed, only to set a flurry of snowflakes into the air. Well… that was definitely not normal, but also not entirely unsurprising for Destiny City. Yuuri was about to write it off as a one time weird occurrence, until he sneezed too, and snow puffed out from seemingly nowhere around his arm which he’d sneezed into.
Gently, Yuuri set the drink down. Maybe because it was so cold in the store and they were drinking cold drinks?
“You’re very kind,” Yuuri said quietly, deciding his cheeks felt warm because he was embarrassed about the snowflakes and not because Jonah was probably one of the first kind people he’d talked to in quite some time. Other than that knight and Misha.
“Thank you... for your concern. I’m used to taking care of myself. But… I don’t think it would have resulted in a good outcome had you not stopped,” he admitted, still not knowing how to feel about his encounter with that doctor friend of Jonah’s.
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2021 11:04 am
Jonah blinked across from Yuuri, watching the snowflakes burst into being and float through the air.
Was it the décor? That was the easiest explanation, and the one less likely to result in a wave of anxiety. Because if it was something else… magic, per se… then he might get very concerned about a shop that was quickly proving itself to be a bit more than strange. He spared a shifty eyed look toward the counter, but nothing seemed to be amiss there. Then he glanced up and saw that the owl had disappeared.
Jonah swallowed heavily. Maybe he’d imagined it?
“I… I couldn’t just… leave you there,” he said, forcing himself to look back at Yuuri and focus on the conversation.
This was the first time in a long time he’d spoken to anyone who wasn’t his sister, his parents, his grandfather, or (more recently) August. He shouldn’t ruin the encounter with weird magical stuff. Especially if Yuuri had been hurt by a youma. What if he got scared?
“I’m just… glad I could help,” he continued, another smile twitching onto his face. “I’ve… seen a few of those monsters, so… I know it’s scary. I had to help Dr. August after one. I guess he… he kind of owed me a favor.”
Absently, Jonah took another sip of his drink.
Which led to another sneeze, and another puff of snowflakes.
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2021 12:37 pm
Yuuri decided to ignore the apparent magic. He was definitely not in the mood to have to deal with strange things at the moment. His heart couldn’t take it. Of course, it didn’t help that every time Jonah sneezed that snow appeared. And it happened when he sneezed too.
“Thank you,” Yuuri said again, his fingers still wrapped around the cup of the cold drink, if only to keep them steady. He had been doing well enough to keep his nerves from being overly frayed, so if he could just hold out until he and Jonah parted ways, that would be great.
“I can’t imagine many people would have stopped like you did,” he said although there was no bitterness in his voice. It was just a fact. And he tended to blend in and be invisible from most people, so the fact that Jonah even saw him was a surprise. There weren’t many people who would stop to help someone else they didn’t know. And at that point, Jonah hadn’t even known the extent of his injuries.
“Dr. August,” Yuuri said quietly, trying to gently continue on that topic. “He seems… dangerous. Are you sure you’re okay being around him…?”
And it wasn’t just the doctor’s scary looking face. Yuuri had met plenty of people with scary faces who weren’t all that bad. It was the fact that he so quickly took the opportunity to try to take his starseed. But maybe Dr. August really did owe Jonah and that was why he was still alive.
Unless Jonah was part of the Negaverse now too…?
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2021 2:31 pm
A touch of sadness weakened Jonah’s smile for a moment. No, there probably weren’t many people who would have stopped to help Yuuri. True as it was, Jonah found it quite sad. The world would be a better place, and full of happier people, if everyone would show a little kindness.
He would just have to make up for the lack of it from others, even if it wasn’t often returned to him.
When Yuuri continued on the topic of August, Jonah’s smile brightened again, but only for a few moments. August was… different. A little cold. A little reserved. Not likely to crack a joke or smile. Maybe a little reckless? But he hadn’t been cruel to Jonah at all.
“You think he’s… dangerous?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.
Why? He never seemed dangerous to Jonah. It was just that his overall demeanor required getting used to.
Jonah still wasn’t totally used to it himself. He couldn’t blame Yuuri for being concerned.
“I know his face is… scary sometimes,” he acknowledged. He’d warned Yuuri about that before taking him to August, hadn’t he? “But he was hurt and I helped him and… he let me stay with him. I mean, I didn’t want to leave him when he was hurt. His leg was pretty messed up, so I… helped. And he said… if I needed anything… I could text him.”
Maybe it sounded shady to someone who hadn’t been there. Jonah would definitely be concerned if someone came to him with a story like that. What kind of an idiot stayed so long with someone who was practically a stranger?
The kind of idiot who didn’t want to go home.
Jonah frowned and glanced down at his drink. “I’m sorry, should I have… taken you somewhere else?”
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2021 4:14 pm
Yuuri felt a little guilty about bringing up his concern. Perhaps he should just mind his own business and let Jonah do as he pleased. If Jonah didn’t think he was in danger being around Dr. August, then maybe he really wasn’t.
But Yuuri’s anxiety was in overdrive the entire time he was there. And he’d been right to be concerned because it turned out that Dr. August was a Negaverse Captain. Jonah seemed too nice to be involved in the Negaverse, so Yuuri doubted that he knew.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful again,” Yuuri said, quickly shaking his head when Jonah seemed to get upset about trying to help him. “I really… really do appreciate everything you and Dr. August did for me,” he tried to reassure him.
He still thought Dr. August was dangerous, but Jonah seemed to trust him.
“I apologize. You know him better than I do. I… guess it’s strange for me to be worried about you, since we’ve only met each other twice before,” Yuuri quickly mumbled before he could really think about what he was saying.
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2021 7:05 pm
Jonah was about to reassure Yuuri that it was okay, that Yuuri didn’t sound ungrateful, that he wasn’t offended and he understood what it was like to be uncomfortable around people, so he could see why August would make Yuuri a little nervous, when Yuuri’s last statement registered.
“Twice?” he asked, blinking in confusion.
Well… yes. They’d met the night Jonah took Yuuri to August’s place, and… now they’d met again. That was twice.
But Yuuri had said before, implying that the second time they’d met had been before today.
“Have we… met before?” he asked, then immediately felt guilty for not remembering.
Jonah flushed with shame, trying to wrack his brain for the correct memory, but nothing came to him. Had he met Yuuri at some social function with his parents? He didn’t think so; Jonah tended to lurk in corners and hide in bathrooms during situations like that. Had they been in a class together at DCU? That didn’t seem quite right either. He got the feeling Yuuri was younger than him, maybe fresh out of college. Jonah had graduated… gosh, had it really been half a decade already? And he still didn’t have a regular job.
He was such a loser.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I don’t remember. I… I tend to avoid people, so…”
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2021 7:46 pm
It took a moment for Yuuri to realize what he’d said as well, and he felt the heat rise in his cheeks when Jonah noticed his slip too.
Maybe Jonah wouldn’t press the issue if he had something. Even though Yuuri was tempted to warn him about Dr. August, he knew he couldn’t risk his identity with a near stranger.
“I apologize, I misspoke,” he said quietly, shaking his head to try and reassure Jonah that it was nothing for him to be sorry about. “I… avoid people too,” he admitted as consolation.
And yet, Yuuri had risked his own safety that night not so long ago in order to save Jonah from that youma. Jonah had been drinking, so maybe he believed he dreamed the whole thing up.
“It’s easier that way, isn’t it? Avoiding people…” Yuuri said, lowering his eyes to the cup in his hands again, although he didn’t drink from it. “But,” he continued after a moment, lifting his eyes back up to Jonah, hoping he could see the sincerity in his expression, “I’ve enjoyed talking to you. I… if you wanted… I wouldn’t mind meeting up again. Or texting if that’s more preferable.”
Ah, maybe he was overreaching. Jonah might have just wanted to check in on him to be polite and move on with his life. Still, Yuuri could feel his heart trying to escape his chest and heat in his face, feeling awkward about asking something that might be laughable.
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2021 9:07 pm
“Oh…” Jonah said, a bit relieved that he hadn’t forgotten anything.
It didn’t even occur to him to be suspicious. Perhaps he was too trusting. His sister Haven was always saying that he put too much faith in people. It would be far too easy for someone to take advantage of him.
People said he was naïve, but Jonah didn’t like to think of it that way. He simply saw no reason to doubt people until they gave him a legitimate reason to. He liked to think that most people were inherently good, even after a few mistakes, or if they made poor choices. Some people were evil, but… not everyone.
Regardless, he found it easy to smile again when Yuuri admitted to avoiding people, too — and then even more when Yuuri said he would like to meet up again.
When was the last time anyone actually wanted to hang out with Jonah?
His sister didn’t count.
“I’d like that,” he said softly, a little embarrassed to be so pleased. “Texting, too. I don’t mind. If… if you need anything… or if you want company, or… if you’re ever in trouble again, you can text, or… call. I’d be happy to help.”
Jonah took another sip of his drink to disguise his happiness, hoping he didn’t look like a fool.
Only to sneeze more snowflakes.
He sighed, unable to ignore it this time.
“There’s something weird about this place,” he whispered, glancing over to the counter again. The owl stared back at him from the top of the register.
Jonah cringed and shivered. “Did you want to get something to eat? Maybe somewhere less… magical?”
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