macklin celebrini has autism
No title available
TVSTRANGERTHINGS
occasionally subtle
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
blake kathryn
Origami Around
Keni
No title available
Monterey Bay Aquarium
❣ Chile in a Photography ❣
Discoholic 🪩
NASA
roma★
titsay
@theartofmadeline
almost home
hello vonnie
if i look back, i am lost
Kaledo Art
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Romania
seen from India
seen from France
seen from Türkiye
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Canada
seen from South Korea
seen from Switzerland
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Russia
seen from Lithuania
seen from Ghana
@auguryofillomen
I went to the foxes for advice. Little mouse, they said, you have profoundly mistaken the nature of this relationship. And I was eaten up.
hy/hymn • shy/hyr • ae/aer • ze/zir • vi/vir • ne/nim • they/them • per/pers
Vistani / bard 7 / warlock 3
📿 - finished threads
On it boss - asks
Bad omen - one-off posts / starter prompts
*A couple of days pass. There’s a letter in Esquiline’s mailbox.*
*Vi does a double take, because the only mail hy gets is from per fuckass landlord or spam. Shy opens it.*
*Ze doesn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but the tone of the author gives itself away. And the nickname.*
Hey, Plum. I don’t have that fancy mind link thing you and Crossroads do, so I figured a letter would work just fine. Wanna hang out tonight? Just us girls. I sent Walsh over to Crossroads so he won’t get lonely.
Just reply yes or no in my head. Save a tree, I guess.
Vanny
*…Ze smiles, reading it over again.*
*Hey, Vanny. I’m good to hang out. What time should I come?*
*Oh, thank fuck it got there. I was worried I had the wrong address.*
*She laughs.*
*I’m just about ‘ta put dinner on, are ya hungry?*
*Ooh, yeah, I could eat. What’s on the menu?*
*Some bean and veggie stew, and sourdough rolls I baked this morning. I had a few carrots and celery I had ‘ta use up before it went bad.*
*Perfect. I’ll bring some wine. Red or white?*
*Fuuuck, that sounds so good… Red’ll go good with the stew. Come on over whenever, it’ll be done in an hour or so.*
*Alright, lemme get dressed, feed the cats n’ such.*
*No rush, I’ll be here.*
*Ze lets the line go quiet, smiling softly. Vi wanders to their room for kitty time.*
*She waits for a second, and when she hears no more, she nods. Ae’ll be over soon enough.*
….
….
….
*40-ish minutes later, there’s a knock on her door.*
*….. And it opens! Vanity stands there in a simple white linen shirt and long lavender cotton skirt, held up by a braided leather belt.*
“Hiya. How’s yer day been?”
*Ze’s in a flowy sleeveless red dress that stops at per knees. Their hair is in two twin buns. Shy smiles.*
“Pretty good, casual, trying to stay out of the heat. Yours?”
“Ditto. It’s a fuckin’ inferno out there.”
*She waves hyr in and up the stairs, shutting the door behind them.*
“So naturally I made stew.”
“Oh of course.”
*Ze laughs, following easy. Shy sets a nice bottle of Petr’s wine on the table.*
“Once my baba made a spicy hot stew on the solstice. I don’t know how we survived.”
*She laughs.*
“That type’a shit builds character! I knew a guy who would only ever eat ice cream when it was cold out. Said it makes ya feel warmer or somethin’. I think he was just microdosin’ himself with hypothermia.”
*Ze snorts.*
“That is how hypothermia works, to be fair to him. You feel warmer when you’re getting colder, it’s like alcohol rules.”
“Yeah… I s’pose yer right, there. Still funny ‘ta me.”
*She inspects the bottle with a smile.*
“Oh Hells yeah, good shit. Can’t wait ‘ta pop that open.”
“I knew you would like it.”
*Ze grins with pride.*
“We can open it now, if you want.”
“Nah, I’ll wait a bit. Don’t wanna spoil my appetite.”
*Speaking of, it smells soooo fucking good in her home.*
“Yeah, better not. Smells too amazing to not eat.”
*She grins, lifting her chin with pride.*
“Think so? I kinda just measured with the heart. Hope it’s as good as ya think it smells.”
“Nah, measuring with the heart is always better than a true recipe. I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
“Well… Here. Try a bite.”
*She digs out a spoon from her drawers and scoops a good portion of veggies and broth, holding it out to nim with a hand beneath to catch droplets.*
*Vi leans forwards and takes that spoonful into per mouth.*
*Ae cannot remember the last time hy had a stew with such deep flavor.*
“Mmnh.”
*Shy throws vir head back and gives the nod, chewing and swallowing.*
“Holy fuck, V.”
*She laughs, though her cheeks warm slightly.*
“Good? I hope I didn’t just poison you.”
“If I did it’ll be a great way to die.”
*…….Don’t think about that.*
“I doubt you did. It’s great. Have a bite yourself.”
*She hums, scooping her own little bite and shoving it in her pie-hole.*
“…. Might as well put a baby in me, fucking Hells. Mmh.”
*Vi surprises hyrself with a snort, and laughs.*
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“We’re gonna eat so good tonight… I’ll send some home with ya for big man, don’t worry.”
*She pulls down two plates, and then two bowls.*
“He’ll appreciate it greatly, I know that for a fact.”
*Shy sets the napkins at the table and grabs two wine glasses.*
“I bet… It’s good ‘ta see him eatin’ so well.”
*She grabs a bun for her plate.*
“You want a bun too?”
“Sure. And, same. We might have to pop a few seams on his suits soon, and I couldn’t be happier.”
*Ze chuckles.*
“Better out than in… He’s been a skeleton as long as I’ve known him.”
*Vi nods. She thinks back to when ze first left him, and per smile falters.*
“… Yer a good influence on ‘im.”
*She pats hys arm, and then offers hyr abun to snack on.*
*Ze blinks, coming back to reality. That smile returns as shy takes it.*
“So are you.”
*Nom.*
*Pretty nummers!!!*
“Eh… You cracked him open more than I ever managed.”
“Doesn’t mean you didn’t pull a lot of the weight.”
*Hip check.*
“These rolls are so fucking good.”
*She grins, tongue caught between her teeth.*
“Thanks. That I know for sure is true.”
*Nodnod. Big ol’ bite.*
“Gnna have to steal some of these, too.”
“If there’s any left…”
*She giggles, gesturing at their place settings.*
“We might as well dish up properly. After you.”
*Ze nods and takes per bowl, filling it up a little under halfway and setting it down on the table. Shy begins to fuck with the wine cork.*
*Vanity dishes herself up about the same amount, taking the other setting.*
“I might have a corkscrew somewhere, hold on.”
*She starts to rummage through drawers.*
“Would definitely be helpful. Fucker’s stuck in here.”
*She eventually produces a well-loved one, handing it over.*
“That’s how ya know it’s good.”
*Nodnod. Vi stabs it in and starts twisting. It eventually comes out with a nice pop!*
“Theeeere we go! Here, ladies first.”
*Ze begins to pour her glass.*
“How sweet of ya… Thank ya kindly.”
*She swirls it a few times, sniffs, and sips.*
“….. Mmmh…. Nice and dry.”
“Glad you like it.”
*Shy pours hys own, seating nimself. Shy sets the bottle between them and off to the side.*
“Hard not to. Yer Petr is a master.”
*She sits across from aer, taking another sip before digging into her soup.*
“All we’re missin’ is a show.”
“Damn, I didn’t bring my major image projector.”
*Soup. Bigass bite of soup.*
“Oh yeah, you have one of ‘em, don’t you? Next time.”
*She dunks her bun into the soup. Om nom.*
“Next time.”
*Vi’s doing much of the same, like ze forgot shy was hungry until it was right in front of nim.*
*This is probably the fastest shy has seen Vanity eat, compared to the slow picking she tends to do elsewhere. She even stands for another bowl.*
*Ze smiles, letting per meal settle for a bit as shy stoops over nis wine.*
“…..Did you have any plans for us, or are we just hanging out?”
*She shrugs, sitting back down with her bowl.*
“Either or. We can play a few rounds downstairs, or find somethin’ ta do out of the house.”
“Hmmm..”
*Hy tries to think of what’s nearby because ze totally knows but the roleplayer does not.*
*There’s a late night market a little ways into town, and a park square that often has live music and dancing. There’s also a theatre, although the evening show would be well on its way by now.*
“Wanna go to the market? Or town square? Do you dance?”
*She grins over her wine glass.*
“Ooh… Both sound temptin’. There’s no sayin’ we can’t do one and then the other, yeah?”
*Nodnod.*
“Market first?”
“I think so, yeah.”
*Siiiip. Nom, nom.*
“Sounds like a plan.”
*Yummy wine :)*
*Very yummy. She polishes off her glass, along with the rest of her stew.*
“Fuck… That hit the spot.”
*Nodnod…*
“You’re a helluva cook.”
*She smiles.*
“Thanks… Yer a helluva dinner date.”
*She lifts her empty glass to cheers hys with.*
*Clink!*
“To our friendship.”
“To our friendship…”
*She smiles, faking a sip.*
*Shy cleans off per own glass and sets it down.*
“Wooh….. should we let the food settle a bit?”
“I think that’s a fair idea…”
*She nods, scooting her dishes aside and leaning back in her seat.*
*Ze does the same, drumming on the table.*
“…What do you call a horse that can’t lose a race?”
“… Hm…… I ain’t sure. What’s that?”
“A sherbet.”
*…….. She snorts, giggling softly.*
“That’s a good one… Sherbet.”
*Shy poses cutely.*
“Gods… I dunno. I don’t think I got any good jokes.”
“Got any bad ones?”
“Hm…. Okay. What’s green, has four wheels, and looks like a carriage?”
“…….Mm……..”
*A green carriage.*
“A plate of vegetables?”
“A green carriage.”
*Shy still laughs, dimples showing.*
“Nice.”
*She shrugs, smiling.*
“You asked fer bad… Yer turn.”
“…..When is a door not a door?”
“….. Wait! Fuck, I know this one. When…. When it’s…… Gods dammit. I know I know it.”
*She huffs, running through her mind palace.*
“……… When it’s ajar!!!!!”
*Ze laughs.*
“Yes!!”
*Clap clap clap.*
“See, you do know good jokes!”
*She laughs softly, rubbing at her neck.*
“I guess so… I can’t pull ‘em out quick enough like that.”
“We’ll up your improv game, it’s okay.”
*Ze winks.*
“Careful what ya wish for, Plum, I’ll be insufferable.”
*She giggles softly.*
“Just how I like my loved ones.”
*Shy smirks.*
“Gods, yeah… They’re my favorite people.”
“Join the party~~~~~~”
“Hehehe, I love a good party~…”
*Ze giggles.*
“Speaking of parties, you wanna head to the market?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
*She gets to her feet.*
“Lemme take care of these first.”
*Nodnod.*
“Alright. Sounds good.”
*Ze stands up too, stretching.*
*Her tail swish swishes behind her as she carries bowls and plates and glasses to her wash basin, giving them all a good scrub down. Bubbles float up past her ears.*
*……Shy giggles, and moves over, popping some of them.*
*She looks up at nim with a smile, popping one that goes towards Esquiline’s nose.*
*Vi blinks, and laughs a little harder.*
“I always liked bubbles. Me and my siblings would spend hours in the grass seeing who could blow the biggest one.”
*She smiles.*
“That’s sweet… Who usually won?”
“Usually, uhm.. Yaremi. Xe’s one of the twins.”
“Ah, I see.”
*She makes a ring with her thumb and middle finger, dunking her hand in the water. She blows a decent bubble.*
*Vi grins, carefully catching it in both hands once it settles.*
*She giggles softly, petting the air above the bubble.*
“Hello, bubble…”
“Hello, it’s me, bubble!! Thanks for creatin’ me!!”
*Very high and strong Yonan accent.*
“Oh my Gods, aren’t you charmin’…”
*She laughs, miming a little scritch on an imaginary forehead.*
“Yer very welcome, ‘lil fella.”
“Ooooh, thank you, that felt nice..”
*The bubble ‘nods’ as Esquiline tilts per wrists up and down.*
“‘Course! Everybody deserves a good scratch sometimes.”
“I agree—“
*Pop!*
….
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
*She gasps.*
“Oh fuck! No!!!”
“They died so young!!!!”
*Esq doubles over.*
“So young… They’ll always be remembered.”
*She holds her hand to her heart, a solemn look on her face.*
“They will……”
*Shy nods, looking sadly into the distance.*
“…What were we talking about again?”
“….. I have no fuckin’ clue.”
*…..Shy breaks out in giggles.*
“We would do great doing standup.”
*She follows suit, shaking her head.*
“First improv, and now stand-up… Let’s go on tour, Plum.”
*She dries the last of the dishes, and then her hands, before offering her elbow out.*
“What should our group be called?”
*Ze takes it.*
“Hm… Tall, Dark, and Plum.”
*She reaches up to touch her hair.*
*Vi laughs, leaning in to allow her.*
“I like it.”
“Good. We’ll be known over seas in no time.”
“Over planes, even.”
“Oh, we’ll be a fuckin’ hoot in the astral plane. Look out.”
“A hoot and a holler, I’d say.”
“A holler even? Hot damn.”
“We’re just that good.”
“I’ll have ‘ta believe ya then…”
*She giggles, leading zir out the door and down the road.*
*Hy grins, walking in time with her with a smile on per face.*
*The walk isn’t long. The sounds of a lively market draws them in, many vendors under dancing lights illuminating the road enough to see in the twilight. People yell out from their booths to catch the attention of any passerby.*
*Hyr ears twitch this way and that, listening out for a good deal.*
“…Looking for anything in particular?”
“Eh… I usually come down fer food, but I’m stuffed from dinner. There’s some jewelers and magic item dealers that I peek at from time ‘ta time, if only for presents.”
*Shy nods.*
“Might look for something that Jed’ll like….”
*There’s a familiar accent yelling out that keeps quieting itself the second Esquiline begins to pick it up. Shy looks around for it, and in the distance are patterns and designs from hys childhood. Vir eyes sparkle.*
“……Oh I’m about to make him cry.”
“Oh yeah? Make sure I’m there.”
*She giggles, letting her friend lead them towards the source of the voice.*
“Will do.”
*Ze leads her to a stall with a man who looks quite like hyr in it.*
‘Jewelry! Get traditional Vistani jewelry here!’
*Shy approaches, and the vendor stops, and smiles. Esquiline speaks up first.*
“Sastipe!”
*The man’s grin widens.*
‘Sastipe, friends! So śaj te lav tuqe?’
*Oh fuck his dialect is different than mine.*
“I’m looking for a gift for my fiancee. He’s Chaac, but we’re getting married soon, and I want him to feel like he’s truly part of the family…”
*Shy hums, looking over his various wares.*
“…Ooh, he’d love this.”
*Ze motions at a hand-embroidered shirt, then looks to Vanny.*
“What do you think?”
*She looks enthralled, eyeing all of the other jewelry curiously. Her eyes go to the shirt.*
“Oh fuck yeah. Fancy pants would love that.”
*Vi smiles.*
“He’d probably never take it off.”
*Shy looks at where Vanny was looking before, at the jewelry. Ze eyes a particular piece and jerks per head at it.*
“Vi akava, lake. Mangav tut.”
*The man takes a second to figure what ze means, and nods, taking the bracelet off the display hook and setting it on top of the shirt.*
‘Anything else?’
*Ze hums, looking around. Ae can’t help but feel a little homesick.*
“…..I haven’t done tarokka in ages….. how much for a deck?”
‘One gold each.’
“…..Fuck it, sure.”
*Shy picks out a pretty deck with linework that moves over itself and then digs the money out vir pocket, handing it over as the man hands hyr a paper bag.*
“Nais tuqe but!”
*Ze gives him a smile and a nod, and takes the bracelet out of the bag, offering it to Vanny.*
“What? That’s fer me?”
*She gently takes it from hyr, turning it iver in her hands.*
“Yeah, I saw you looking at it, and I thought it’d look nice… you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want.”
“You kiddin’? Ya bought it fer me, of course I’m gonna wear it.”
*She slips it over her dainty little hand and onto her wrist, admiring it under the glow of the dancing lights.*
“That’s real sweet of ya…”
“Of course. From my culture to yours.”
*Ze smiles at her.*
“……That dude talked so differently from what I’m used to I got scared.”
*Shy laughs.*
“Ya both sounded pretty ‘ta me, I guess I didn’t notice. Different how?”
“The way he pronounced words had different stressors on different syllables, and some words were different but had the same meaning. It just caught me off-guard… I tried to talk shorter so he could understand me better, I know my dialect is rarer than the norm.”
“Huh… Interestin’. So it’s kinda common when ya meet other Vistani ‘ta get a bit muddled?”
“Ehhhhh…. Kinda? We are a nomadic culture, so it makes sense for the language to shift. I don’t know why it’s so much harder when I do it, but it’s probably the way my parents taught me.”
“Ohhh, right… I can see that. I used ‘ta think Crossroads had a strange accent too, but I think it’s just ‘cause he’s so old. People don’t talk much like him anymore.”
*Ze nods.*
“Yeah, it’s really pretty…”
*Ne tries very hard to hide hyr blush, which just makes the fluster more evident. Mg. Voice Kink at it again.*
She giggles.
“You can say it’s hot. I get it.”
“It’s really fucking hot.”
“Mhmm… I’ve always liked how soft his r’s sound. Like a sweeter Agwéan.”
*Vi nods dreamily.*
“Yeah…… it’s like honey.”
“Smooth, ‘n sticky sweet…”
*Nodnod, almost hypnotized. Shy snaps out of it.*
“….Khm. Anyway. Wanna look to see what the most ridiculous item we can fund is?”
*She grins.*
“Oh, I know exactly where ‘ta go. C’mon.”
*She tugs zir further into the throng.*
*Shy happily trots along after her, a similar grin on per own face.*
*A couple of days pass. There’s a letter in Esquiline’s mailbox.*
*Vi does a double take, because the only mail hy gets is from per fuckass landlord or spam. Shy opens it.*
*Ze doesn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but the tone of the author gives itself away. And the nickname.*
Hey, Plum. I don’t have that fancy mind link thing you and Crossroads do, so I figured a letter would work just fine. Wanna hang out tonight? Just us girls. I sent Walsh over to Crossroads so he won’t get lonely.
Just reply yes or no in my head. Save a tree, I guess.
Vanny
*…Ze smiles, reading it over again.*
*Hey, Vanny. I’m good to hang out. What time should I come?*
*Oh, thank fuck it got there. I was worried I had the wrong address.*
*She laughs.*
*I’m just about ‘ta put dinner on, are ya hungry?*
*Ooh, yeah, I could eat. What’s on the menu?*
*Some bean and veggie stew, and sourdough rolls I baked this morning. I had a few carrots and celery I had ‘ta use up before it went bad.*
*Perfect. I’ll bring some wine. Red or white?*
*Fuuuck, that sounds so good… Red’ll go good with the stew. Come on over whenever, it’ll be done in an hour or so.*
*Alright, lemme get dressed, feed the cats n’ such.*
*No rush, I’ll be here.*
*Ze lets the line go quiet, smiling softly. Vi wanders to their room for kitty time.*
*She waits for a second, and when she hears no more, she nods. Ae’ll be over soon enough.*
….
….
….
*40-ish minutes later, there’s a knock on her door.*
*….. And it opens! Vanity stands there in a simple white linen shirt and long lavender cotton skirt, held up by a braided leather belt.*
“Hiya. How’s yer day been?”
*Ze’s in a flowy sleeveless red dress that stops at per knees. Their hair is in two twin buns. Shy smiles.*
“Pretty good, casual, trying to stay out of the heat. Yours?”
“Ditto. It’s a fuckin’ inferno out there.”
*She waves hyr in and up the stairs, shutting the door behind them.*
“So naturally I made stew.”
“Oh of course.”
*Ze laughs, following easy. Shy sets a nice bottle of Petr’s wine on the table.*
“Once my baba made a spicy hot stew on the solstice. I don’t know how we survived.”
*She laughs.*
“That type’a shit builds character! I knew a guy who would only ever eat ice cream when it was cold out. Said it makes ya feel warmer or somethin’. I think he was just microdosin’ himself with hypothermia.”
*Ze snorts.*
“That is how hypothermia works, to be fair to him. You feel warmer when you’re getting colder, it’s like alcohol rules.”
“Yeah… I s’pose yer right, there. Still funny ‘ta me.”
*She inspects the bottle with a smile.*
“Oh Hells yeah, good shit. Can’t wait ‘ta pop that open.”
“I knew you would like it.”
*Ze grins with pride.*
“We can open it now, if you want.”
“Nah, I’ll wait a bit. Don’t wanna spoil my appetite.”
*Speaking of, it smells soooo fucking good in her home.*
“Yeah, better not. Smells too amazing to not eat.”
*She grins, lifting her chin with pride.*
“Think so? I kinda just measured with the heart. Hope it’s as good as ya think it smells.”
“Nah, measuring with the heart is always better than a true recipe. I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
“Well… Here. Try a bite.”
*She digs out a spoon from her drawers and scoops a good portion of veggies and broth, holding it out to nim with a hand beneath to catch droplets.*
*Vi leans forwards and takes that spoonful into per mouth.*
*Ae cannot remember the last time hy had a stew with such deep flavor.*
“Mmnh.”
*Shy throws vir head back and gives the nod, chewing and swallowing.*
“Holy fuck, V.”
*She laughs, though her cheeks warm slightly.*
“Good? I hope I didn’t just poison you.”
“If I did it’ll be a great way to die.”
*…….Don’t think about that.*
“I doubt you did. It’s great. Have a bite yourself.”
*She hums, scooping her own little bite and shoving it in her pie-hole.*
“…. Might as well put a baby in me, fucking Hells. Mmh.”
*Vi surprises hyrself with a snort, and laughs.*
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“We’re gonna eat so good tonight… I’ll send some home with ya for big man, don’t worry.”
*She pulls down two plates, and then two bowls.*
“He’ll appreciate it greatly, I know that for a fact.”
*Shy sets the napkins at the table and grabs two wine glasses.*
“I bet… It’s good ‘ta see him eatin’ so well.”
*She grabs a bun for her plate.*
“You want a bun too?”
“Sure. And, same. We might have to pop a few seams on his suits soon, and I couldn’t be happier.”
*Ze chuckles.*
“Better out than in… He’s been a skeleton as long as I’ve known him.”
*Vi nods. She thinks back to when ze first left him, and per smile falters.*
“… Yer a good influence on ‘im.”
*She pats hys arm, and then offers hyr abun to snack on.*
*Ze blinks, coming back to reality. That smile returns as shy takes it.*
“So are you.”
*Nom.*
*Pretty nummers!!!*
“Eh… You cracked him open more than I ever managed.”
“Doesn’t mean you didn’t pull a lot of the weight.”
*Hip check.*
“These rolls are so fucking good.”
*She grins, tongue caught between her teeth.*
“Thanks. That I know for sure is true.”
*Nodnod. Big ol’ bite.*
“Gnna have to steal some of these, too.”
“If there’s any left…”
*She giggles, gesturing at their place settings.*
“We might as well dish up properly. After you.”
*Ze nods and takes per bowl, filling it up a little under halfway and setting it down on the table. Shy begins to fuck with the wine cork.*
*Vanity dishes herself up about the same amount, taking the other setting.*
“I might have a corkscrew somewhere, hold on.”
*She starts to rummage through drawers.*
“Would definitely be helpful. Fucker’s stuck in here.”
*She eventually produces a well-loved one, handing it over.*
“That’s how ya know it’s good.”
*Nodnod. Vi stabs it in and starts twisting. It eventually comes out with a nice pop!*
“Theeeere we go! Here, ladies first.”
*Ze begins to pour her glass.*
“How sweet of ya… Thank ya kindly.”
*She swirls it a few times, sniffs, and sips.*
“….. Mmmh…. Nice and dry.”
“Glad you like it.”
*Shy pours hys own, seating nimself. Shy sets the bottle between them and off to the side.*
“Hard not to. Yer Petr is a master.”
*She sits across from aer, taking another sip before digging into her soup.*
“All we’re missin’ is a show.”
“Damn, I didn’t bring my major image projector.”
*Soup. Bigass bite of soup.*
“Oh yeah, you have one of ‘em, don’t you? Next time.”
*She dunks her bun into the soup. Om nom.*
“Next time.”
*Vi’s doing much of the same, like ze forgot shy was hungry until it was right in front of nim.*
*This is probably the fastest shy has seen Vanity eat, compared to the slow picking she tends to do elsewhere. She even stands for another bowl.*
*Ze smiles, letting per meal settle for a bit as shy stoops over nis wine.*
“…..Did you have any plans for us, or are we just hanging out?”
*She shrugs, sitting back down with her bowl.*
“Either or. We can play a few rounds downstairs, or find somethin’ ta do out of the house.”
“Hmmm..”
*Hy tries to think of what’s nearby because ze totally knows but the roleplayer does not.*
*There’s a late night market a little ways into town, and a park square that often has live music and dancing. There’s also a theatre, although the evening show would be well on its way by now.*
“Wanna go to the market? Or town square? Do you dance?”
*She grins over her wine glass.*
“Ooh… Both sound temptin’. There’s no sayin’ we can’t do one and then the other, yeah?”
*Nodnod.*
“Market first?”
“I think so, yeah.”
*Siiiip. Nom, nom.*
“Sounds like a plan.”
*Yummy wine :)*
*Very yummy. She polishes off her glass, along with the rest of her stew.*
“Fuck… That hit the spot.”
*Nodnod…*
“You’re a helluva cook.”
*She smiles.*
“Thanks… Yer a helluva dinner date.”
*She lifts her empty glass to cheers hys with.*
*Clink!*
“To our friendship.”
“To our friendship…”
*She smiles, faking a sip.*
*Shy cleans off per own glass and sets it down.*
“Wooh….. should we let the food settle a bit?”
“I think that’s a fair idea…”
*She nods, scooting her dishes aside and leaning back in her seat.*
*Ze does the same, drumming on the table.*
“…What do you call a horse that can’t lose a race?”
“… Hm…… I ain’t sure. What’s that?”
“A sherbet.”
*…….. She snorts, giggling softly.*
“That’s a good one… Sherbet.”
*Shy poses cutely.*
“Gods… I dunno. I don’t think I got any good jokes.”
“Got any bad ones?”
“Hm…. Okay. What’s green, has four wheels, and looks like a carriage?”
“…….Mm……..”
*A green carriage.*
“A plate of vegetables?”
“A green carriage.”
*Shy still laughs, dimples showing.*
“Nice.”
*She shrugs, smiling.*
“You asked fer bad… Yer turn.”
“…..When is a door not a door?”
“….. Wait! Fuck, I know this one. When…. When it’s…… Gods dammit. I know I know it.”
*She huffs, running through her mind palace.*
“……… When it’s ajar!!!!!”
*Ze laughs.*
“Yes!!”
*Clap clap clap.*
“See, you do know good jokes!”
*She laughs softly, rubbing at her neck.*
“I guess so… I can’t pull ‘em out quick enough like that.”
“We’ll up your improv game, it’s okay.”
*Ze winks.*
“Careful what ya wish for, Plum, I’ll be insufferable.”
*She giggles softly.*
“Just how I like my loved ones.”
*Shy smirks.*
“Gods, yeah… They’re my favorite people.”
“Join the party~~~~~~”
“Hehehe, I love a good party~…”
*Ze giggles.*
“Speaking of parties, you wanna head to the market?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
*She gets to her feet.*
“Lemme take care of these first.”
*Nodnod.*
“Alright. Sounds good.”
*Ze stands up too, stretching.*
*Her tail swish swishes behind her as she carries bowls and plates and glasses to her wash basin, giving them all a good scrub down. Bubbles float up past her ears.*
*……Shy giggles, and moves over, popping some of them.*
*She looks up at nim with a smile, popping one that goes towards Esquiline’s nose.*
*Vi blinks, and laughs a little harder.*
“I always liked bubbles. Me and my siblings would spend hours in the grass seeing who could blow the biggest one.”
*She smiles.*
“That’s sweet… Who usually won?”
“Usually, uhm.. Yaremi. Xe’s one of the twins.”
“Ah, I see.”
*She makes a ring with her thumb and middle finger, dunking her hand in the water. She blows a decent bubble.*
*Vi grins, carefully catching it in both hands once it settles.*
*She giggles softly, petting the air above the bubble.*
“Hello, bubble…”
“Hello, it’s me, bubble!! Thanks for creatin’ me!!”
*Very high and strong Yonan accent.*
“Oh my Gods, aren’t you charmin’…”
*She laughs, miming a little scritch on an imaginary forehead.*
“Yer very welcome, ‘lil fella.”
“Ooooh, thank you, that felt nice..”
*The bubble ‘nods’ as Esquiline tilts per wrists up and down.*
“‘Course! Everybody deserves a good scratch sometimes.”
“I agree—“
*Pop!*
….
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
*She gasps.*
“Oh fuck! No!!!”
“They died so young!!!!”
*Esq doubles over.*
“So young… They’ll always be remembered.”
*She holds her hand to her heart, a solemn look on her face.*
“They will……”
*Shy nods, looking sadly into the distance.*
“…What were we talking about again?”
“….. I have no fuckin’ clue.”
*…..Shy breaks out in giggles.*
“We would do great doing standup.”
*She follows suit, shaking her head.*
“First improv, and now stand-up… Let’s go on tour, Plum.”
*She dries the last of the dishes, and then her hands, before offering her elbow out.*
“What should our group be called?”
*Ze takes it.*
“Hm… Tall, Dark, and Plum.”
*She reaches up to touch her hair.*
*Vi laughs, leaning in to allow her.*
“I like it.”
“Good. We’ll be known over seas in no time.”
“Over planes, even.”
“Oh, we’ll be a fuckin’ hoot in the astral plane. Look out.”
“A hoot and a holler, I’d say.”
“A holler even? Hot damn.”
“We’re just that good.”
“I’ll have ‘ta believe ya then…”
*She giggles, leading zir out the door and down the road.*
*Hy grins, walking in time with her with a smile on per face.*
*The walk isn’t long. The sounds of a lively market draws them in, many vendors under dancing lights illuminating the road enough to see in the twilight. People yell out from their booths to catch the attention of any passerby.*
*Hyr ears twitch this way and that, listening out for a good deal.*
“…Looking for anything in particular?”
“Eh… I usually come down fer food, but I’m stuffed from dinner. There’s some jewelers and magic item dealers that I peek at from time ‘ta time, if only for presents.”
*Shy nods.*
“Might look for something that Jed’ll like….”
*There’s a familiar accent yelling out that keeps quieting itself the second Esquiline begins to pick it up. Shy looks around for it, and in the distance are patterns and designs from hys childhood. Vir eyes sparkle.*
“……Oh I’m about to make him cry.”
“Oh yeah? Make sure I’m there.”
*She giggles, letting her friend lead them towards the source of the voice.*
“Will do.”
*Ze leads her to a stall with a man who looks quite like hyr in it.*
‘Jewelry! Get traditional Vistani jewelry here!’
*Shy approaches, and the vendor stops, and smiles. Esquiline speaks up first.*
“Sastipe!”
*The man’s grin widens.*
‘Sastipe, friends! So śaj te lav tuqe?’
*Oh fuck his dialect is different than mine.*
“I’m looking for a gift for my fiancee. He’s Chaac, but we’re getting married soon, and I want him to feel like he’s truly part of the family…”
*Shy hums, looking over his various wares.*
“…Ooh, he’d love this.”
*Ze motions at a hand-embroidered shirt, then looks to Vanny.*
“What do you think?”
*She looks enthralled, eyeing all of the other jewelry curiously. Her eyes go to the shirt.*
“Oh fuck yeah. Fancy pants would love that.”
*Vi smiles.*
“He’d probably never take it off.”
*Shy looks at where Vanny was looking before, at the jewelry. Ze eyes a particular piece and jerks per head at it.*
“Vi akava, lake. Mangav tut.”
*The man takes a second to figure what ze means, and nods, taking the bracelet off the display hook and setting it on top of the shirt.*
‘Anything else?’
*Ze hums, looking around. Ae can’t help but feel a little homesick.*
“…..I haven’t done tarokka in ages….. how much for a deck?”
‘One gold each.’
“…..Fuck it, sure.”
*Shy picks out a pretty deck with linework that moves over itself and then digs the money out vir pocket, handing it over as the man hands hyr a paper bag.*
“Nais tuqe but!”
*Ze gives him a smile and a nod, and takes the bracelet out of the bag, offering it to Vanny.*
“What? That’s fer me?”
*She gently takes it from hyr, turning it iver in her hands.*
“Yeah, I saw you looking at it, and I thought it’d look nice… you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want.”
“You kiddin’? Ya bought it fer me, of course I’m gonna wear it.”
*She slips it over her dainty little hand and onto her wrist, admiring it under the glow of the dancing lights.*
“That’s real sweet of ya…”
“Of course. From my culture to yours.”
*Ze smiles at her.*
“……That dude talked so differently from what I’m used to I got scared.”
*Shy laughs.*
“Ya both sounded pretty ‘ta me, I guess I didn’t notice. Different how?”
“The way he pronounced words had different stressors on different syllables, and some words were different but had the same meaning. It just caught me off-guard… I tried to talk shorter so he could understand me better, I know my dialect is rarer than the norm.”
“Huh… Interestin’. So it’s kinda common when ya meet other Vistani ‘ta get a bit muddled?”
“Ehhhhh…. Kinda? We are a nomadic culture, so it makes sense for the language to shift. I don’t know why it’s so much harder when I do it, but it’s probably the way my parents taught me.”
“Ohhh, right… I can see that. I used ‘ta think Crossroads had a strange accent too, but I think it’s just ‘cause he’s so old. People don’t talk much like him anymore.”
*Ze nods.*
“Yeah, it’s really pretty…”
*Ne tries very hard to hide hyr blush, which just makes the fluster more evident. Mg. Voice Kink at it again.*
She giggles.
“You can say it’s hot. I get it.”
“It’s really fucking hot.”
“Mhmm… I’ve always liked how soft his r’s sound. Like a sweeter Agwéan.”
*Vi nods dreamily.*
“Yeah…… it’s like honey.”
“Smooth, ‘n sticky sweet…”
*Nodnod, almost hypnotized. Shy snaps out of it.*
“….Khm. Anyway. Wanna look to see what the most ridiculous item we can fund is?”
*A couple of days pass. There’s a letter in Esquiline’s mailbox.*
*Vi does a double take, because the only mail hy gets is from per fuckass landlord or spam. Shy opens it.*
*Ze doesn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but the tone of the author gives itself away. And the nickname.*
Hey, Plum. I don’t have that fancy mind link thing you and Crossroads do, so I figured a letter would work just fine. Wanna hang out tonight? Just us girls. I sent Walsh over to Crossroads so he won’t get lonely.
Just reply yes or no in my head. Save a tree, I guess.
Vanny
*…Ze smiles, reading it over again.*
*Hey, Vanny. I’m good to hang out. What time should I come?*
*Oh, thank fuck it got there. I was worried I had the wrong address.*
*She laughs.*
*I’m just about ‘ta put dinner on, are ya hungry?*
*Ooh, yeah, I could eat. What’s on the menu?*
*Some bean and veggie stew, and sourdough rolls I baked this morning. I had a few carrots and celery I had ‘ta use up before it went bad.*
*Perfect. I’ll bring some wine. Red or white?*
*Fuuuck, that sounds so good… Red’ll go good with the stew. Come on over whenever, it’ll be done in an hour or so.*
*Alright, lemme get dressed, feed the cats n’ such.*
*No rush, I’ll be here.*
*Ze lets the line go quiet, smiling softly. Vi wanders to their room for kitty time.*
*She waits for a second, and when she hears no more, she nods. Ae’ll be over soon enough.*
….
….
….
*40-ish minutes later, there’s a knock on her door.*
*….. And it opens! Vanity stands there in a simple white linen shirt and long lavender cotton skirt, held up by a braided leather belt.*
“Hiya. How’s yer day been?”
*Ze’s in a flowy sleeveless red dress that stops at per knees. Their hair is in two twin buns. Shy smiles.*
“Pretty good, casual, trying to stay out of the heat. Yours?”
“Ditto. It’s a fuckin’ inferno out there.”
*She waves hyr in and up the stairs, shutting the door behind them.*
“So naturally I made stew.”
“Oh of course.”
*Ze laughs, following easy. Shy sets a nice bottle of Petr’s wine on the table.*
“Once my baba made a spicy hot stew on the solstice. I don’t know how we survived.”
*She laughs.*
“That type’a shit builds character! I knew a guy who would only ever eat ice cream when it was cold out. Said it makes ya feel warmer or somethin’. I think he was just microdosin’ himself with hypothermia.”
*Ze snorts.*
“That is how hypothermia works, to be fair to him. You feel warmer when you’re getting colder, it’s like alcohol rules.”
“Yeah… I s’pose yer right, there. Still funny ‘ta me.”
*She inspects the bottle with a smile.*
“Oh Hells yeah, good shit. Can’t wait ‘ta pop that open.”
“I knew you would like it.”
*Ze grins with pride.*
“We can open it now, if you want.”
“Nah, I’ll wait a bit. Don’t wanna spoil my appetite.”
*Speaking of, it smells soooo fucking good in her home.*
“Yeah, better not. Smells too amazing to not eat.”
*She grins, lifting her chin with pride.*
“Think so? I kinda just measured with the heart. Hope it’s as good as ya think it smells.”
“Nah, measuring with the heart is always better than a true recipe. I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
“Well… Here. Try a bite.”
*She digs out a spoon from her drawers and scoops a good portion of veggies and broth, holding it out to nim with a hand beneath to catch droplets.*
*Vi leans forwards and takes that spoonful into per mouth.*
*Ae cannot remember the last time hy had a stew with such deep flavor.*
“Mmnh.”
*Shy throws vir head back and gives the nod, chewing and swallowing.*
“Holy fuck, V.”
*She laughs, though her cheeks warm slightly.*
“Good? I hope I didn’t just poison you.”
“If I did it’ll be a great way to die.”
*…….Don’t think about that.*
“I doubt you did. It’s great. Have a bite yourself.”
*She hums, scooping her own little bite and shoving it in her pie-hole.*
“…. Might as well put a baby in me, fucking Hells. Mmh.”
*Vi surprises hyrself with a snort, and laughs.*
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“We’re gonna eat so good tonight… I’ll send some home with ya for big man, don’t worry.”
*She pulls down two plates, and then two bowls.*
“He’ll appreciate it greatly, I know that for a fact.”
*Shy sets the napkins at the table and grabs two wine glasses.*
“I bet… It’s good ‘ta see him eatin’ so well.”
*She grabs a bun for her plate.*
“You want a bun too?”
“Sure. And, same. We might have to pop a few seams on his suits soon, and I couldn’t be happier.”
*Ze chuckles.*
“Better out than in… He’s been a skeleton as long as I’ve known him.”
*Vi nods. She thinks back to when ze first left him, and per smile falters.*
“… Yer a good influence on ‘im.”
*She pats hys arm, and then offers hyr abun to snack on.*
*Ze blinks, coming back to reality. That smile returns as shy takes it.*
“So are you.”
*Nom.*
*Pretty nummers!!!*
“Eh… You cracked him open more than I ever managed.”
“Doesn’t mean you didn’t pull a lot of the weight.”
*Hip check.*
“These rolls are so fucking good.”
*She grins, tongue caught between her teeth.*
“Thanks. That I know for sure is true.”
*Nodnod. Big ol’ bite.*
“Gnna have to steal some of these, too.”
“If there’s any left…”
*She giggles, gesturing at their place settings.*
“We might as well dish up properly. After you.”
*Ze nods and takes per bowl, filling it up a little under halfway and setting it down on the table. Shy begins to fuck with the wine cork.*
*Vanity dishes herself up about the same amount, taking the other setting.*
“I might have a corkscrew somewhere, hold on.”
*She starts to rummage through drawers.*
“Would definitely be helpful. Fucker’s stuck in here.”
*She eventually produces a well-loved one, handing it over.*
“That’s how ya know it’s good.”
*Nodnod. Vi stabs it in and starts twisting. It eventually comes out with a nice pop!*
“Theeeere we go! Here, ladies first.”
*Ze begins to pour her glass.*
“How sweet of ya… Thank ya kindly.”
*She swirls it a few times, sniffs, and sips.*
“….. Mmmh…. Nice and dry.”
“Glad you like it.”
*Shy pours hys own, seating nimself. Shy sets the bottle between them and off to the side.*
“Hard not to. Yer Petr is a master.”
*She sits across from aer, taking another sip before digging into her soup.*
“All we’re missin’ is a show.”
“Damn, I didn’t bring my major image projector.”
*Soup. Bigass bite of soup.*
“Oh yeah, you have one of ‘em, don’t you? Next time.”
*She dunks her bun into the soup. Om nom.*
“Next time.”
*Vi’s doing much of the same, like ze forgot shy was hungry until it was right in front of nim.*
*This is probably the fastest shy has seen Vanity eat, compared to the slow picking she tends to do elsewhere. She even stands for another bowl.*
*Ze smiles, letting per meal settle for a bit as shy stoops over nis wine.*
“…..Did you have any plans for us, or are we just hanging out?”
*She shrugs, sitting back down with her bowl.*
“Either or. We can play a few rounds downstairs, or find somethin’ ta do out of the house.”
“Hmmm..”
*Hy tries to think of what’s nearby because ze totally knows but the roleplayer does not.*
*There’s a late night market a little ways into town, and a park square that often has live music and dancing. There’s also a theatre, although the evening show would be well on its way by now.*
“Wanna go to the market? Or town square? Do you dance?”
*She grins over her wine glass.*
“Ooh… Both sound temptin’. There’s no sayin’ we can’t do one and then the other, yeah?”
*Nodnod.*
“Market first?”
“I think so, yeah.”
*Siiiip. Nom, nom.*
“Sounds like a plan.”
*Yummy wine :)*
*Very yummy. She polishes off her glass, along with the rest of her stew.*
“Fuck… That hit the spot.”
*Nodnod…*
“You’re a helluva cook.”
*She smiles.*
“Thanks… Yer a helluva dinner date.”
*She lifts her empty glass to cheers hys with.*
*Clink!*
“To our friendship.”
“To our friendship…”
*She smiles, faking a sip.*
*Shy cleans off per own glass and sets it down.*
“Wooh….. should we let the food settle a bit?”
“I think that’s a fair idea…”
*She nods, scooting her dishes aside and leaning back in her seat.*
*Ze does the same, drumming on the table.*
“…What do you call a horse that can’t lose a race?”
“… Hm…… I ain’t sure. What’s that?”
“A sherbet.”
*…….. She snorts, giggling softly.*
“That’s a good one… Sherbet.”
*Shy poses cutely.*
“Gods… I dunno. I don’t think I got any good jokes.”
“Got any bad ones?”
“Hm…. Okay. What’s green, has four wheels, and looks like a carriage?”
“…….Mm……..”
*A green carriage.*
“A plate of vegetables?”
“A green carriage.”
*Shy still laughs, dimples showing.*
“Nice.”
*She shrugs, smiling.*
“You asked fer bad… Yer turn.”
“…..When is a door not a door?”
“….. Wait! Fuck, I know this one. When…. When it’s…… Gods dammit. I know I know it.”
*She huffs, running through her mind palace.*
“……… When it’s ajar!!!!!”
*Ze laughs.*
“Yes!!”
*Clap clap clap.*
“See, you do know good jokes!”
*She laughs softly, rubbing at her neck.*
“I guess so… I can’t pull ‘em out quick enough like that.”
“We’ll up your improv game, it’s okay.”
*Ze winks.*
“Careful what ya wish for, Plum, I’ll be insufferable.”
*She giggles softly.*
“Just how I like my loved ones.”
*Shy smirks.*
“Gods, yeah… They’re my favorite people.”
“Join the party~~~~~~”
“Hehehe, I love a good party~…”
*Ze giggles.*
“Speaking of parties, you wanna head to the market?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
*She gets to her feet.*
“Lemme take care of these first.”
*Nodnod.*
“Alright. Sounds good.”
*Ze stands up too, stretching.*
*Her tail swish swishes behind her as she carries bowls and plates and glasses to her wash basin, giving them all a good scrub down. Bubbles float up past her ears.*
*……Shy giggles, and moves over, popping some of them.*
*She looks up at nim with a smile, popping one that goes towards Esquiline’s nose.*
*Vi blinks, and laughs a little harder.*
“I always liked bubbles. Me and my siblings would spend hours in the grass seeing who could blow the biggest one.”
*She smiles.*
“That’s sweet… Who usually won?”
“Usually, uhm.. Yaremi. Xe’s one of the twins.”
“Ah, I see.”
*She makes a ring with her thumb and middle finger, dunking her hand in the water. She blows a decent bubble.*
*Vi grins, carefully catching it in both hands once it settles.*
*She giggles softly, petting the air above the bubble.*
“Hello, bubble…”
“Hello, it’s me, bubble!! Thanks for creatin’ me!!”
*Very high and strong Yonan accent.*
“Oh my Gods, aren’t you charmin’…”
*She laughs, miming a little scritch on an imaginary forehead.*
“Yer very welcome, ‘lil fella.”
“Ooooh, thank you, that felt nice..”
*The bubble ‘nods’ as Esquiline tilts per wrists up and down.*
“‘Course! Everybody deserves a good scratch sometimes.”
“I agree—“
*Pop!*
….
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
*She gasps.*
“Oh fuck! No!!!”
“They died so young!!!!”
*Esq doubles over.*
“So young… They’ll always be remembered.”
*She holds her hand to her heart, a solemn look on her face.*
“They will……”
*Shy nods, looking sadly into the distance.*
“…What were we talking about again?”
“….. I have no fuckin’ clue.”
*…..Shy breaks out in giggles.*
“We would do great doing standup.”
*She follows suit, shaking her head.*
“First improv, and now stand-up… Let’s go on tour, Plum.”
*She dries the last of the dishes, and then her hands, before offering her elbow out.*
“What should our group be called?”
*Ze takes it.*
“Hm… Tall, Dark, and Plum.”
*She reaches up to touch her hair.*
*Vi laughs, leaning in to allow her.*
“I like it.”
“Good. We’ll be known over seas in no time.”
“Over planes, even.”
“Oh, we’ll be a fuckin’ hoot in the astral plane. Look out.”
“A hoot and a holler, I’d say.”
“A holler even? Hot damn.”
“We’re just that good.”
“I’ll have ‘ta believe ya then…”
*She giggles, leading zir out the door and down the road.*
*Hy grins, walking in time with her with a smile on per face.*
*The walk isn’t long. The sounds of a lively market draws them in, many vendors under dancing lights illuminating the road enough to see in the twilight. People yell out from their booths to catch the attention of any passerby.*
*Hyr ears twitch this way and that, listening out for a good deal.*
“…Looking for anything in particular?”
“Eh… I usually come down fer food, but I’m stuffed from dinner. There’s some jewelers and magic item dealers that I peek at from time ‘ta time, if only for presents.”
*Shy nods.*
“Might look for something that Jed’ll like….”
*There’s a familiar accent yelling out that keeps quieting itself the second Esquiline begins to pick it up. Shy looks around for it, and in the distance are patterns and designs from hys childhood. Vir eyes sparkle.*
“……Oh I’m about to make him cry.”
“Oh yeah? Make sure I’m there.”
*She giggles, letting her friend lead them towards the source of the voice.*
“Will do.”
*Ze leads her to a stall with a man who looks quite like hyr in it.*
‘Jewelry! Get traditional Vistani jewelry here!’
*Shy approaches, and the vendor stops, and smiles. Esquiline speaks up first.*
“Sastipe!”
*The man’s grin widens.*
‘Sastipe, friends! So śaj te lav tuqe?’
*Oh fuck his dialect is different than mine.*
“I’m looking for a gift for my fiancee. He’s Chaac, but we’re getting married soon, and I want him to feel like he’s truly part of the family…”
*Shy hums, looking over his various wares.*
“…Ooh, he’d love this.”
*Ze motions at a hand-embroidered shirt, then looks to Vanny.*
“What do you think?”
*She looks enthralled, eyeing all of the other jewelry curiously. Her eyes go to the shirt.*
“Oh fuck yeah. Fancy pants would love that.”
*Vi smiles.*
“He’d probably never take it off.”
*Shy looks at where Vanny was looking before, at the jewelry. Ze eyes a particular piece and jerks per head at it.*
“Vi akava, lake. Mangav tut.”
*The man takes a second to figure what ze means, and nods, taking the bracelet off the display hook and setting it on top of the shirt.*
‘Anything else?’
*Ze hums, looking around. Ae can’t help but feel a little homesick.*
“…..I haven’t done tarokka in ages….. how much for a deck?”
‘One gold each.’
“…..Fuck it, sure.”
*Shy picks out a pretty deck with linework that moves over itself and then digs the money out vir pocket, handing it over as the man hands hyr a paper bag.*
“Nais tuqe but!”
*Ze gives him a smile and a nod, and takes the bracelet out of the bag, offering it to Vanny.*
“What? That’s fer me?”
*She gently takes it from hyr, turning it iver in her hands.*
“Yeah, I saw you looking at it, and I thought it’d look nice… you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want.”
“You kiddin’? Ya bought it fer me, of course I’m gonna wear it.”
*She slips it over her dainty little hand and onto her wrist, admiring it under the glow of the dancing lights.*
“That’s real sweet of ya…”
“Of course. From my culture to yours.”
*Ze smiles at her.*
“……That dude talked so differently from what I’m used to I got scared.”
*Shy laughs.*
“Ya both sounded pretty ‘ta me, I guess I didn’t notice. Different how?”
“The way he pronounced words had different stressors on different syllables, and some words were different but had the same meaning. It just caught me off-guard… I tried to talk shorter so he could understand me better, I know my dialect is rarer than the norm.”
“Huh… Interestin’. So it’s kinda common when ya meet other Vistani ‘ta get a bit muddled?”
“Ehhhhh…. Kinda? We are a nomadic culture, so it makes sense for the language to shift. I don’t know why it’s so much harder when I do it, but it’s probably the way my parents taught me.”
“Ohhh, right… I can see that. I used ‘ta think Crossroads had a strange accent too, but I think it’s just ‘cause he’s so old. People don’t talk much like him anymore.”
*Ze nods.*
“Yeah, it’s really pretty…”
*Ne tries very hard to hide hyr blush, which just makes the fluster more evident. Mg. Voice Kink at it again.*
She giggles.
“You can say it’s hot. I get it.”
“It’s really fucking hot.”
“Mhmm… I’ve always liked how soft his r’s sound. Like a sweeter Agwéan.”
*Vi nods dreamily.*
“Yeah…… it’s like honey.”
*A couple of days pass. There’s a letter in Esquiline’s mailbox.*
*Vi does a double take, because the only mail hy gets is from per fuckass landlord or spam. Shy opens it.*
*Ze doesn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but the tone of the author gives itself away. And the nickname.*
Hey, Plum. I don’t have that fancy mind link thing you and Crossroads do, so I figured a letter would work just fine. Wanna hang out tonight? Just us girls. I sent Walsh over to Crossroads so he won’t get lonely.
Just reply yes or no in my head. Save a tree, I guess.
Vanny
*…Ze smiles, reading it over again.*
*Hey, Vanny. I’m good to hang out. What time should I come?*
*Oh, thank fuck it got there. I was worried I had the wrong address.*
*She laughs.*
*I’m just about ‘ta put dinner on, are ya hungry?*
*Ooh, yeah, I could eat. What’s on the menu?*
*Some bean and veggie stew, and sourdough rolls I baked this morning. I had a few carrots and celery I had ‘ta use up before it went bad.*
*Perfect. I’ll bring some wine. Red or white?*
*Fuuuck, that sounds so good… Red’ll go good with the stew. Come on over whenever, it’ll be done in an hour or so.*
*Alright, lemme get dressed, feed the cats n’ such.*
*No rush, I’ll be here.*
*Ze lets the line go quiet, smiling softly. Vi wanders to their room for kitty time.*
*She waits for a second, and when she hears no more, she nods. Ae’ll be over soon enough.*
….
….
….
*40-ish minutes later, there’s a knock on her door.*
*….. And it opens! Vanity stands there in a simple white linen shirt and long lavender cotton skirt, held up by a braided leather belt.*
“Hiya. How’s yer day been?”
*Ze’s in a flowy sleeveless red dress that stops at per knees. Their hair is in two twin buns. Shy smiles.*
“Pretty good, casual, trying to stay out of the heat. Yours?”
“Ditto. It’s a fuckin’ inferno out there.”
*She waves hyr in and up the stairs, shutting the door behind them.*
“So naturally I made stew.”
“Oh of course.”
*Ze laughs, following easy. Shy sets a nice bottle of Petr’s wine on the table.*
“Once my baba made a spicy hot stew on the solstice. I don’t know how we survived.”
*She laughs.*
“That type’a shit builds character! I knew a guy who would only ever eat ice cream when it was cold out. Said it makes ya feel warmer or somethin’. I think he was just microdosin’ himself with hypothermia.”
*Ze snorts.*
“That is how hypothermia works, to be fair to him. You feel warmer when you’re getting colder, it’s like alcohol rules.”
“Yeah… I s’pose yer right, there. Still funny ‘ta me.”
*She inspects the bottle with a smile.*
“Oh Hells yeah, good shit. Can’t wait ‘ta pop that open.”
“I knew you would like it.”
*Ze grins with pride.*
“We can open it now, if you want.”
“Nah, I’ll wait a bit. Don’t wanna spoil my appetite.”
*Speaking of, it smells soooo fucking good in her home.*
“Yeah, better not. Smells too amazing to not eat.”
*She grins, lifting her chin with pride.*
“Think so? I kinda just measured with the heart. Hope it’s as good as ya think it smells.”
“Nah, measuring with the heart is always better than a true recipe. I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
“Well… Here. Try a bite.”
*She digs out a spoon from her drawers and scoops a good portion of veggies and broth, holding it out to nim with a hand beneath to catch droplets.*
*Vi leans forwards and takes that spoonful into per mouth.*
*Ae cannot remember the last time hy had a stew with such deep flavor.*
“Mmnh.”
*Shy throws vir head back and gives the nod, chewing and swallowing.*
“Holy fuck, V.”
*She laughs, though her cheeks warm slightly.*
“Good? I hope I didn’t just poison you.”
“If I did it’ll be a great way to die.”
*…….Don’t think about that.*
“I doubt you did. It’s great. Have a bite yourself.”
*She hums, scooping her own little bite and shoving it in her pie-hole.*
“…. Might as well put a baby in me, fucking Hells. Mmh.”
*Vi surprises hyrself with a snort, and laughs.*
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“We’re gonna eat so good tonight… I’ll send some home with ya for big man, don’t worry.”
*She pulls down two plates, and then two bowls.*
“He’ll appreciate it greatly, I know that for a fact.”
*Shy sets the napkins at the table and grabs two wine glasses.*
“I bet… It’s good ‘ta see him eatin’ so well.”
*She grabs a bun for her plate.*
“You want a bun too?”
“Sure. And, same. We might have to pop a few seams on his suits soon, and I couldn’t be happier.”
*Ze chuckles.*
“Better out than in… He’s been a skeleton as long as I’ve known him.”
*Vi nods. She thinks back to when ze first left him, and per smile falters.*
“… Yer a good influence on ‘im.”
*She pats hys arm, and then offers hyr abun to snack on.*
*Ze blinks, coming back to reality. That smile returns as shy takes it.*
“So are you.”
*Nom.*
*Pretty nummers!!!*
“Eh… You cracked him open more than I ever managed.”
“Doesn’t mean you didn’t pull a lot of the weight.”
*Hip check.*
“These rolls are so fucking good.”
*She grins, tongue caught between her teeth.*
“Thanks. That I know for sure is true.”
*Nodnod. Big ol’ bite.*
“Gnna have to steal some of these, too.”
“If there’s any left…”
*She giggles, gesturing at their place settings.*
“We might as well dish up properly. After you.”
*Ze nods and takes per bowl, filling it up a little under halfway and setting it down on the table. Shy begins to fuck with the wine cork.*
*Vanity dishes herself up about the same amount, taking the other setting.*
“I might have a corkscrew somewhere, hold on.”
*She starts to rummage through drawers.*
“Would definitely be helpful. Fucker’s stuck in here.”
*She eventually produces a well-loved one, handing it over.*
“That’s how ya know it’s good.”
*Nodnod. Vi stabs it in and starts twisting. It eventually comes out with a nice pop!*
“Theeeere we go! Here, ladies first.”
*Ze begins to pour her glass.*
“How sweet of ya… Thank ya kindly.”
*She swirls it a few times, sniffs, and sips.*
“….. Mmmh…. Nice and dry.”
“Glad you like it.”
*Shy pours hys own, seating nimself. Shy sets the bottle between them and off to the side.*
“Hard not to. Yer Petr is a master.”
*She sits across from aer, taking another sip before digging into her soup.*
“All we’re missin’ is a show.”
“Damn, I didn’t bring my major image projector.”
*Soup. Bigass bite of soup.*
“Oh yeah, you have one of ‘em, don’t you? Next time.”
*She dunks her bun into the soup. Om nom.*
“Next time.”
*Vi’s doing much of the same, like ze forgot shy was hungry until it was right in front of nim.*
*This is probably the fastest shy has seen Vanity eat, compared to the slow picking she tends to do elsewhere. She even stands for another bowl.*
*Ze smiles, letting per meal settle for a bit as shy stoops over nis wine.*
“…..Did you have any plans for us, or are we just hanging out?”
*She shrugs, sitting back down with her bowl.*
“Either or. We can play a few rounds downstairs, or find somethin’ ta do out of the house.”
“Hmmm..”
*Hy tries to think of what’s nearby because ze totally knows but the roleplayer does not.*
*There’s a late night market a little ways into town, and a park square that often has live music and dancing. There’s also a theatre, although the evening show would be well on its way by now.*
“Wanna go to the market? Or town square? Do you dance?”
*She grins over her wine glass.*
“Ooh… Both sound temptin’. There’s no sayin’ we can’t do one and then the other, yeah?”
*Nodnod.*
“Market first?”
“I think so, yeah.”
*Siiiip. Nom, nom.*
“Sounds like a plan.”
*Yummy wine :)*
*Very yummy. She polishes off her glass, along with the rest of her stew.*
“Fuck… That hit the spot.”
*Nodnod…*
“You’re a helluva cook.”
*She smiles.*
“Thanks… Yer a helluva dinner date.”
*She lifts her empty glass to cheers hys with.*
*Clink!*
“To our friendship.”
“To our friendship…”
*She smiles, faking a sip.*
*Shy cleans off per own glass and sets it down.*
“Wooh….. should we let the food settle a bit?”
“I think that’s a fair idea…”
*She nods, scooting her dishes aside and leaning back in her seat.*
*Ze does the same, drumming on the table.*
“…What do you call a horse that can’t lose a race?”
“… Hm…… I ain’t sure. What’s that?”
“A sherbet.”
*…….. She snorts, giggling softly.*
“That’s a good one… Sherbet.”
*Shy poses cutely.*
“Gods… I dunno. I don’t think I got any good jokes.”
“Got any bad ones?”
“Hm…. Okay. What’s green, has four wheels, and looks like a carriage?”
“…….Mm……..”
*A green carriage.*
“A plate of vegetables?”
“A green carriage.”
*Shy still laughs, dimples showing.*
“Nice.”
*She shrugs, smiling.*
“You asked fer bad… Yer turn.”
“…..When is a door not a door?”
“….. Wait! Fuck, I know this one. When…. When it’s…… Gods dammit. I know I know it.”
*She huffs, running through her mind palace.*
“……… When it’s ajar!!!!!”
*Ze laughs.*
“Yes!!”
*Clap clap clap.*
“See, you do know good jokes!”
*She laughs softly, rubbing at her neck.*
“I guess so… I can’t pull ‘em out quick enough like that.”
“We’ll up your improv game, it’s okay.”
*Ze winks.*
“Careful what ya wish for, Plum, I’ll be insufferable.”
*She giggles softly.*
“Just how I like my loved ones.”
*Shy smirks.*
“Gods, yeah… They’re my favorite people.”
“Join the party~~~~~~”
“Hehehe, I love a good party~…”
*Ze giggles.*
“Speaking of parties, you wanna head to the market?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
*She gets to her feet.*
“Lemme take care of these first.”
*Nodnod.*
“Alright. Sounds good.”
*Ze stands up too, stretching.*
*Her tail swish swishes behind her as she carries bowls and plates and glasses to her wash basin, giving them all a good scrub down. Bubbles float up past her ears.*
*……Shy giggles, and moves over, popping some of them.*
*She looks up at nim with a smile, popping one that goes towards Esquiline’s nose.*
*Vi blinks, and laughs a little harder.*
“I always liked bubbles. Me and my siblings would spend hours in the grass seeing who could blow the biggest one.”
*She smiles.*
“That’s sweet… Who usually won?”
“Usually, uhm.. Yaremi. Xe’s one of the twins.”
“Ah, I see.”
*She makes a ring with her thumb and middle finger, dunking her hand in the water. She blows a decent bubble.*
*Vi grins, carefully catching it in both hands once it settles.*
*She giggles softly, petting the air above the bubble.*
“Hello, bubble…”
“Hello, it’s me, bubble!! Thanks for creatin’ me!!”
*Very high and strong Yonan accent.*
“Oh my Gods, aren’t you charmin’…”
*She laughs, miming a little scritch on an imaginary forehead.*
“Yer very welcome, ‘lil fella.”
“Ooooh, thank you, that felt nice..”
*The bubble ‘nods’ as Esquiline tilts per wrists up and down.*
“‘Course! Everybody deserves a good scratch sometimes.”
“I agree—“
*Pop!*
….
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
*She gasps.*
“Oh fuck! No!!!”
“They died so young!!!!”
*Esq doubles over.*
“So young… They’ll always be remembered.”
*She holds her hand to her heart, a solemn look on her face.*
“They will……”
*Shy nods, looking sadly into the distance.*
“…What were we talking about again?”
“….. I have no fuckin’ clue.”
*…..Shy breaks out in giggles.*
“We would do great doing standup.”
*She follows suit, shaking her head.*
“First improv, and now stand-up… Let’s go on tour, Plum.”
*She dries the last of the dishes, and then her hands, before offering her elbow out.*
“What should our group be called?”
*Ze takes it.*
“Hm… Tall, Dark, and Plum.”
*She reaches up to touch her hair.*
*Vi laughs, leaning in to allow her.*
“I like it.”
“Good. We’ll be known over seas in no time.”
“Over planes, even.”
“Oh, we’ll be a fuckin’ hoot in the astral plane. Look out.”
“A hoot and a holler, I’d say.”
“A holler even? Hot damn.”
“We’re just that good.”
“I’ll have ‘ta believe ya then…”
*She giggles, leading zir out the door and down the road.*
*Hy grins, walking in time with her with a smile on per face.*
*The walk isn’t long. The sounds of a lively market draws them in, many vendors under dancing lights illuminating the road enough to see in the twilight. People yell out from their booths to catch the attention of any passerby.*
*Hyr ears twitch this way and that, listening out for a good deal.*
“…Looking for anything in particular?”
“Eh… I usually come down fer food, but I’m stuffed from dinner. There’s some jewelers and magic item dealers that I peek at from time ‘ta time, if only for presents.”
*Shy nods.*
“Might look for something that Jed’ll like….”
*There’s a familiar accent yelling out that keeps quieting itself the second Esquiline begins to pick it up. Shy looks around for it, and in the distance are patterns and designs from hys childhood. Vir eyes sparkle.*
“……Oh I’m about to make him cry.”
“Oh yeah? Make sure I’m there.”
*She giggles, letting her friend lead them towards the source of the voice.*
“Will do.”
*Ze leads her to a stall with a man who looks quite like hyr in it.*
‘Jewelry! Get traditional Vistani jewelry here!’
*Shy approaches, and the vendor stops, and smiles. Esquiline speaks up first.*
“Sastipe!”
*The man’s grin widens.*
‘Sastipe, friends! So śaj te lav tuqe?’
*Oh fuck his dialect is different than mine.*
“I’m looking for a gift for my fiancee. He’s Chaac, but we’re getting married soon, and I want him to feel like he’s truly part of the family…”
*Shy hums, looking over his various wares.*
“…Ooh, he’d love this.”
*Ze motions at a hand-embroidered shirt, then looks to Vanny.*
“What do you think?”
*She looks enthralled, eyeing all of the other jewelry curiously. Her eyes go to the shirt.*
“Oh fuck yeah. Fancy pants would love that.”
*Vi smiles.*
“He’d probably never take it off.”
*Shy looks at where Vanny was looking before, at the jewelry. Ze eyes a particular piece and jerks per head at it.*
“Vi akava, lake. Mangav tut.”
*The man takes a second to figure what ze means, and nods, taking the bracelet off the display hook and setting it on top of the shirt.*
‘Anything else?’
*Ze hums, looking around. Ae can’t help but feel a little homesick.*
“…..I haven’t done tarokka in ages….. how much for a deck?”
‘One gold each.’
“…..Fuck it, sure.”
*Shy picks out a pretty deck with linework that moves over itself and then digs the money out vir pocket, handing it over as the man hands hyr a paper bag.*
“Nais tuqe but!”
*Ze gives him a smile and a nod, and takes the bracelet out of the bag, offering it to Vanny.*
“What? That’s fer me?”
*She gently takes it from hyr, turning it iver in her hands.*
“Yeah, I saw you looking at it, and I thought it’d look nice… you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want.”
“You kiddin’? Ya bought it fer me, of course I’m gonna wear it.”
*She slips it over her dainty little hand and onto her wrist, admiring it under the glow of the dancing lights.*
“That’s real sweet of ya…”
“Of course. From my culture to yours.”
*Ze smiles at her.*
“……That dude talked so differently from what I’m used to I got scared.”
*Shy laughs.*
“Ya both sounded pretty ‘ta me, I guess I didn’t notice. Different how?”
“The way he pronounced words had different stressors on different syllables, and some words were different but had the same meaning. It just caught me off-guard… I tried to talk shorter so he could understand me better, I know my dialect is rarer than the norm.”
“Huh… Interestin’. So it’s kinda common when ya meet other Vistani ‘ta get a bit muddled?”
“Ehhhhh…. Kinda? We are a nomadic culture, so it makes sense for the language to shift. I don’t know why it’s so much harder when I do it, but it’s probably the way my parents taught me.”
“Ohhh, right… I can see that. I used ‘ta think Crossroads had a strange accent too, but I think it’s just ‘cause he’s so old. People don’t talk much like him anymore.”
*Ze nods.*
“Yeah, it’s really pretty…”
*Ne tries very hard to hide hyr blush, which just makes the fluster more evident. Mg. Voice Kink at it again.*
She giggles.
“You can say it’s hot. I get it.”
“It’s really fucking hot.”
*A couple of days pass. There’s a letter in Esquiline’s mailbox.*
*Vi does a double take, because the only mail hy gets is from per fuckass landlord or spam. Shy opens it.*
*Ze doesn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but the tone of the author gives itself away. And the nickname.*
Hey, Plum. I don’t have that fancy mind link thing you and Crossroads do, so I figured a letter would work just fine. Wanna hang out tonight? Just us girls. I sent Walsh over to Crossroads so he won’t get lonely.
Just reply yes or no in my head. Save a tree, I guess.
Vanny
*…Ze smiles, reading it over again.*
*Hey, Vanny. I’m good to hang out. What time should I come?*
*Oh, thank fuck it got there. I was worried I had the wrong address.*
*She laughs.*
*I’m just about ‘ta put dinner on, are ya hungry?*
*Ooh, yeah, I could eat. What’s on the menu?*
*Some bean and veggie stew, and sourdough rolls I baked this morning. I had a few carrots and celery I had ‘ta use up before it went bad.*
*Perfect. I’ll bring some wine. Red or white?*
*Fuuuck, that sounds so good… Red’ll go good with the stew. Come on over whenever, it’ll be done in an hour or so.*
*Alright, lemme get dressed, feed the cats n’ such.*
*No rush, I’ll be here.*
*Ze lets the line go quiet, smiling softly. Vi wanders to their room for kitty time.*
*She waits for a second, and when she hears no more, she nods. Ae’ll be over soon enough.*
….
….
….
*40-ish minutes later, there’s a knock on her door.*
*….. And it opens! Vanity stands there in a simple white linen shirt and long lavender cotton skirt, held up by a braided leather belt.*
“Hiya. How’s yer day been?”
*Ze’s in a flowy sleeveless red dress that stops at per knees. Their hair is in two twin buns. Shy smiles.*
“Pretty good, casual, trying to stay out of the heat. Yours?”
“Ditto. It’s a fuckin’ inferno out there.”
*She waves hyr in and up the stairs, shutting the door behind them.*
“So naturally I made stew.”
“Oh of course.”
*Ze laughs, following easy. Shy sets a nice bottle of Petr’s wine on the table.*
“Once my baba made a spicy hot stew on the solstice. I don’t know how we survived.”
*She laughs.*
“That type’a shit builds character! I knew a guy who would only ever eat ice cream when it was cold out. Said it makes ya feel warmer or somethin’. I think he was just microdosin’ himself with hypothermia.”
*Ze snorts.*
“That is how hypothermia works, to be fair to him. You feel warmer when you’re getting colder, it’s like alcohol rules.”
“Yeah… I s’pose yer right, there. Still funny ‘ta me.”
*She inspects the bottle with a smile.*
“Oh Hells yeah, good shit. Can’t wait ‘ta pop that open.”
“I knew you would like it.”
*Ze grins with pride.*
“We can open it now, if you want.”
“Nah, I’ll wait a bit. Don’t wanna spoil my appetite.”
*Speaking of, it smells soooo fucking good in her home.*
“Yeah, better not. Smells too amazing to not eat.”
*She grins, lifting her chin with pride.*
“Think so? I kinda just measured with the heart. Hope it’s as good as ya think it smells.”
“Nah, measuring with the heart is always better than a true recipe. I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
“Well… Here. Try a bite.”
*She digs out a spoon from her drawers and scoops a good portion of veggies and broth, holding it out to nim with a hand beneath to catch droplets.*
*Vi leans forwards and takes that spoonful into per mouth.*
*Ae cannot remember the last time hy had a stew with such deep flavor.*
“Mmnh.”
*Shy throws vir head back and gives the nod, chewing and swallowing.*
“Holy fuck, V.”
*She laughs, though her cheeks warm slightly.*
“Good? I hope I didn’t just poison you.”
“If I did it’ll be a great way to die.”
*…….Don’t think about that.*
“I doubt you did. It’s great. Have a bite yourself.”
*She hums, scooping her own little bite and shoving it in her pie-hole.*
“…. Might as well put a baby in me, fucking Hells. Mmh.”
*Vi surprises hyrself with a snort, and laughs.*
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“We’re gonna eat so good tonight… I’ll send some home with ya for big man, don’t worry.”
*She pulls down two plates, and then two bowls.*
“He’ll appreciate it greatly, I know that for a fact.”
*Shy sets the napkins at the table and grabs two wine glasses.*
“I bet… It’s good ‘ta see him eatin’ so well.”
*She grabs a bun for her plate.*
“You want a bun too?”
“Sure. And, same. We might have to pop a few seams on his suits soon, and I couldn’t be happier.”
*Ze chuckles.*
“Better out than in… He’s been a skeleton as long as I’ve known him.”
*Vi nods. She thinks back to when ze first left him, and per smile falters.*
“… Yer a good influence on ‘im.”
*She pats hys arm, and then offers hyr abun to snack on.*
*Ze blinks, coming back to reality. That smile returns as shy takes it.*
“So are you.”
*Nom.*
*Pretty nummers!!!*
“Eh… You cracked him open more than I ever managed.”
“Doesn’t mean you didn’t pull a lot of the weight.”
*Hip check.*
“These rolls are so fucking good.”
*She grins, tongue caught between her teeth.*
“Thanks. That I know for sure is true.”
*Nodnod. Big ol’ bite.*
“Gnna have to steal some of these, too.”
“If there’s any left…”
*She giggles, gesturing at their place settings.*
“We might as well dish up properly. After you.”
*Ze nods and takes per bowl, filling it up a little under halfway and setting it down on the table. Shy begins to fuck with the wine cork.*
*Vanity dishes herself up about the same amount, taking the other setting.*
“I might have a corkscrew somewhere, hold on.”
*She starts to rummage through drawers.*
“Would definitely be helpful. Fucker’s stuck in here.”
*She eventually produces a well-loved one, handing it over.*
“That’s how ya know it’s good.”
*Nodnod. Vi stabs it in and starts twisting. It eventually comes out with a nice pop!*
“Theeeere we go! Here, ladies first.”
*Ze begins to pour her glass.*
“How sweet of ya… Thank ya kindly.”
*She swirls it a few times, sniffs, and sips.*
“….. Mmmh…. Nice and dry.”
“Glad you like it.”
*Shy pours hys own, seating nimself. Shy sets the bottle between them and off to the side.*
“Hard not to. Yer Petr is a master.”
*She sits across from aer, taking another sip before digging into her soup.*
“All we’re missin’ is a show.”
“Damn, I didn’t bring my major image projector.”
*Soup. Bigass bite of soup.*
“Oh yeah, you have one of ‘em, don’t you? Next time.”
*She dunks her bun into the soup. Om nom.*
“Next time.”
*Vi’s doing much of the same, like ze forgot shy was hungry until it was right in front of nim.*
*This is probably the fastest shy has seen Vanity eat, compared to the slow picking she tends to do elsewhere. She even stands for another bowl.*
*Ze smiles, letting per meal settle for a bit as shy stoops over nis wine.*
“…..Did you have any plans for us, or are we just hanging out?”
*She shrugs, sitting back down with her bowl.*
“Either or. We can play a few rounds downstairs, or find somethin’ ta do out of the house.”
“Hmmm..”
*Hy tries to think of what’s nearby because ze totally knows but the roleplayer does not.*
*There’s a late night market a little ways into town, and a park square that often has live music and dancing. There’s also a theatre, although the evening show would be well on its way by now.*
“Wanna go to the market? Or town square? Do you dance?”
*She grins over her wine glass.*
“Ooh… Both sound temptin’. There’s no sayin’ we can’t do one and then the other, yeah?”
*Nodnod.*
“Market first?”
“I think so, yeah.”
*Siiiip. Nom, nom.*
“Sounds like a plan.”
*Yummy wine :)*
*Very yummy. She polishes off her glass, along with the rest of her stew.*
“Fuck… That hit the spot.”
*Nodnod…*
“You’re a helluva cook.”
*She smiles.*
“Thanks… Yer a helluva dinner date.”
*She lifts her empty glass to cheers hys with.*
*Clink!*
“To our friendship.”
“To our friendship…”
*She smiles, faking a sip.*
*Shy cleans off per own glass and sets it down.*
“Wooh….. should we let the food settle a bit?”
“I think that’s a fair idea…”
*She nods, scooting her dishes aside and leaning back in her seat.*
*Ze does the same, drumming on the table.*
“…What do you call a horse that can’t lose a race?”
“… Hm…… I ain’t sure. What’s that?”
“A sherbet.”
*…….. She snorts, giggling softly.*
“That’s a good one… Sherbet.”
*Shy poses cutely.*
“Gods… I dunno. I don’t think I got any good jokes.”
“Got any bad ones?”
“Hm…. Okay. What’s green, has four wheels, and looks like a carriage?”
“…….Mm……..”
*A green carriage.*
“A plate of vegetables?”
“A green carriage.”
*Shy still laughs, dimples showing.*
“Nice.”
*She shrugs, smiling.*
“You asked fer bad… Yer turn.”
“…..When is a door not a door?”
“….. Wait! Fuck, I know this one. When…. When it’s…… Gods dammit. I know I know it.”
*She huffs, running through her mind palace.*
“……… When it’s ajar!!!!!”
*Ze laughs.*
“Yes!!”
*Clap clap clap.*
“See, you do know good jokes!”
*She laughs softly, rubbing at her neck.*
“I guess so… I can’t pull ‘em out quick enough like that.”
“We’ll up your improv game, it’s okay.”
*Ze winks.*
“Careful what ya wish for, Plum, I’ll be insufferable.”
*She giggles softly.*
“Just how I like my loved ones.”
*Shy smirks.*
“Gods, yeah… They’re my favorite people.”
“Join the party~~~~~~”
“Hehehe, I love a good party~…”
*Ze giggles.*
“Speaking of parties, you wanna head to the market?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
*She gets to her feet.*
“Lemme take care of these first.”
*Nodnod.*
“Alright. Sounds good.”
*Ze stands up too, stretching.*
*Her tail swish swishes behind her as she carries bowls and plates and glasses to her wash basin, giving them all a good scrub down. Bubbles float up past her ears.*
*……Shy giggles, and moves over, popping some of them.*
*She looks up at nim with a smile, popping one that goes towards Esquiline’s nose.*
*Vi blinks, and laughs a little harder.*
“I always liked bubbles. Me and my siblings would spend hours in the grass seeing who could blow the biggest one.”
*She smiles.*
“That’s sweet… Who usually won?”
“Usually, uhm.. Yaremi. Xe’s one of the twins.”
“Ah, I see.”
*She makes a ring with her thumb and middle finger, dunking her hand in the water. She blows a decent bubble.*
*Vi grins, carefully catching it in both hands once it settles.*
*She giggles softly, petting the air above the bubble.*
“Hello, bubble…”
“Hello, it’s me, bubble!! Thanks for creatin’ me!!”
*Very high and strong Yonan accent.*
“Oh my Gods, aren’t you charmin’…”
*She laughs, miming a little scritch on an imaginary forehead.*
“Yer very welcome, ‘lil fella.”
“Ooooh, thank you, that felt nice..”
*The bubble ‘nods’ as Esquiline tilts per wrists up and down.*
“‘Course! Everybody deserves a good scratch sometimes.”
“I agree—“
*Pop!*
….
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
*She gasps.*
“Oh fuck! No!!!”
“They died so young!!!!”
*Esq doubles over.*
“So young… They’ll always be remembered.”
*She holds her hand to her heart, a solemn look on her face.*
“They will……”
*Shy nods, looking sadly into the distance.*
“…What were we talking about again?”
“….. I have no fuckin’ clue.”
*…..Shy breaks out in giggles.*
“We would do great doing standup.”
*She follows suit, shaking her head.*
“First improv, and now stand-up… Let’s go on tour, Plum.”
*She dries the last of the dishes, and then her hands, before offering her elbow out.*
“What should our group be called?”
*Ze takes it.*
“Hm… Tall, Dark, and Plum.”
*She reaches up to touch her hair.*
*Vi laughs, leaning in to allow her.*
“I like it.”
“Good. We’ll be known over seas in no time.”
“Over planes, even.”
“Oh, we’ll be a fuckin’ hoot in the astral plane. Look out.”
“A hoot and a holler, I’d say.”
“A holler even? Hot damn.”
“We’re just that good.”
“I’ll have ‘ta believe ya then…”
*She giggles, leading zir out the door and down the road.*
*Hy grins, walking in time with her with a smile on per face.*
*The walk isn’t long. The sounds of a lively market draws them in, many vendors under dancing lights illuminating the road enough to see in the twilight. People yell out from their booths to catch the attention of any passerby.*
*Hyr ears twitch this way and that, listening out for a good deal.*
“…Looking for anything in particular?”
“Eh… I usually come down fer food, but I’m stuffed from dinner. There’s some jewelers and magic item dealers that I peek at from time ‘ta time, if only for presents.”
*Shy nods.*
“Might look for something that Jed’ll like….”
*There’s a familiar accent yelling out that keeps quieting itself the second Esquiline begins to pick it up. Shy looks around for it, and in the distance are patterns and designs from hys childhood. Vir eyes sparkle.*
“……Oh I’m about to make him cry.”
“Oh yeah? Make sure I’m there.”
*She giggles, letting her friend lead them towards the source of the voice.*
“Will do.”
*Ze leads her to a stall with a man who looks quite like hyr in it.*
‘Jewelry! Get traditional Vistani jewelry here!’
*Shy approaches, and the vendor stops, and smiles. Esquiline speaks up first.*
“Sastipe!”
*The man’s grin widens.*
‘Sastipe, friends! So śaj te lav tuqe?’
*Oh fuck his dialect is different than mine.*
“I’m looking for a gift for my fiancee. He’s Chaac, but we’re getting married soon, and I want him to feel like he’s truly part of the family…”
*Shy hums, looking over his various wares.*
“…Ooh, he’d love this.”
*Ze motions at a hand-embroidered shirt, then looks to Vanny.*
“What do you think?”
*She looks enthralled, eyeing all of the other jewelry curiously. Her eyes go to the shirt.*
“Oh fuck yeah. Fancy pants would love that.”
*Vi smiles.*
“He’d probably never take it off.”
*Shy looks at where Vanny was looking before, at the jewelry. Ze eyes a particular piece and jerks per head at it.*
“Vi akava, lake. Mangav tut.”
*The man takes a second to figure what ze means, and nods, taking the bracelet off the display hook and setting it on top of the shirt.*
‘Anything else?’
*Ze hums, looking around. Ae can’t help but feel a little homesick.*
“…..I haven’t done tarokka in ages….. how much for a deck?”
‘One gold each.’
“…..Fuck it, sure.”
*Shy picks out a pretty deck with linework that moves over itself and then digs the money out vir pocket, handing it over as the man hands hyr a paper bag.*
“Nais tuqe but!”
*Ze gives him a smile and a nod, and takes the bracelet out of the bag, offering it to Vanny.*
“What? That’s fer me?”
*She gently takes it from hyr, turning it iver in her hands.*
“Yeah, I saw you looking at it, and I thought it’d look nice… you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want.”
“You kiddin’? Ya bought it fer me, of course I’m gonna wear it.”
*She slips it over her dainty little hand and onto her wrist, admiring it under the glow of the dancing lights.*
“That’s real sweet of ya…”
“Of course. From my culture to yours.”
*Ze smiles at her.*
“……That dude talked so differently from what I’m used to I got scared.”
*Shy laughs.*
“Ya both sounded pretty ‘ta me, I guess I didn’t notice. Different how?”
“The way he pronounced words had different stressors on different syllables, and some words were different but had the same meaning. It just caught me off-guard… I tried to talk shorter so he could understand me better, I know my dialect is rarer than the norm.”
“Huh… Interestin’. So it’s kinda common when ya meet other Vistani ‘ta get a bit muddled?”
“Ehhhhh…. Kinda? We are a nomadic culture, so it makes sense for the language to shift. I don’t know why it’s so much harder when I do it, but it’s probably the way my parents taught me.”
“Ohhh, right… I can see that. I used ‘ta think Crossroads had a strange accent too, but I think it’s just ‘cause he’s so old. People don’t talk much like him anymore.”
*Ze nods.*
“Yeah, it’s really pretty…”
*Ne tries very hard to hide hyr blush, which just makes the fluster more evident. Mg. Voice Kink at it again.*
*A couple of days pass. There’s a letter in Esquiline’s mailbox.*
*Vi does a double take, because the only mail hy gets is from per fuckass landlord or spam. Shy opens it.*
*Ze doesn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but the tone of the author gives itself away. And the nickname.*
Hey, Plum. I don’t have that fancy mind link thing you and Crossroads do, so I figured a letter would work just fine. Wanna hang out tonight? Just us girls. I sent Walsh over to Crossroads so he won’t get lonely.
Just reply yes or no in my head. Save a tree, I guess.
Vanny
*…Ze smiles, reading it over again.*
*Hey, Vanny. I’m good to hang out. What time should I come?*
*Oh, thank fuck it got there. I was worried I had the wrong address.*
*She laughs.*
*I’m just about ‘ta put dinner on, are ya hungry?*
*Ooh, yeah, I could eat. What’s on the menu?*
*Some bean and veggie stew, and sourdough rolls I baked this morning. I had a few carrots and celery I had ‘ta use up before it went bad.*
*Perfect. I’ll bring some wine. Red or white?*
*Fuuuck, that sounds so good… Red’ll go good with the stew. Come on over whenever, it’ll be done in an hour or so.*
*Alright, lemme get dressed, feed the cats n’ such.*
*No rush, I’ll be here.*
*Ze lets the line go quiet, smiling softly. Vi wanders to their room for kitty time.*
*She waits for a second, and when she hears no more, she nods. Ae’ll be over soon enough.*
….
….
….
*40-ish minutes later, there’s a knock on her door.*
*….. And it opens! Vanity stands there in a simple white linen shirt and long lavender cotton skirt, held up by a braided leather belt.*
“Hiya. How’s yer day been?”
*Ze’s in a flowy sleeveless red dress that stops at per knees. Their hair is in two twin buns. Shy smiles.*
“Pretty good, casual, trying to stay out of the heat. Yours?”
“Ditto. It’s a fuckin’ inferno out there.”
*She waves hyr in and up the stairs, shutting the door behind them.*
“So naturally I made stew.”
“Oh of course.”
*Ze laughs, following easy. Shy sets a nice bottle of Petr’s wine on the table.*
“Once my baba made a spicy hot stew on the solstice. I don’t know how we survived.”
*She laughs.*
“That type’a shit builds character! I knew a guy who would only ever eat ice cream when it was cold out. Said it makes ya feel warmer or somethin’. I think he was just microdosin’ himself with hypothermia.”
*Ze snorts.*
“That is how hypothermia works, to be fair to him. You feel warmer when you’re getting colder, it’s like alcohol rules.”
“Yeah… I s’pose yer right, there. Still funny ‘ta me.”
*She inspects the bottle with a smile.*
“Oh Hells yeah, good shit. Can’t wait ‘ta pop that open.”
“I knew you would like it.”
*Ze grins with pride.*
“We can open it now, if you want.”
“Nah, I’ll wait a bit. Don’t wanna spoil my appetite.”
*Speaking of, it smells soooo fucking good in her home.*
“Yeah, better not. Smells too amazing to not eat.”
*She grins, lifting her chin with pride.*
“Think so? I kinda just measured with the heart. Hope it’s as good as ya think it smells.”
“Nah, measuring with the heart is always better than a true recipe. I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
“Well… Here. Try a bite.”
*She digs out a spoon from her drawers and scoops a good portion of veggies and broth, holding it out to nim with a hand beneath to catch droplets.*
*Vi leans forwards and takes that spoonful into per mouth.*
*Ae cannot remember the last time hy had a stew with such deep flavor.*
“Mmnh.”
*Shy throws vir head back and gives the nod, chewing and swallowing.*
“Holy fuck, V.”
*She laughs, though her cheeks warm slightly.*
“Good? I hope I didn’t just poison you.”
“If I did it’ll be a great way to die.”
*…….Don’t think about that.*
“I doubt you did. It’s great. Have a bite yourself.”
*She hums, scooping her own little bite and shoving it in her pie-hole.*
“…. Might as well put a baby in me, fucking Hells. Mmh.”
*Vi surprises hyrself with a snort, and laughs.*
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“We’re gonna eat so good tonight… I’ll send some home with ya for big man, don’t worry.”
*She pulls down two plates, and then two bowls.*
“He’ll appreciate it greatly, I know that for a fact.”
*Shy sets the napkins at the table and grabs two wine glasses.*
“I bet… It’s good ‘ta see him eatin’ so well.”
*She grabs a bun for her plate.*
“You want a bun too?”
“Sure. And, same. We might have to pop a few seams on his suits soon, and I couldn’t be happier.”
*Ze chuckles.*
“Better out than in… He’s been a skeleton as long as I’ve known him.”
*Vi nods. She thinks back to when ze first left him, and per smile falters.*
“… Yer a good influence on ‘im.”
*She pats hys arm, and then offers hyr abun to snack on.*
*Ze blinks, coming back to reality. That smile returns as shy takes it.*
“So are you.”
*Nom.*
*Pretty nummers!!!*
“Eh… You cracked him open more than I ever managed.”
“Doesn’t mean you didn’t pull a lot of the weight.”
*Hip check.*
“These rolls are so fucking good.”
*She grins, tongue caught between her teeth.*
“Thanks. That I know for sure is true.”
*Nodnod. Big ol’ bite.*
“Gnna have to steal some of these, too.”
“If there’s any left…”
*She giggles, gesturing at their place settings.*
“We might as well dish up properly. After you.”
*Ze nods and takes per bowl, filling it up a little under halfway and setting it down on the table. Shy begins to fuck with the wine cork.*
*Vanity dishes herself up about the same amount, taking the other setting.*
“I might have a corkscrew somewhere, hold on.”
*She starts to rummage through drawers.*
“Would definitely be helpful. Fucker’s stuck in here.”
*She eventually produces a well-loved one, handing it over.*
“That’s how ya know it’s good.”
*Nodnod. Vi stabs it in and starts twisting. It eventually comes out with a nice pop!*
“Theeeere we go! Here, ladies first.”
*Ze begins to pour her glass.*
“How sweet of ya… Thank ya kindly.”
*She swirls it a few times, sniffs, and sips.*
“….. Mmmh…. Nice and dry.”
“Glad you like it.”
*Shy pours hys own, seating nimself. Shy sets the bottle between them and off to the side.*
“Hard not to. Yer Petr is a master.”
*She sits across from aer, taking another sip before digging into her soup.*
“All we’re missin’ is a show.”
“Damn, I didn’t bring my major image projector.”
*Soup. Bigass bite of soup.*
“Oh yeah, you have one of ‘em, don’t you? Next time.”
*She dunks her bun into the soup. Om nom.*
“Next time.”
*Vi’s doing much of the same, like ze forgot shy was hungry until it was right in front of nim.*
*This is probably the fastest shy has seen Vanity eat, compared to the slow picking she tends to do elsewhere. She even stands for another bowl.*
*Ze smiles, letting per meal settle for a bit as shy stoops over nis wine.*
“…..Did you have any plans for us, or are we just hanging out?”
*She shrugs, sitting back down with her bowl.*
“Either or. We can play a few rounds downstairs, or find somethin’ ta do out of the house.”
“Hmmm..”
*Hy tries to think of what’s nearby because ze totally knows but the roleplayer does not.*
*There’s a late night market a little ways into town, and a park square that often has live music and dancing. There’s also a theatre, although the evening show would be well on its way by now.*
“Wanna go to the market? Or town square? Do you dance?”
*She grins over her wine glass.*
“Ooh… Both sound temptin’. There’s no sayin’ we can’t do one and then the other, yeah?”
*Nodnod.*
“Market first?”
“I think so, yeah.”
*Siiiip. Nom, nom.*
“Sounds like a plan.”
*Yummy wine :)*
*Very yummy. She polishes off her glass, along with the rest of her stew.*
“Fuck… That hit the spot.”
*Nodnod…*
“You’re a helluva cook.”
*She smiles.*
“Thanks… Yer a helluva dinner date.”
*She lifts her empty glass to cheers hys with.*
*Clink!*
“To our friendship.”
“To our friendship…”
*She smiles, faking a sip.*
*Shy cleans off per own glass and sets it down.*
“Wooh….. should we let the food settle a bit?”
“I think that’s a fair idea…”
*She nods, scooting her dishes aside and leaning back in her seat.*
*Ze does the same, drumming on the table.*
“…What do you call a horse that can’t lose a race?”
“… Hm…… I ain’t sure. What’s that?”
“A sherbet.”
*…….. She snorts, giggling softly.*
“That’s a good one… Sherbet.”
*Shy poses cutely.*
“Gods… I dunno. I don’t think I got any good jokes.”
“Got any bad ones?”
“Hm…. Okay. What’s green, has four wheels, and looks like a carriage?”
“…….Mm……..”
*A green carriage.*
“A plate of vegetables?”
“A green carriage.”
*Shy still laughs, dimples showing.*
“Nice.”
*She shrugs, smiling.*
“You asked fer bad… Yer turn.”
“…..When is a door not a door?”
“….. Wait! Fuck, I know this one. When…. When it’s…… Gods dammit. I know I know it.”
*She huffs, running through her mind palace.*
“……… When it’s ajar!!!!!”
*Ze laughs.*
“Yes!!”
*Clap clap clap.*
“See, you do know good jokes!”
*She laughs softly, rubbing at her neck.*
“I guess so… I can’t pull ‘em out quick enough like that.”
“We’ll up your improv game, it’s okay.”
*Ze winks.*
“Careful what ya wish for, Plum, I’ll be insufferable.”
*She giggles softly.*
“Just how I like my loved ones.”
*Shy smirks.*
“Gods, yeah… They’re my favorite people.”
“Join the party~~~~~~”
“Hehehe, I love a good party~…”
*Ze giggles.*
“Speaking of parties, you wanna head to the market?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
*She gets to her feet.*
“Lemme take care of these first.”
*Nodnod.*
“Alright. Sounds good.”
*Ze stands up too, stretching.*
*Her tail swish swishes behind her as she carries bowls and plates and glasses to her wash basin, giving them all a good scrub down. Bubbles float up past her ears.*
*……Shy giggles, and moves over, popping some of them.*
*She looks up at nim with a smile, popping one that goes towards Esquiline’s nose.*
*Vi blinks, and laughs a little harder.*
“I always liked bubbles. Me and my siblings would spend hours in the grass seeing who could blow the biggest one.”
*She smiles.*
“That’s sweet… Who usually won?”
“Usually, uhm.. Yaremi. Xe’s one of the twins.”
“Ah, I see.”
*She makes a ring with her thumb and middle finger, dunking her hand in the water. She blows a decent bubble.*
*Vi grins, carefully catching it in both hands once it settles.*
*She giggles softly, petting the air above the bubble.*
“Hello, bubble…”
“Hello, it’s me, bubble!! Thanks for creatin’ me!!”
*Very high and strong Yonan accent.*
“Oh my Gods, aren’t you charmin’…”
*She laughs, miming a little scritch on an imaginary forehead.*
“Yer very welcome, ‘lil fella.”
“Ooooh, thank you, that felt nice..”
*The bubble ‘nods’ as Esquiline tilts per wrists up and down.*
“‘Course! Everybody deserves a good scratch sometimes.”
“I agree—“
*Pop!*
….
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
*She gasps.*
“Oh fuck! No!!!”
“They died so young!!!!”
*Esq doubles over.*
“So young… They’ll always be remembered.”
*She holds her hand to her heart, a solemn look on her face.*
“They will……”
*Shy nods, looking sadly into the distance.*
“…What were we talking about again?”
“….. I have no fuckin’ clue.”
*…..Shy breaks out in giggles.*
“We would do great doing standup.”
*She follows suit, shaking her head.*
“First improv, and now stand-up… Let’s go on tour, Plum.”
*She dries the last of the dishes, and then her hands, before offering her elbow out.*
“What should our group be called?”
*Ze takes it.*
“Hm… Tall, Dark, and Plum.”
*She reaches up to touch her hair.*
*Vi laughs, leaning in to allow her.*
“I like it.”
“Good. We’ll be known over seas in no time.”
“Over planes, even.”
“Oh, we’ll be a fuckin’ hoot in the astral plane. Look out.”
“A hoot and a holler, I’d say.”
“A holler even? Hot damn.”
“We’re just that good.”
“I’ll have ‘ta believe ya then…”
*She giggles, leading zir out the door and down the road.*
*Hy grins, walking in time with her with a smile on per face.*
*The walk isn’t long. The sounds of a lively market draws them in, many vendors under dancing lights illuminating the road enough to see in the twilight. People yell out from their booths to catch the attention of any passerby.*
*Hyr ears twitch this way and that, listening out for a good deal.*
“…Looking for anything in particular?”
“Eh… I usually come down fer food, but I’m stuffed from dinner. There’s some jewelers and magic item dealers that I peek at from time ‘ta time, if only for presents.”
*Shy nods.*
“Might look for something that Jed’ll like….”
*There’s a familiar accent yelling out that keeps quieting itself the second Esquiline begins to pick it up. Shy looks around for it, and in the distance are patterns and designs from hys childhood. Vir eyes sparkle.*
“……Oh I’m about to make him cry.”
“Oh yeah? Make sure I’m there.”
*She giggles, letting her friend lead them towards the source of the voice.*
“Will do.”
*Ze leads her to a stall with a man who looks quite like hyr in it.*
‘Jewelry! Get traditional Vistani jewelry here!’
*Shy approaches, and the vendor stops, and smiles. Esquiline speaks up first.*
“Sastipe!”
*The man’s grin widens.*
‘Sastipe, friends! So śaj te lav tuqe?’
*Oh fuck his dialect is different than mine.*
“I’m looking for a gift for my fiancee. He’s Chaac, but we’re getting married soon, and I want him to feel like he’s truly part of the family…”
*Shy hums, looking over his various wares.*
“…Ooh, he’d love this.”
*Ze motions at a hand-embroidered shirt, then looks to Vanny.*
“What do you think?”
*She looks enthralled, eyeing all of the other jewelry curiously. Her eyes go to the shirt.*
“Oh fuck yeah. Fancy pants would love that.”
*Vi smiles.*
“He’d probably never take it off.”
*Shy looks at where Vanny was looking before, at the jewelry. Ze eyes a particular piece and jerks per head at it.*
“Vi akava, lake. Mangav tut.”
*The man takes a second to figure what ze means, and nods, taking the bracelet off the display hook and setting it on top of the shirt.*
‘Anything else?’
*Ze hums, looking around. Ae can’t help but feel a little homesick.*
“…..I haven’t done tarokka in ages….. how much for a deck?”
‘One gold each.’
“…..Fuck it, sure.”
*Shy picks out a pretty deck with linework that moves over itself and then digs the money out vir pocket, handing it over as the man hands hyr a paper bag.*
“Nais tuqe but!”
*Ze gives him a smile and a nod, and takes the bracelet out of the bag, offering it to Vanny.*
“What? That’s fer me?”
*She gently takes it from hyr, turning it iver in her hands.*
“Yeah, I saw you looking at it, and I thought it’d look nice… you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want.”
“You kiddin’? Ya bought it fer me, of course I’m gonna wear it.”
*She slips it over her dainty little hand and onto her wrist, admiring it under the glow of the dancing lights.*
“That’s real sweet of ya…”
“Of course. From my culture to yours.”
*Ze smiles at her.*
“……That dude talked so differently from what I’m used to I got scared.”
*Shy laughs.*
“Ya both sounded pretty ‘ta me, I guess I didn’t notice. Different how?”
“The way he pronounced words had different stressors on different syllables, and some words were different but had the same meaning. It just caught me off-guard… I tried to talk shorter so he could understand me better, I know my dialect is rarer than the norm.”
“Huh… Interestin’. So it’s kinda common when ya meet other Vistani ‘ta get a bit muddled?”
“Ehhhhh…. Kinda? We are a nomadic culture, so it makes sense for the language to shift. I don’t know why it’s so much harder when I do it, but it’s probably the way my parents taught me.”
*A couple of days pass. There’s a letter in Esquiline’s mailbox.*
*Vi does a double take, because the only mail hy gets is from per fuckass landlord or spam. Shy opens it.*
*Ze doesn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but the tone of the author gives itself away. And the nickname.*
Hey, Plum. I don’t have that fancy mind link thing you and Crossroads do, so I figured a letter would work just fine. Wanna hang out tonight? Just us girls. I sent Walsh over to Crossroads so he won’t get lonely.
Just reply yes or no in my head. Save a tree, I guess.
Vanny
*…Ze smiles, reading it over again.*
*Hey, Vanny. I’m good to hang out. What time should I come?*
*Oh, thank fuck it got there. I was worried I had the wrong address.*
*She laughs.*
*I’m just about ‘ta put dinner on, are ya hungry?*
*Ooh, yeah, I could eat. What’s on the menu?*
*Some bean and veggie stew, and sourdough rolls I baked this morning. I had a few carrots and celery I had ‘ta use up before it went bad.*
*Perfect. I’ll bring some wine. Red or white?*
*Fuuuck, that sounds so good… Red’ll go good with the stew. Come on over whenever, it’ll be done in an hour or so.*
*Alright, lemme get dressed, feed the cats n’ such.*
*No rush, I’ll be here.*
*Ze lets the line go quiet, smiling softly. Vi wanders to their room for kitty time.*
*She waits for a second, and when she hears no more, she nods. Ae’ll be over soon enough.*
….
….
….
*40-ish minutes later, there’s a knock on her door.*
*….. And it opens! Vanity stands there in a simple white linen shirt and long lavender cotton skirt, held up by a braided leather belt.*
“Hiya. How’s yer day been?”
*Ze’s in a flowy sleeveless red dress that stops at per knees. Their hair is in two twin buns. Shy smiles.*
“Pretty good, casual, trying to stay out of the heat. Yours?”
“Ditto. It’s a fuckin’ inferno out there.”
*She waves hyr in and up the stairs, shutting the door behind them.*
“So naturally I made stew.”
“Oh of course.”
*Ze laughs, following easy. Shy sets a nice bottle of Petr’s wine on the table.*
“Once my baba made a spicy hot stew on the solstice. I don’t know how we survived.”
*She laughs.*
“That type’a shit builds character! I knew a guy who would only ever eat ice cream when it was cold out. Said it makes ya feel warmer or somethin’. I think he was just microdosin’ himself with hypothermia.”
*Ze snorts.*
“That is how hypothermia works, to be fair to him. You feel warmer when you’re getting colder, it’s like alcohol rules.”
“Yeah… I s’pose yer right, there. Still funny ‘ta me.”
*She inspects the bottle with a smile.*
“Oh Hells yeah, good shit. Can’t wait ‘ta pop that open.”
“I knew you would like it.”
*Ze grins with pride.*
“We can open it now, if you want.”
“Nah, I’ll wait a bit. Don’t wanna spoil my appetite.”
*Speaking of, it smells soooo fucking good in her home.*
“Yeah, better not. Smells too amazing to not eat.”
*She grins, lifting her chin with pride.*
“Think so? I kinda just measured with the heart. Hope it’s as good as ya think it smells.”
“Nah, measuring with the heart is always better than a true recipe. I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
“Well… Here. Try a bite.”
*She digs out a spoon from her drawers and scoops a good portion of veggies and broth, holding it out to nim with a hand beneath to catch droplets.*
*Vi leans forwards and takes that spoonful into per mouth.*
*Ae cannot remember the last time hy had a stew with such deep flavor.*
“Mmnh.”
*Shy throws vir head back and gives the nod, chewing and swallowing.*
“Holy fuck, V.”
*She laughs, though her cheeks warm slightly.*
“Good? I hope I didn’t just poison you.”
“If I did it’ll be a great way to die.”
*…….Don’t think about that.*
“I doubt you did. It’s great. Have a bite yourself.”
*She hums, scooping her own little bite and shoving it in her pie-hole.*
“…. Might as well put a baby in me, fucking Hells. Mmh.”
*Vi surprises hyrself with a snort, and laughs.*
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“We’re gonna eat so good tonight… I’ll send some home with ya for big man, don’t worry.”
*She pulls down two plates, and then two bowls.*
“He’ll appreciate it greatly, I know that for a fact.”
*Shy sets the napkins at the table and grabs two wine glasses.*
“I bet… It’s good ‘ta see him eatin’ so well.”
*She grabs a bun for her plate.*
“You want a bun too?”
“Sure. And, same. We might have to pop a few seams on his suits soon, and I couldn’t be happier.”
*Ze chuckles.*
“Better out than in… He’s been a skeleton as long as I’ve known him.”
*Vi nods. She thinks back to when ze first left him, and per smile falters.*
“… Yer a good influence on ‘im.”
*She pats hys arm, and then offers hyr abun to snack on.*
*Ze blinks, coming back to reality. That smile returns as shy takes it.*
“So are you.”
*Nom.*
*Pretty nummers!!!*
“Eh… You cracked him open more than I ever managed.”
“Doesn’t mean you didn’t pull a lot of the weight.”
*Hip check.*
“These rolls are so fucking good.”
*She grins, tongue caught between her teeth.*
“Thanks. That I know for sure is true.”
*Nodnod. Big ol’ bite.*
“Gnna have to steal some of these, too.”
“If there’s any left…”
*She giggles, gesturing at their place settings.*
“We might as well dish up properly. After you.”
*Ze nods and takes per bowl, filling it up a little under halfway and setting it down on the table. Shy begins to fuck with the wine cork.*
*Vanity dishes herself up about the same amount, taking the other setting.*
“I might have a corkscrew somewhere, hold on.”
*She starts to rummage through drawers.*
“Would definitely be helpful. Fucker’s stuck in here.”
*She eventually produces a well-loved one, handing it over.*
“That’s how ya know it’s good.”
*Nodnod. Vi stabs it in and starts twisting. It eventually comes out with a nice pop!*
“Theeeere we go! Here, ladies first.”
*Ze begins to pour her glass.*
“How sweet of ya… Thank ya kindly.”
*She swirls it a few times, sniffs, and sips.*
“….. Mmmh…. Nice and dry.”
“Glad you like it.”
*Shy pours hys own, seating nimself. Shy sets the bottle between them and off to the side.*
“Hard not to. Yer Petr is a master.”
*She sits across from aer, taking another sip before digging into her soup.*
“All we’re missin’ is a show.”
“Damn, I didn’t bring my major image projector.”
*Soup. Bigass bite of soup.*
“Oh yeah, you have one of ‘em, don’t you? Next time.”
*She dunks her bun into the soup. Om nom.*
“Next time.”
*Vi’s doing much of the same, like ze forgot shy was hungry until it was right in front of nim.*
*This is probably the fastest shy has seen Vanity eat, compared to the slow picking she tends to do elsewhere. She even stands for another bowl.*
*Ze smiles, letting per meal settle for a bit as shy stoops over nis wine.*
“…..Did you have any plans for us, or are we just hanging out?”
*She shrugs, sitting back down with her bowl.*
“Either or. We can play a few rounds downstairs, or find somethin’ ta do out of the house.”
“Hmmm..”
*Hy tries to think of what’s nearby because ze totally knows but the roleplayer does not.*
*There’s a late night market a little ways into town, and a park square that often has live music and dancing. There’s also a theatre, although the evening show would be well on its way by now.*
“Wanna go to the market? Or town square? Do you dance?”
*She grins over her wine glass.*
“Ooh… Both sound temptin’. There’s no sayin’ we can’t do one and then the other, yeah?”
*Nodnod.*
“Market first?”
“I think so, yeah.”
*Siiiip. Nom, nom.*
“Sounds like a plan.”
*Yummy wine :)*
*Very yummy. She polishes off her glass, along with the rest of her stew.*
“Fuck… That hit the spot.”
*Nodnod…*
“You’re a helluva cook.”
*She smiles.*
“Thanks… Yer a helluva dinner date.”
*She lifts her empty glass to cheers hys with.*
*Clink!*
“To our friendship.”
“To our friendship…”
*She smiles, faking a sip.*
*Shy cleans off per own glass and sets it down.*
“Wooh….. should we let the food settle a bit?”
“I think that’s a fair idea…”
*She nods, scooting her dishes aside and leaning back in her seat.*
*Ze does the same, drumming on the table.*
“…What do you call a horse that can’t lose a race?”
“… Hm…… I ain’t sure. What’s that?”
“A sherbet.”
*…….. She snorts, giggling softly.*
“That’s a good one… Sherbet.”
*Shy poses cutely.*
“Gods… I dunno. I don’t think I got any good jokes.”
“Got any bad ones?”
“Hm…. Okay. What’s green, has four wheels, and looks like a carriage?”
“…….Mm……..”
*A green carriage.*
“A plate of vegetables?”
“A green carriage.”
*Shy still laughs, dimples showing.*
“Nice.”
*She shrugs, smiling.*
“You asked fer bad… Yer turn.”
“…..When is a door not a door?”
“….. Wait! Fuck, I know this one. When…. When it’s…… Gods dammit. I know I know it.”
*She huffs, running through her mind palace.*
“……… When it’s ajar!!!!!”
*Ze laughs.*
“Yes!!”
*Clap clap clap.*
“See, you do know good jokes!”
*She laughs softly, rubbing at her neck.*
“I guess so… I can’t pull ‘em out quick enough like that.”
“We’ll up your improv game, it’s okay.”
*Ze winks.*
“Careful what ya wish for, Plum, I’ll be insufferable.”
*She giggles softly.*
“Just how I like my loved ones.”
*Shy smirks.*
“Gods, yeah… They’re my favorite people.”
“Join the party~~~~~~”
“Hehehe, I love a good party~…”
*Ze giggles.*
“Speaking of parties, you wanna head to the market?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
*She gets to her feet.*
“Lemme take care of these first.”
*Nodnod.*
“Alright. Sounds good.”
*Ze stands up too, stretching.*
*Her tail swish swishes behind her as she carries bowls and plates and glasses to her wash basin, giving them all a good scrub down. Bubbles float up past her ears.*
*……Shy giggles, and moves over, popping some of them.*
*She looks up at nim with a smile, popping one that goes towards Esquiline’s nose.*
*Vi blinks, and laughs a little harder.*
“I always liked bubbles. Me and my siblings would spend hours in the grass seeing who could blow the biggest one.”
*She smiles.*
“That’s sweet… Who usually won?”
“Usually, uhm.. Yaremi. Xe’s one of the twins.”
“Ah, I see.”
*She makes a ring with her thumb and middle finger, dunking her hand in the water. She blows a decent bubble.*
*Vi grins, carefully catching it in both hands once it settles.*
*She giggles softly, petting the air above the bubble.*
“Hello, bubble…”
“Hello, it’s me, bubble!! Thanks for creatin’ me!!”
*Very high and strong Yonan accent.*
“Oh my Gods, aren’t you charmin’…”
*She laughs, miming a little scritch on an imaginary forehead.*
“Yer very welcome, ‘lil fella.”
“Ooooh, thank you, that felt nice..”
*The bubble ‘nods’ as Esquiline tilts per wrists up and down.*
“‘Course! Everybody deserves a good scratch sometimes.”
“I agree—“
*Pop!*
….
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
*She gasps.*
“Oh fuck! No!!!”
“They died so young!!!!”
*Esq doubles over.*
“So young… They’ll always be remembered.”
*She holds her hand to her heart, a solemn look on her face.*
“They will……”
*Shy nods, looking sadly into the distance.*
“…What were we talking about again?”
“….. I have no fuckin’ clue.”
*…..Shy breaks out in giggles.*
“We would do great doing standup.”
*She follows suit, shaking her head.*
“First improv, and now stand-up… Let’s go on tour, Plum.”
*She dries the last of the dishes, and then her hands, before offering her elbow out.*
“What should our group be called?”
*Ze takes it.*
“Hm… Tall, Dark, and Plum.”
*She reaches up to touch her hair.*
*Vi laughs, leaning in to allow her.*
“I like it.”
“Good. We’ll be known over seas in no time.”
“Over planes, even.”
“Oh, we’ll be a fuckin’ hoot in the astral plane. Look out.”
“A hoot and a holler, I’d say.”
“A holler even? Hot damn.”
“We’re just that good.”
“I’ll have ‘ta believe ya then…”
*She giggles, leading zir out the door and down the road.*
*Hy grins, walking in time with her with a smile on per face.*
*The walk isn’t long. The sounds of a lively market draws them in, many vendors under dancing lights illuminating the road enough to see in the twilight. People yell out from their booths to catch the attention of any passerby.*
*Hyr ears twitch this way and that, listening out for a good deal.*
“…Looking for anything in particular?”
“Eh… I usually come down fer food, but I’m stuffed from dinner. There’s some jewelers and magic item dealers that I peek at from time ‘ta time, if only for presents.”
*Shy nods.*
“Might look for something that Jed’ll like….”
*There’s a familiar accent yelling out that keeps quieting itself the second Esquiline begins to pick it up. Shy looks around for it, and in the distance are patterns and designs from hys childhood. Vir eyes sparkle.*
“……Oh I’m about to make him cry.”
“Oh yeah? Make sure I’m there.”
*She giggles, letting her friend lead them towards the source of the voice.*
“Will do.”
*Ze leads her to a stall with a man who looks quite like hyr in it.*
‘Jewelry! Get traditional Vistani jewelry here!’
*Shy approaches, and the vendor stops, and smiles. Esquiline speaks up first.*
“Sastipe!”
*The man’s grin widens.*
‘Sastipe, friends! So śaj te lav tuqe?’
*Oh fuck his dialect is different than mine.*
“I’m looking for a gift for my fiancee. He’s Chaac, but we’re getting married soon, and I want him to feel like he’s truly part of the family…”
*Shy hums, looking over his various wares.*
“…Ooh, he’d love this.”
*Ze motions at a hand-embroidered shirt, then looks to Vanny.*
“What do you think?”
*She looks enthralled, eyeing all of the other jewelry curiously. Her eyes go to the shirt.*
“Oh fuck yeah. Fancy pants would love that.”
*Vi smiles.*
“He’d probably never take it off.”
*Shy looks at where Vanny was looking before, at the jewelry. Ze eyes a particular piece and jerks per head at it.*
“Vi akava, lake. Mangav tut.”
*The man takes a second to figure what ze means, and nods, taking the bracelet off the display hook and setting it on top of the shirt.*
‘Anything else?’
*Ze hums, looking around. Ae can’t help but feel a little homesick.*
“…..I haven’t done tarokka in ages….. how much for a deck?”
‘One gold each.’
“…..Fuck it, sure.”
*Shy picks out a pretty deck with linework that moves over itself and then digs the money out vir pocket, handing it over as the man hands hyr a paper bag.*
“Nais tuqe but!”
*Ze gives him a smile and a nod, and takes the bracelet out of the bag, offering it to Vanny.*
“What? That’s fer me?”
*She gently takes it from hyr, turning it iver in her hands.*
“Yeah, I saw you looking at it, and I thought it’d look nice… you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want.”
“You kiddin’? Ya bought it fer me, of course I’m gonna wear it.”
*She slips it over her dainty little hand and onto her wrist, admiring it under the glow of the dancing lights.*
“That’s real sweet of ya…”
“Of course. From my culture to yours.”
*Ze smiles at her.*
“……That dude talked so differently from what I’m used to I got scared.”
*Shy laughs.*
“Ya both sounded pretty ‘ta me, I guess I didn’t notice. Different how?”
“The way he pronounced words had different stressors on different syllables, and some words were different but had the same meaning. It just caught me off-guard… I tried to talk shorter so he could understand me better, I know my dialect is rarer than the norm.”
*A couple of days pass. There’s a letter in Esquiline’s mailbox.*
*Vi does a double take, because the only mail hy gets is from per fuckass landlord or spam. Shy opens it.*
*Ze doesn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but the tone of the author gives itself away. And the nickname.*
Hey, Plum. I don’t have that fancy mind link thing you and Crossroads do, so I figured a letter would work just fine. Wanna hang out tonight? Just us girls. I sent Walsh over to Crossroads so he won’t get lonely.
Just reply yes or no in my head. Save a tree, I guess.
Vanny
*…Ze smiles, reading it over again.*
*Hey, Vanny. I’m good to hang out. What time should I come?*
*Oh, thank fuck it got there. I was worried I had the wrong address.*
*She laughs.*
*I’m just about ‘ta put dinner on, are ya hungry?*
*Ooh, yeah, I could eat. What’s on the menu?*
*Some bean and veggie stew, and sourdough rolls I baked this morning. I had a few carrots and celery I had ‘ta use up before it went bad.*
*Perfect. I’ll bring some wine. Red or white?*
*Fuuuck, that sounds so good… Red’ll go good with the stew. Come on over whenever, it’ll be done in an hour or so.*
*Alright, lemme get dressed, feed the cats n’ such.*
*No rush, I’ll be here.*
*Ze lets the line go quiet, smiling softly. Vi wanders to their room for kitty time.*
*She waits for a second, and when she hears no more, she nods. Ae’ll be over soon enough.*
….
….
….
*40-ish minutes later, there’s a knock on her door.*
*….. And it opens! Vanity stands there in a simple white linen shirt and long lavender cotton skirt, held up by a braided leather belt.*
“Hiya. How’s yer day been?”
*Ze’s in a flowy sleeveless red dress that stops at per knees. Their hair is in two twin buns. Shy smiles.*
“Pretty good, casual, trying to stay out of the heat. Yours?”
“Ditto. It’s a fuckin’ inferno out there.”
*She waves hyr in and up the stairs, shutting the door behind them.*
“So naturally I made stew.”
“Oh of course.”
*Ze laughs, following easy. Shy sets a nice bottle of Petr’s wine on the table.*
“Once my baba made a spicy hot stew on the solstice. I don’t know how we survived.”
*She laughs.*
“That type’a shit builds character! I knew a guy who would only ever eat ice cream when it was cold out. Said it makes ya feel warmer or somethin’. I think he was just microdosin’ himself with hypothermia.”
*Ze snorts.*
“That is how hypothermia works, to be fair to him. You feel warmer when you’re getting colder, it’s like alcohol rules.”
“Yeah… I s’pose yer right, there. Still funny ‘ta me.”
*She inspects the bottle with a smile.*
“Oh Hells yeah, good shit. Can’t wait ‘ta pop that open.”
“I knew you would like it.”
*Ze grins with pride.*
“We can open it now, if you want.”
“Nah, I’ll wait a bit. Don’t wanna spoil my appetite.”
*Speaking of, it smells soooo fucking good in her home.*
“Yeah, better not. Smells too amazing to not eat.”
*She grins, lifting her chin with pride.*
“Think so? I kinda just measured with the heart. Hope it’s as good as ya think it smells.”
“Nah, measuring with the heart is always better than a true recipe. I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
“Well… Here. Try a bite.”
*She digs out a spoon from her drawers and scoops a good portion of veggies and broth, holding it out to nim with a hand beneath to catch droplets.*
*Vi leans forwards and takes that spoonful into per mouth.*
*Ae cannot remember the last time hy had a stew with such deep flavor.*
“Mmnh.”
*Shy throws vir head back and gives the nod, chewing and swallowing.*
“Holy fuck, V.”
*She laughs, though her cheeks warm slightly.*
“Good? I hope I didn’t just poison you.”
“If I did it’ll be a great way to die.”
*…….Don’t think about that.*
“I doubt you did. It’s great. Have a bite yourself.”
*She hums, scooping her own little bite and shoving it in her pie-hole.*
“…. Might as well put a baby in me, fucking Hells. Mmh.”
*Vi surprises hyrself with a snort, and laughs.*
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“We’re gonna eat so good tonight… I’ll send some home with ya for big man, don’t worry.”
*She pulls down two plates, and then two bowls.*
“He’ll appreciate it greatly, I know that for a fact.”
*Shy sets the napkins at the table and grabs two wine glasses.*
“I bet… It’s good ‘ta see him eatin’ so well.”
*She grabs a bun for her plate.*
“You want a bun too?”
“Sure. And, same. We might have to pop a few seams on his suits soon, and I couldn’t be happier.”
*Ze chuckles.*
“Better out than in… He’s been a skeleton as long as I’ve known him.”
*Vi nods. She thinks back to when ze first left him, and per smile falters.*
“… Yer a good influence on ‘im.”
*She pats hys arm, and then offers hyr abun to snack on.*
*Ze blinks, coming back to reality. That smile returns as shy takes it.*
“So are you.”
*Nom.*
*Pretty nummers!!!*
“Eh… You cracked him open more than I ever managed.”
“Doesn’t mean you didn’t pull a lot of the weight.”
*Hip check.*
“These rolls are so fucking good.”
*She grins, tongue caught between her teeth.*
“Thanks. That I know for sure is true.”
*Nodnod. Big ol’ bite.*
“Gnna have to steal some of these, too.”
“If there’s any left…”
*She giggles, gesturing at their place settings.*
“We might as well dish up properly. After you.”
*Ze nods and takes per bowl, filling it up a little under halfway and setting it down on the table. Shy begins to fuck with the wine cork.*
*Vanity dishes herself up about the same amount, taking the other setting.*
“I might have a corkscrew somewhere, hold on.”
*She starts to rummage through drawers.*
“Would definitely be helpful. Fucker’s stuck in here.”
*She eventually produces a well-loved one, handing it over.*
“That’s how ya know it’s good.”
*Nodnod. Vi stabs it in and starts twisting. It eventually comes out with a nice pop!*
“Theeeere we go! Here, ladies first.”
*Ze begins to pour her glass.*
“How sweet of ya… Thank ya kindly.”
*She swirls it a few times, sniffs, and sips.*
“….. Mmmh…. Nice and dry.”
“Glad you like it.”
*Shy pours hys own, seating nimself. Shy sets the bottle between them and off to the side.*
“Hard not to. Yer Petr is a master.”
*She sits across from aer, taking another sip before digging into her soup.*
“All we’re missin’ is a show.”
“Damn, I didn’t bring my major image projector.”
*Soup. Bigass bite of soup.*
“Oh yeah, you have one of ‘em, don’t you? Next time.”
*She dunks her bun into the soup. Om nom.*
“Next time.”
*Vi’s doing much of the same, like ze forgot shy was hungry until it was right in front of nim.*
*This is probably the fastest shy has seen Vanity eat, compared to the slow picking she tends to do elsewhere. She even stands for another bowl.*
*Ze smiles, letting per meal settle for a bit as shy stoops over nis wine.*
“…..Did you have any plans for us, or are we just hanging out?”
*She shrugs, sitting back down with her bowl.*
“Either or. We can play a few rounds downstairs, or find somethin’ ta do out of the house.”
“Hmmm..”
*Hy tries to think of what’s nearby because ze totally knows but the roleplayer does not.*
*There’s a late night market a little ways into town, and a park square that often has live music and dancing. There’s also a theatre, although the evening show would be well on its way by now.*
“Wanna go to the market? Or town square? Do you dance?”
*She grins over her wine glass.*
“Ooh… Both sound temptin’. There’s no sayin’ we can’t do one and then the other, yeah?”
*Nodnod.*
“Market first?”
“I think so, yeah.”
*Siiiip. Nom, nom.*
“Sounds like a plan.”
*Yummy wine :)*
*Very yummy. She polishes off her glass, along with the rest of her stew.*
“Fuck… That hit the spot.”
*Nodnod…*
“You’re a helluva cook.”
*She smiles.*
“Thanks… Yer a helluva dinner date.”
*She lifts her empty glass to cheers hys with.*
*Clink!*
“To our friendship.”
“To our friendship…”
*She smiles, faking a sip.*
*Shy cleans off per own glass and sets it down.*
“Wooh….. should we let the food settle a bit?”
“I think that’s a fair idea…”
*She nods, scooting her dishes aside and leaning back in her seat.*
*Ze does the same, drumming on the table.*
“…What do you call a horse that can’t lose a race?”
“… Hm…… I ain’t sure. What’s that?”
“A sherbet.”
*…….. She snorts, giggling softly.*
“That’s a good one… Sherbet.”
*Shy poses cutely.*
“Gods… I dunno. I don’t think I got any good jokes.”
“Got any bad ones?”
“Hm…. Okay. What’s green, has four wheels, and looks like a carriage?”
“…….Mm……..”
*A green carriage.*
“A plate of vegetables?”
“A green carriage.”
*Shy still laughs, dimples showing.*
“Nice.”
*She shrugs, smiling.*
“You asked fer bad… Yer turn.”
“…..When is a door not a door?”
“….. Wait! Fuck, I know this one. When…. When it’s…… Gods dammit. I know I know it.”
*She huffs, running through her mind palace.*
“……… When it’s ajar!!!!!”
*Ze laughs.*
“Yes!!”
*Clap clap clap.*
“See, you do know good jokes!”
*She laughs softly, rubbing at her neck.*
“I guess so… I can’t pull ‘em out quick enough like that.”
“We’ll up your improv game, it’s okay.”
*Ze winks.*
“Careful what ya wish for, Plum, I’ll be insufferable.”
*She giggles softly.*
“Just how I like my loved ones.”
*Shy smirks.*
“Gods, yeah… They’re my favorite people.”
“Join the party~~~~~~”
“Hehehe, I love a good party~…”
*Ze giggles.*
“Speaking of parties, you wanna head to the market?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
*She gets to her feet.*
“Lemme take care of these first.”
*Nodnod.*
“Alright. Sounds good.”
*Ze stands up too, stretching.*
*Her tail swish swishes behind her as she carries bowls and plates and glasses to her wash basin, giving them all a good scrub down. Bubbles float up past her ears.*
*……Shy giggles, and moves over, popping some of them.*
*She looks up at nim with a smile, popping one that goes towards Esquiline’s nose.*
*Vi blinks, and laughs a little harder.*
“I always liked bubbles. Me and my siblings would spend hours in the grass seeing who could blow the biggest one.”
*She smiles.*
“That’s sweet… Who usually won?”
“Usually, uhm.. Yaremi. Xe’s one of the twins.”
“Ah, I see.”
*She makes a ring with her thumb and middle finger, dunking her hand in the water. She blows a decent bubble.*
*Vi grins, carefully catching it in both hands once it settles.*
*She giggles softly, petting the air above the bubble.*
“Hello, bubble…”
“Hello, it’s me, bubble!! Thanks for creatin’ me!!”
*Very high and strong Yonan accent.*
“Oh my Gods, aren’t you charmin’…”
*She laughs, miming a little scritch on an imaginary forehead.*
“Yer very welcome, ‘lil fella.”
“Ooooh, thank you, that felt nice..”
*The bubble ‘nods’ as Esquiline tilts per wrists up and down.*
“‘Course! Everybody deserves a good scratch sometimes.”
“I agree—“
*Pop!*
….
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
*She gasps.*
“Oh fuck! No!!!”
“They died so young!!!!”
*Esq doubles over.*
“So young… They’ll always be remembered.”
*She holds her hand to her heart, a solemn look on her face.*
“They will……”
*Shy nods, looking sadly into the distance.*
“…What were we talking about again?”
“….. I have no fuckin’ clue.”
*…..Shy breaks out in giggles.*
“We would do great doing standup.”
*She follows suit, shaking her head.*
“First improv, and now stand-up… Let’s go on tour, Plum.”
*She dries the last of the dishes, and then her hands, before offering her elbow out.*
“What should our group be called?”
*Ze takes it.*
“Hm… Tall, Dark, and Plum.”
*She reaches up to touch her hair.*
*Vi laughs, leaning in to allow her.*
“I like it.”
“Good. We’ll be known over seas in no time.”
“Over planes, even.”
“Oh, we’ll be a fuckin’ hoot in the astral plane. Look out.”
“A hoot and a holler, I’d say.”
“A holler even? Hot damn.”
“We’re just that good.”
“I’ll have ‘ta believe ya then…”
*She giggles, leading zir out the door and down the road.*
*Hy grins, walking in time with her with a smile on per face.*
*The walk isn’t long. The sounds of a lively market draws them in, many vendors under dancing lights illuminating the road enough to see in the twilight. People yell out from their booths to catch the attention of any passerby.*
*Hyr ears twitch this way and that, listening out for a good deal.*
“…Looking for anything in particular?”
“Eh… I usually come down fer food, but I’m stuffed from dinner. There’s some jewelers and magic item dealers that I peek at from time ‘ta time, if only for presents.”
*Shy nods.*
“Might look for something that Jed’ll like….”
*There’s a familiar accent yelling out that keeps quieting itself the second Esquiline begins to pick it up. Shy looks around for it, and in the distance are patterns and designs from hys childhood. Vir eyes sparkle.*
“……Oh I’m about to make him cry.”
“Oh yeah? Make sure I’m there.”
*She giggles, letting her friend lead them towards the source of the voice.*
“Will do.”
*Ze leads her to a stall with a man who looks quite like hyr in it.*
‘Jewelry! Get traditional Vistani jewelry here!’
*Shy approaches, and the vendor stops, and smiles. Esquiline speaks up first.*
“Sastipe!”
*The man’s grin widens.*
‘Sastipe, friends! So śaj te lav tuqe?’
*Oh fuck his dialect is different than mine.*
“I’m looking for a gift for my fiancee. He’s Chaac, but we’re getting married soon, and I want him to feel like he’s truly part of the family…”
*Shy hums, looking over his various wares.*
“…Ooh, he’d love this.”
*Ze motions at a hand-embroidered shirt, then looks to Vanny.*
“What do you think?”
*She looks enthralled, eyeing all of the other jewelry curiously. Her eyes go to the shirt.*
“Oh fuck yeah. Fancy pants would love that.”
*Vi smiles.*
“He’d probably never take it off.”
*Shy looks at where Vanny was looking before, at the jewelry. Ze eyes a particular piece and jerks per head at it.*
“Vi akava, lake. Mangav tut.”
*The man takes a second to figure what ze means, and nods, taking the bracelet off the display hook and setting it on top of the shirt.*
‘Anything else?’
*Ze hums, looking around. Ae can’t help but feel a little homesick.*
“…..I haven’t done tarokka in ages….. how much for a deck?”
‘One gold each.’
“…..Fuck it, sure.”
*Shy picks out a pretty deck with linework that moves over itself and then digs the money out vir pocket, handing it over as the man hands hyr a paper bag.*
“Nais tuqe but!”
*Ze gives him a smile and a nod, and takes the bracelet out of the bag, offering it to Vanny.*
“What? That’s fer me?”
*She gently takes it from hyr, turning it iver in her hands.*
“Yeah, I saw you looking at it, and I thought it’d look nice… you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want.”
“You kiddin’? Ya bought it fer me, of course I’m gonna wear it.”
*She slips it over her dainty little hand and onto her wrist, admiring it under the glow of the dancing lights.*
“That’s real sweet of ya…”
“Of course. From my culture to yours.”
*Ze smiles at her.*
“……That dude talked so differently from what I’m used to I got scared.”
*Shy laughs.*
*A couple of days pass. There’s a letter in Esquiline’s mailbox.*
*Vi does a double take, because the only mail hy gets is from per fuckass landlord or spam. Shy opens it.*
*Ze doesn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but the tone of the author gives itself away. And the nickname.*
Hey, Plum. I don’t have that fancy mind link thing you and Crossroads do, so I figured a letter would work just fine. Wanna hang out tonight? Just us girls. I sent Walsh over to Crossroads so he won’t get lonely.
Just reply yes or no in my head. Save a tree, I guess.
Vanny
*…Ze smiles, reading it over again.*
*Hey, Vanny. I’m good to hang out. What time should I come?*
*Oh, thank fuck it got there. I was worried I had the wrong address.*
*She laughs.*
*I’m just about ‘ta put dinner on, are ya hungry?*
*Ooh, yeah, I could eat. What’s on the menu?*
*Some bean and veggie stew, and sourdough rolls I baked this morning. I had a few carrots and celery I had ‘ta use up before it went bad.*
*Perfect. I’ll bring some wine. Red or white?*
*Fuuuck, that sounds so good… Red’ll go good with the stew. Come on over whenever, it’ll be done in an hour or so.*
*Alright, lemme get dressed, feed the cats n’ such.*
*No rush, I’ll be here.*
*Ze lets the line go quiet, smiling softly. Vi wanders to their room for kitty time.*
*She waits for a second, and when she hears no more, she nods. Ae’ll be over soon enough.*
….
….
….
*40-ish minutes later, there’s a knock on her door.*
*….. And it opens! Vanity stands there in a simple white linen shirt and long lavender cotton skirt, held up by a braided leather belt.*
“Hiya. How’s yer day been?”
*Ze’s in a flowy sleeveless red dress that stops at per knees. Their hair is in two twin buns. Shy smiles.*
“Pretty good, casual, trying to stay out of the heat. Yours?”
“Ditto. It’s a fuckin’ inferno out there.”
*She waves hyr in and up the stairs, shutting the door behind them.*
“So naturally I made stew.”
“Oh of course.”
*Ze laughs, following easy. Shy sets a nice bottle of Petr’s wine on the table.*
“Once my baba made a spicy hot stew on the solstice. I don’t know how we survived.”
*She laughs.*
“That type’a shit builds character! I knew a guy who would only ever eat ice cream when it was cold out. Said it makes ya feel warmer or somethin’. I think he was just microdosin’ himself with hypothermia.”
*Ze snorts.*
“That is how hypothermia works, to be fair to him. You feel warmer when you’re getting colder, it’s like alcohol rules.”
“Yeah… I s’pose yer right, there. Still funny ‘ta me.”
*She inspects the bottle with a smile.*
“Oh Hells yeah, good shit. Can’t wait ‘ta pop that open.”
“I knew you would like it.”
*Ze grins with pride.*
“We can open it now, if you want.”
“Nah, I’ll wait a bit. Don’t wanna spoil my appetite.”
*Speaking of, it smells soooo fucking good in her home.*
“Yeah, better not. Smells too amazing to not eat.”
*She grins, lifting her chin with pride.*
“Think so? I kinda just measured with the heart. Hope it’s as good as ya think it smells.”
“Nah, measuring with the heart is always better than a true recipe. I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
“Well… Here. Try a bite.”
*She digs out a spoon from her drawers and scoops a good portion of veggies and broth, holding it out to nim with a hand beneath to catch droplets.*
*Vi leans forwards and takes that spoonful into per mouth.*
*Ae cannot remember the last time hy had a stew with such deep flavor.*
“Mmnh.”
*Shy throws vir head back and gives the nod, chewing and swallowing.*
“Holy fuck, V.”
*She laughs, though her cheeks warm slightly.*
“Good? I hope I didn’t just poison you.”
“If I did it’ll be a great way to die.”
*…….Don’t think about that.*
“I doubt you did. It’s great. Have a bite yourself.”
*She hums, scooping her own little bite and shoving it in her pie-hole.*
“…. Might as well put a baby in me, fucking Hells. Mmh.”
*Vi surprises hyrself with a snort, and laughs.*
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“We’re gonna eat so good tonight… I’ll send some home with ya for big man, don’t worry.”
*She pulls down two plates, and then two bowls.*
“He’ll appreciate it greatly, I know that for a fact.”
*Shy sets the napkins at the table and grabs two wine glasses.*
“I bet… It’s good ‘ta see him eatin’ so well.”
*She grabs a bun for her plate.*
“You want a bun too?”
“Sure. And, same. We might have to pop a few seams on his suits soon, and I couldn’t be happier.”
*Ze chuckles.*
“Better out than in… He’s been a skeleton as long as I’ve known him.”
*Vi nods. She thinks back to when ze first left him, and per smile falters.*
“… Yer a good influence on ‘im.”
*She pats hys arm, and then offers hyr abun to snack on.*
*Ze blinks, coming back to reality. That smile returns as shy takes it.*
“So are you.”
*Nom.*
*Pretty nummers!!!*
“Eh… You cracked him open more than I ever managed.”
“Doesn’t mean you didn’t pull a lot of the weight.”
*Hip check.*
“These rolls are so fucking good.”
*She grins, tongue caught between her teeth.*
“Thanks. That I know for sure is true.”
*Nodnod. Big ol’ bite.*
“Gnna have to steal some of these, too.”
“If there’s any left…”
*She giggles, gesturing at their place settings.*
“We might as well dish up properly. After you.”
*Ze nods and takes per bowl, filling it up a little under halfway and setting it down on the table. Shy begins to fuck with the wine cork.*
*Vanity dishes herself up about the same amount, taking the other setting.*
“I might have a corkscrew somewhere, hold on.”
*She starts to rummage through drawers.*
“Would definitely be helpful. Fucker’s stuck in here.”
*She eventually produces a well-loved one, handing it over.*
“That’s how ya know it’s good.”
*Nodnod. Vi stabs it in and starts twisting. It eventually comes out with a nice pop!*
“Theeeere we go! Here, ladies first.”
*Ze begins to pour her glass.*
“How sweet of ya… Thank ya kindly.”
*She swirls it a few times, sniffs, and sips.*
“….. Mmmh…. Nice and dry.”
“Glad you like it.”
*Shy pours hys own, seating nimself. Shy sets the bottle between them and off to the side.*
“Hard not to. Yer Petr is a master.”
*She sits across from aer, taking another sip before digging into her soup.*
“All we’re missin’ is a show.”
“Damn, I didn’t bring my major image projector.”
*Soup. Bigass bite of soup.*
“Oh yeah, you have one of ‘em, don’t you? Next time.”
*She dunks her bun into the soup. Om nom.*
“Next time.”
*Vi’s doing much of the same, like ze forgot shy was hungry until it was right in front of nim.*
*This is probably the fastest shy has seen Vanity eat, compared to the slow picking she tends to do elsewhere. She even stands for another bowl.*
*Ze smiles, letting per meal settle for a bit as shy stoops over nis wine.*
“…..Did you have any plans for us, or are we just hanging out?”
*She shrugs, sitting back down with her bowl.*
“Either or. We can play a few rounds downstairs, or find somethin’ ta do out of the house.”
“Hmmm..”
*Hy tries to think of what’s nearby because ze totally knows but the roleplayer does not.*
*There’s a late night market a little ways into town, and a park square that often has live music and dancing. There’s also a theatre, although the evening show would be well on its way by now.*
“Wanna go to the market? Or town square? Do you dance?”
*She grins over her wine glass.*
“Ooh… Both sound temptin’. There’s no sayin’ we can’t do one and then the other, yeah?”
*Nodnod.*
“Market first?”
“I think so, yeah.”
*Siiiip. Nom, nom.*
“Sounds like a plan.”
*Yummy wine :)*
*Very yummy. She polishes off her glass, along with the rest of her stew.*
“Fuck… That hit the spot.”
*Nodnod…*
“You’re a helluva cook.”
*She smiles.*
“Thanks… Yer a helluva dinner date.”
*She lifts her empty glass to cheers hys with.*
*Clink!*
“To our friendship.”
“To our friendship…”
*She smiles, faking a sip.*
*Shy cleans off per own glass and sets it down.*
“Wooh….. should we let the food settle a bit?”
“I think that’s a fair idea…”
*She nods, scooting her dishes aside and leaning back in her seat.*
*Ze does the same, drumming on the table.*
“…What do you call a horse that can’t lose a race?”
“… Hm…… I ain’t sure. What’s that?”
“A sherbet.”
*…….. She snorts, giggling softly.*
“That’s a good one… Sherbet.”
*Shy poses cutely.*
“Gods… I dunno. I don’t think I got any good jokes.”
“Got any bad ones?”
“Hm…. Okay. What’s green, has four wheels, and looks like a carriage?”
“…….Mm……..”
*A green carriage.*
“A plate of vegetables?”
“A green carriage.”
*Shy still laughs, dimples showing.*
“Nice.”
*She shrugs, smiling.*
“You asked fer bad… Yer turn.”
“…..When is a door not a door?”
“….. Wait! Fuck, I know this one. When…. When it’s…… Gods dammit. I know I know it.”
*She huffs, running through her mind palace.*
“……… When it’s ajar!!!!!”
*Ze laughs.*
“Yes!!”
*Clap clap clap.*
“See, you do know good jokes!”
*She laughs softly, rubbing at her neck.*
“I guess so… I can’t pull ‘em out quick enough like that.”
“We’ll up your improv game, it’s okay.”
*Ze winks.*
“Careful what ya wish for, Plum, I’ll be insufferable.”
*She giggles softly.*
“Just how I like my loved ones.”
*Shy smirks.*
“Gods, yeah… They’re my favorite people.”
“Join the party~~~~~~”
“Hehehe, I love a good party~…”
*Ze giggles.*
“Speaking of parties, you wanna head to the market?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
*She gets to her feet.*
“Lemme take care of these first.”
*Nodnod.*
“Alright. Sounds good.”
*Ze stands up too, stretching.*
*Her tail swish swishes behind her as she carries bowls and plates and glasses to her wash basin, giving them all a good scrub down. Bubbles float up past her ears.*
*……Shy giggles, and moves over, popping some of them.*
*She looks up at nim with a smile, popping one that goes towards Esquiline’s nose.*
*Vi blinks, and laughs a little harder.*
“I always liked bubbles. Me and my siblings would spend hours in the grass seeing who could blow the biggest one.”
*She smiles.*
“That’s sweet… Who usually won?”
“Usually, uhm.. Yaremi. Xe’s one of the twins.”
“Ah, I see.”
*She makes a ring with her thumb and middle finger, dunking her hand in the water. She blows a decent bubble.*
*Vi grins, carefully catching it in both hands once it settles.*
*She giggles softly, petting the air above the bubble.*
“Hello, bubble…”
“Hello, it’s me, bubble!! Thanks for creatin’ me!!”
*Very high and strong Yonan accent.*
“Oh my Gods, aren’t you charmin’…”
*She laughs, miming a little scritch on an imaginary forehead.*
“Yer very welcome, ‘lil fella.”
“Ooooh, thank you, that felt nice..”
*The bubble ‘nods’ as Esquiline tilts per wrists up and down.*
“‘Course! Everybody deserves a good scratch sometimes.”
“I agree—“
*Pop!*
….
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
*She gasps.*
“Oh fuck! No!!!”
“They died so young!!!!”
*Esq doubles over.*
“So young… They’ll always be remembered.”
*She holds her hand to her heart, a solemn look on her face.*
“They will……”
*Shy nods, looking sadly into the distance.*
“…What were we talking about again?”
“….. I have no fuckin’ clue.”
*…..Shy breaks out in giggles.*
“We would do great doing standup.”
*She follows suit, shaking her head.*
“First improv, and now stand-up… Let’s go on tour, Plum.”
*She dries the last of the dishes, and then her hands, before offering her elbow out.*
“What should our group be called?”
*Ze takes it.*
“Hm… Tall, Dark, and Plum.”
*She reaches up to touch her hair.*
*Vi laughs, leaning in to allow her.*
“I like it.”
“Good. We’ll be known over seas in no time.”
“Over planes, even.”
“Oh, we’ll be a fuckin’ hoot in the astral plane. Look out.”
“A hoot and a holler, I’d say.”
“A holler even? Hot damn.”
“We’re just that good.”
“I’ll have ‘ta believe ya then…”
*She giggles, leading zir out the door and down the road.*
*Hy grins, walking in time with her with a smile on per face.*
*The walk isn’t long. The sounds of a lively market draws them in, many vendors under dancing lights illuminating the road enough to see in the twilight. People yell out from their booths to catch the attention of any passerby.*
*Hyr ears twitch this way and that, listening out for a good deal.*
“…Looking for anything in particular?”
“Eh… I usually come down fer food, but I’m stuffed from dinner. There’s some jewelers and magic item dealers that I peek at from time ‘ta time, if only for presents.”
*Shy nods.*
“Might look for something that Jed’ll like….”
*There’s a familiar accent yelling out that keeps quieting itself the second Esquiline begins to pick it up. Shy looks around for it, and in the distance are patterns and designs from hys childhood. Vir eyes sparkle.*
“……Oh I’m about to make him cry.”
“Oh yeah? Make sure I’m there.”
*She giggles, letting her friend lead them towards the source of the voice.*
“Will do.”
*Ze leads her to a stall with a man who looks quite like hyr in it.*
‘Jewelry! Get traditional Vistani jewelry here!’
*Shy approaches, and the vendor stops, and smiles. Esquiline speaks up first.*
“Sastipe!”
*The man’s grin widens.*
‘Sastipe, friends! So śaj te lav tuqe?’
*Oh fuck his dialect is different than mine.*
“I’m looking for a gift for my fiancee. He’s Chaac, but we’re getting married soon, and I want him to feel like he’s truly part of the family…”
*Shy hums, looking over his various wares.*
“…Ooh, he’d love this.”
*Ze motions at a hand-embroidered shirt, then looks to Vanny.*
“What do you think?”
*She looks enthralled, eyeing all of the other jewelry curiously. Her eyes go to the shirt.*
“Oh fuck yeah. Fancy pants would love that.”
*Vi smiles.*
“He’d probably never take it off.”
*Shy looks at where Vanny was looking before, at the jewelry. Ze eyes a particular piece and jerks per head at it.*
“Vi akava, lake. Mangav tut.”
*The man takes a second to figure what ze means, and nods, taking the bracelet off the display hook and setting it on top of the shirt.*
‘Anything else?’
*Ze hums, looking around. Ae can’t help but feel a little homesick.*
“…..I haven’t done tarokka in ages….. how much for a deck?”
‘One gold each.’
“…..Fuck it, sure.”
*Shy picks out a pretty deck with linework that moves over itself and then digs the money out vir pocket, handing it over as the man hands hyr a paper bag.*
“Nais tuqe but!”
*Ze gives him a smile and a nod, and takes the bracelet out of the bag, offering it to Vanny.*
“What? That’s fer me?”
*She gently takes it from hyr, turning it iver in her hands.*
“Yeah, I saw you looking at it, and I thought it’d look nice… you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want.”
*A couple of days pass. There’s a letter in Esquiline’s mailbox.*
*Vi does a double take, because the only mail hy gets is from per fuckass landlord or spam. Shy opens it.*
*Ze doesn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but the tone of the author gives itself away. And the nickname.*
Hey, Plum. I don’t have that fancy mind link thing you and Crossroads do, so I figured a letter would work just fine. Wanna hang out tonight? Just us girls. I sent Walsh over to Crossroads so he won’t get lonely.
Just reply yes or no in my head. Save a tree, I guess.
Vanny
*…Ze smiles, reading it over again.*
*Hey, Vanny. I’m good to hang out. What time should I come?*
*Oh, thank fuck it got there. I was worried I had the wrong address.*
*She laughs.*
*I’m just about ‘ta put dinner on, are ya hungry?*
*Ooh, yeah, I could eat. What’s on the menu?*
*Some bean and veggie stew, and sourdough rolls I baked this morning. I had a few carrots and celery I had ‘ta use up before it went bad.*
*Perfect. I’ll bring some wine. Red or white?*
*Fuuuck, that sounds so good… Red’ll go good with the stew. Come on over whenever, it’ll be done in an hour or so.*
*Alright, lemme get dressed, feed the cats n’ such.*
*No rush, I’ll be here.*
*Ze lets the line go quiet, smiling softly. Vi wanders to their room for kitty time.*
*She waits for a second, and when she hears no more, she nods. Ae’ll be over soon enough.*
….
….
….
*40-ish minutes later, there’s a knock on her door.*
*….. And it opens! Vanity stands there in a simple white linen shirt and long lavender cotton skirt, held up by a braided leather belt.*
“Hiya. How’s yer day been?”
*Ze’s in a flowy sleeveless red dress that stops at per knees. Their hair is in two twin buns. Shy smiles.*
“Pretty good, casual, trying to stay out of the heat. Yours?”
“Ditto. It’s a fuckin’ inferno out there.”
*She waves hyr in and up the stairs, shutting the door behind them.*
“So naturally I made stew.”
“Oh of course.”
*Ze laughs, following easy. Shy sets a nice bottle of Petr’s wine on the table.*
“Once my baba made a spicy hot stew on the solstice. I don’t know how we survived.”
*She laughs.*
“That type’a shit builds character! I knew a guy who would only ever eat ice cream when it was cold out. Said it makes ya feel warmer or somethin’. I think he was just microdosin’ himself with hypothermia.”
*Ze snorts.*
“That is how hypothermia works, to be fair to him. You feel warmer when you’re getting colder, it’s like alcohol rules.”
“Yeah… I s’pose yer right, there. Still funny ‘ta me.”
*She inspects the bottle with a smile.*
“Oh Hells yeah, good shit. Can’t wait ‘ta pop that open.”
“I knew you would like it.”
*Ze grins with pride.*
“We can open it now, if you want.”
“Nah, I’ll wait a bit. Don’t wanna spoil my appetite.”
*Speaking of, it smells soooo fucking good in her home.*
“Yeah, better not. Smells too amazing to not eat.”
*She grins, lifting her chin with pride.*
“Think so? I kinda just measured with the heart. Hope it’s as good as ya think it smells.”
“Nah, measuring with the heart is always better than a true recipe. I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
“Well… Here. Try a bite.”
*She digs out a spoon from her drawers and scoops a good portion of veggies and broth, holding it out to nim with a hand beneath to catch droplets.*
*Vi leans forwards and takes that spoonful into per mouth.*
*Ae cannot remember the last time hy had a stew with such deep flavor.*
“Mmnh.”
*Shy throws vir head back and gives the nod, chewing and swallowing.*
“Holy fuck, V.”
*She laughs, though her cheeks warm slightly.*
“Good? I hope I didn’t just poison you.”
“If I did it’ll be a great way to die.”
*…….Don’t think about that.*
“I doubt you did. It’s great. Have a bite yourself.”
*She hums, scooping her own little bite and shoving it in her pie-hole.*
“…. Might as well put a baby in me, fucking Hells. Mmh.”
*Vi surprises hyrself with a snort, and laughs.*
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“We’re gonna eat so good tonight… I’ll send some home with ya for big man, don’t worry.”
*She pulls down two plates, and then two bowls.*
“He’ll appreciate it greatly, I know that for a fact.”
*Shy sets the napkins at the table and grabs two wine glasses.*
“I bet… It’s good ‘ta see him eatin’ so well.”
*She grabs a bun for her plate.*
“You want a bun too?”
“Sure. And, same. We might have to pop a few seams on his suits soon, and I couldn’t be happier.”
*Ze chuckles.*
“Better out than in… He’s been a skeleton as long as I’ve known him.”
*Vi nods. She thinks back to when ze first left him, and per smile falters.*
“… Yer a good influence on ‘im.”
*She pats hys arm, and then offers hyr abun to snack on.*
*Ze blinks, coming back to reality. That smile returns as shy takes it.*
“So are you.”
*Nom.*
*Pretty nummers!!!*
“Eh… You cracked him open more than I ever managed.”
“Doesn’t mean you didn’t pull a lot of the weight.”
*Hip check.*
“These rolls are so fucking good.”
*She grins, tongue caught between her teeth.*
“Thanks. That I know for sure is true.”
*Nodnod. Big ol’ bite.*
“Gnna have to steal some of these, too.”
“If there’s any left…”
*She giggles, gesturing at their place settings.*
“We might as well dish up properly. After you.”
*Ze nods and takes per bowl, filling it up a little under halfway and setting it down on the table. Shy begins to fuck with the wine cork.*
*Vanity dishes herself up about the same amount, taking the other setting.*
“I might have a corkscrew somewhere, hold on.”
*She starts to rummage through drawers.*
“Would definitely be helpful. Fucker’s stuck in here.”
*She eventually produces a well-loved one, handing it over.*
“That’s how ya know it’s good.”
*Nodnod. Vi stabs it in and starts twisting. It eventually comes out with a nice pop!*
“Theeeere we go! Here, ladies first.”
*Ze begins to pour her glass.*
“How sweet of ya… Thank ya kindly.”
*She swirls it a few times, sniffs, and sips.*
“….. Mmmh…. Nice and dry.”
“Glad you like it.”
*Shy pours hys own, seating nimself. Shy sets the bottle between them and off to the side.*
“Hard not to. Yer Petr is a master.”
*She sits across from aer, taking another sip before digging into her soup.*
“All we’re missin’ is a show.”
“Damn, I didn’t bring my major image projector.”
*Soup. Bigass bite of soup.*
“Oh yeah, you have one of ‘em, don’t you? Next time.”
*She dunks her bun into the soup. Om nom.*
“Next time.”
*Vi’s doing much of the same, like ze forgot shy was hungry until it was right in front of nim.*
*This is probably the fastest shy has seen Vanity eat, compared to the slow picking she tends to do elsewhere. She even stands for another bowl.*
*Ze smiles, letting per meal settle for a bit as shy stoops over nis wine.*
“…..Did you have any plans for us, or are we just hanging out?”
*She shrugs, sitting back down with her bowl.*
“Either or. We can play a few rounds downstairs, or find somethin’ ta do out of the house.”
“Hmmm..”
*Hy tries to think of what’s nearby because ze totally knows but the roleplayer does not.*
*There’s a late night market a little ways into town, and a park square that often has live music and dancing. There’s also a theatre, although the evening show would be well on its way by now.*
“Wanna go to the market? Or town square? Do you dance?”
*She grins over her wine glass.*
“Ooh… Both sound temptin’. There’s no sayin’ we can’t do one and then the other, yeah?”
*Nodnod.*
“Market first?”
“I think so, yeah.”
*Siiiip. Nom, nom.*
“Sounds like a plan.”
*Yummy wine :)*
*Very yummy. She polishes off her glass, along with the rest of her stew.*
“Fuck… That hit the spot.”
*Nodnod…*
“You’re a helluva cook.”
*She smiles.*
“Thanks… Yer a helluva dinner date.”
*She lifts her empty glass to cheers hys with.*
*Clink!*
“To our friendship.”
“To our friendship…”
*She smiles, faking a sip.*
*Shy cleans off per own glass and sets it down.*
“Wooh….. should we let the food settle a bit?”
“I think that’s a fair idea…”
*She nods, scooting her dishes aside and leaning back in her seat.*
*Ze does the same, drumming on the table.*
“…What do you call a horse that can’t lose a race?”
“… Hm…… I ain’t sure. What’s that?”
“A sherbet.”
*…….. She snorts, giggling softly.*
“That’s a good one… Sherbet.”
*Shy poses cutely.*
“Gods… I dunno. I don’t think I got any good jokes.”
“Got any bad ones?”
“Hm…. Okay. What’s green, has four wheels, and looks like a carriage?”
“…….Mm……..”
*A green carriage.*
“A plate of vegetables?”
“A green carriage.”
*Shy still laughs, dimples showing.*
“Nice.”
*She shrugs, smiling.*
“You asked fer bad… Yer turn.”
“…..When is a door not a door?”
“….. Wait! Fuck, I know this one. When…. When it’s…… Gods dammit. I know I know it.”
*She huffs, running through her mind palace.*
“……… When it’s ajar!!!!!”
*Ze laughs.*
“Yes!!”
*Clap clap clap.*
“See, you do know good jokes!”
*She laughs softly, rubbing at her neck.*
“I guess so… I can’t pull ‘em out quick enough like that.”
“We’ll up your improv game, it’s okay.”
*Ze winks.*
“Careful what ya wish for, Plum, I’ll be insufferable.”
*She giggles softly.*
“Just how I like my loved ones.”
*Shy smirks.*
“Gods, yeah… They’re my favorite people.”
“Join the party~~~~~~”
“Hehehe, I love a good party~…”
*Ze giggles.*
“Speaking of parties, you wanna head to the market?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
*She gets to her feet.*
“Lemme take care of these first.”
*Nodnod.*
“Alright. Sounds good.”
*Ze stands up too, stretching.*
*Her tail swish swishes behind her as she carries bowls and plates and glasses to her wash basin, giving them all a good scrub down. Bubbles float up past her ears.*
*……Shy giggles, and moves over, popping some of them.*
*She looks up at nim with a smile, popping one that goes towards Esquiline’s nose.*
*Vi blinks, and laughs a little harder.*
“I always liked bubbles. Me and my siblings would spend hours in the grass seeing who could blow the biggest one.”
*She smiles.*
“That’s sweet… Who usually won?”
“Usually, uhm.. Yaremi. Xe’s one of the twins.”
“Ah, I see.”
*She makes a ring with her thumb and middle finger, dunking her hand in the water. She blows a decent bubble.*
*Vi grins, carefully catching it in both hands once it settles.*
*She giggles softly, petting the air above the bubble.*
“Hello, bubble…”
“Hello, it’s me, bubble!! Thanks for creatin’ me!!”
*Very high and strong Yonan accent.*
“Oh my Gods, aren’t you charmin’…”
*She laughs, miming a little scritch on an imaginary forehead.*
“Yer very welcome, ‘lil fella.”
“Ooooh, thank you, that felt nice..”
*The bubble ‘nods’ as Esquiline tilts per wrists up and down.*
“‘Course! Everybody deserves a good scratch sometimes.”
“I agree—“
*Pop!*
….
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
*She gasps.*
“Oh fuck! No!!!”
“They died so young!!!!”
*Esq doubles over.*
“So young… They’ll always be remembered.”
*She holds her hand to her heart, a solemn look on her face.*
“They will……”
*Shy nods, looking sadly into the distance.*
“…What were we talking about again?”
“….. I have no fuckin’ clue.”
*…..Shy breaks out in giggles.*
“We would do great doing standup.”
*She follows suit, shaking her head.*
“First improv, and now stand-up… Let’s go on tour, Plum.”
*She dries the last of the dishes, and then her hands, before offering her elbow out.*
“What should our group be called?”
*Ze takes it.*
“Hm… Tall, Dark, and Plum.”
*She reaches up to touch her hair.*
*Vi laughs, leaning in to allow her.*
“I like it.”
“Good. We’ll be known over seas in no time.”
“Over planes, even.”
“Oh, we’ll be a fuckin’ hoot in the astral plane. Look out.”
“A hoot and a holler, I’d say.”
“A holler even? Hot damn.”
“We’re just that good.”
“I’ll have ‘ta believe ya then…”
*She giggles, leading zir out the door and down the road.*
*Hy grins, walking in time with her with a smile on per face.*
*The walk isn’t long. The sounds of a lively market draws them in, many vendors under dancing lights illuminating the road enough to see in the twilight. People yell out from their booths to catch the attention of any passerby.*
*Hyr ears twitch this way and that, listening out for a good deal.*
“…Looking for anything in particular?”
“Eh… I usually come down fer food, but I’m stuffed from dinner. There’s some jewelers and magic item dealers that I peek at from time ‘ta time, if only for presents.”
*Shy nods.*
“Might look for something that Jed’ll like….”
*There’s a familiar accent yelling out that keeps quieting itself the second Esquiline begins to pick it up. Shy looks around for it, and in the distance are patterns and designs from hys childhood. Vir eyes sparkle.*
“……Oh I’m about to make him cry.”
“Oh yeah? Make sure I’m there.”
*She giggles, letting her friend lead them towards the source of the voice.*
“Will do.”
*Ze leads her to a stall with a man who looks quite like hyr in it.*
‘Jewelry! Get traditional Vistani jewelry here!’
*Shy approaches, and the vendor stops, and smiles. Esquiline speaks up first.*
“Sastipe!”
*The man’s grin widens.*
‘Sastipe, friends! So śaj te lav tuqe?’
*Oh fuck his dialect is different than mine.*
“I’m looking for a gift for my fiancee. He’s Chaac, but we’re getting married soon, and I want him to feel like he’s truly part of the family…”
*Shy hums, looking over his various wares.*
“…Ooh, he’d love this.”
*Ze motions at a hand-embroidered shirt, then looks to Vanny.*
“What do you think?”
*She looks enthralled, eyeing all of the other jewelry curiously. Her eyes go to the shirt.*
“Oh fuck yeah. Fancy pants would love that.”
*Vi smiles.*
“He’d probably never take it off.”
*Shy looks at where Vanny was looking before, at the jewelry. Ze eyes a particular piece and jerks per head at it.*
“Vi akava, lake. Mangav tut.”
*The man takes a second to figure what ze means, and nods, taking the bracelet off the display hook and setting it on top of the shirt.*
‘Anything else?’
*Ze hums, looking around. Ae can’t help but feel a little homesick.*
“…..I haven’t done tarokka in ages….. how much for a deck?”
‘One gold each.’
“…..Fuck it, sure.”
*Shy picks out a pretty deck with linework that moves over itself and then digs the money out vir pocket, handing it over as the man hands hyr a paper bag.*
“Nais tuqe but!”
*Ze gives him a smile and a nod, and takes the bracelet out of the bag, offering it to Vanny.*
*A couple of days pass. There’s a letter in Esquiline’s mailbox.*
*Vi does a double take, because the only mail hy gets is from per fuckass landlord or spam. Shy opens it.*
*Ze doesn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but the tone of the author gives itself away. And the nickname.*
Hey, Plum. I don’t have that fancy mind link thing you and Crossroads do, so I figured a letter would work just fine. Wanna hang out tonight? Just us girls. I sent Walsh over to Crossroads so he won’t get lonely.
Just reply yes or no in my head. Save a tree, I guess.
Vanny
*…Ze smiles, reading it over again.*
*Hey, Vanny. I’m good to hang out. What time should I come?*
*Oh, thank fuck it got there. I was worried I had the wrong address.*
*She laughs.*
*I’m just about ‘ta put dinner on, are ya hungry?*
*Ooh, yeah, I could eat. What’s on the menu?*
*Some bean and veggie stew, and sourdough rolls I baked this morning. I had a few carrots and celery I had ‘ta use up before it went bad.*
*Perfect. I’ll bring some wine. Red or white?*
*Fuuuck, that sounds so good… Red’ll go good with the stew. Come on over whenever, it’ll be done in an hour or so.*
*Alright, lemme get dressed, feed the cats n’ such.*
*No rush, I’ll be here.*
*Ze lets the line go quiet, smiling softly. Vi wanders to their room for kitty time.*
*She waits for a second, and when she hears no more, she nods. Ae’ll be over soon enough.*
….
….
….
*40-ish minutes later, there’s a knock on her door.*
*….. And it opens! Vanity stands there in a simple white linen shirt and long lavender cotton skirt, held up by a braided leather belt.*
“Hiya. How’s yer day been?”
*Ze’s in a flowy sleeveless red dress that stops at per knees. Their hair is in two twin buns. Shy smiles.*
“Pretty good, casual, trying to stay out of the heat. Yours?”
“Ditto. It’s a fuckin’ inferno out there.”
*She waves hyr in and up the stairs, shutting the door behind them.*
“So naturally I made stew.”
“Oh of course.”
*Ze laughs, following easy. Shy sets a nice bottle of Petr’s wine on the table.*
“Once my baba made a spicy hot stew on the solstice. I don’t know how we survived.”
*She laughs.*
“That type’a shit builds character! I knew a guy who would only ever eat ice cream when it was cold out. Said it makes ya feel warmer or somethin’. I think he was just microdosin’ himself with hypothermia.”
*Ze snorts.*
“That is how hypothermia works, to be fair to him. You feel warmer when you’re getting colder, it’s like alcohol rules.”
“Yeah… I s’pose yer right, there. Still funny ‘ta me.”
*She inspects the bottle with a smile.*
“Oh Hells yeah, good shit. Can’t wait ‘ta pop that open.”
“I knew you would like it.”
*Ze grins with pride.*
“We can open it now, if you want.”
“Nah, I’ll wait a bit. Don’t wanna spoil my appetite.”
*Speaking of, it smells soooo fucking good in her home.*
“Yeah, better not. Smells too amazing to not eat.”
*She grins, lifting her chin with pride.*
“Think so? I kinda just measured with the heart. Hope it’s as good as ya think it smells.”
“Nah, measuring with the heart is always better than a true recipe. I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
“Well… Here. Try a bite.”
*She digs out a spoon from her drawers and scoops a good portion of veggies and broth, holding it out to nim with a hand beneath to catch droplets.*
*Vi leans forwards and takes that spoonful into per mouth.*
*Ae cannot remember the last time hy had a stew with such deep flavor.*
“Mmnh.”
*Shy throws vir head back and gives the nod, chewing and swallowing.*
“Holy fuck, V.”
*She laughs, though her cheeks warm slightly.*
“Good? I hope I didn’t just poison you.”
“If I did it’ll be a great way to die.”
*…….Don’t think about that.*
“I doubt you did. It’s great. Have a bite yourself.”
*She hums, scooping her own little bite and shoving it in her pie-hole.*
“…. Might as well put a baby in me, fucking Hells. Mmh.”
*Vi surprises hyrself with a snort, and laughs.*
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“We’re gonna eat so good tonight… I’ll send some home with ya for big man, don’t worry.”
*She pulls down two plates, and then two bowls.*
“He’ll appreciate it greatly, I know that for a fact.”
*Shy sets the napkins at the table and grabs two wine glasses.*
“I bet… It’s good ‘ta see him eatin’ so well.”
*She grabs a bun for her plate.*
“You want a bun too?”
“Sure. And, same. We might have to pop a few seams on his suits soon, and I couldn’t be happier.”
*Ze chuckles.*
“Better out than in… He’s been a skeleton as long as I’ve known him.”
*Vi nods. She thinks back to when ze first left him, and per smile falters.*
“… Yer a good influence on ‘im.”
*She pats hys arm, and then offers hyr abun to snack on.*
*Ze blinks, coming back to reality. That smile returns as shy takes it.*
“So are you.”
*Nom.*
*Pretty nummers!!!*
“Eh… You cracked him open more than I ever managed.”
“Doesn’t mean you didn’t pull a lot of the weight.”
*Hip check.*
“These rolls are so fucking good.”
*She grins, tongue caught between her teeth.*
“Thanks. That I know for sure is true.”
*Nodnod. Big ol’ bite.*
“Gnna have to steal some of these, too.”
“If there’s any left…”
*She giggles, gesturing at their place settings.*
“We might as well dish up properly. After you.”
*Ze nods and takes per bowl, filling it up a little under halfway and setting it down on the table. Shy begins to fuck with the wine cork.*
*Vanity dishes herself up about the same amount, taking the other setting.*
“I might have a corkscrew somewhere, hold on.”
*She starts to rummage through drawers.*
“Would definitely be helpful. Fucker’s stuck in here.”
*She eventually produces a well-loved one, handing it over.*
“That’s how ya know it’s good.”
*Nodnod. Vi stabs it in and starts twisting. It eventually comes out with a nice pop!*
“Theeeere we go! Here, ladies first.”
*Ze begins to pour her glass.*
“How sweet of ya… Thank ya kindly.”
*She swirls it a few times, sniffs, and sips.*
“….. Mmmh…. Nice and dry.”
“Glad you like it.”
*Shy pours hys own, seating nimself. Shy sets the bottle between them and off to the side.*
“Hard not to. Yer Petr is a master.”
*She sits across from aer, taking another sip before digging into her soup.*
“All we’re missin’ is a show.”
“Damn, I didn’t bring my major image projector.”
*Soup. Bigass bite of soup.*
“Oh yeah, you have one of ‘em, don’t you? Next time.”
*She dunks her bun into the soup. Om nom.*
“Next time.”
*Vi’s doing much of the same, like ze forgot shy was hungry until it was right in front of nim.*
*This is probably the fastest shy has seen Vanity eat, compared to the slow picking she tends to do elsewhere. She even stands for another bowl.*
*Ze smiles, letting per meal settle for a bit as shy stoops over nis wine.*
“…..Did you have any plans for us, or are we just hanging out?”
*She shrugs, sitting back down with her bowl.*
“Either or. We can play a few rounds downstairs, or find somethin’ ta do out of the house.”
“Hmmm..”
*Hy tries to think of what’s nearby because ze totally knows but the roleplayer does not.*
*There’s a late night market a little ways into town, and a park square that often has live music and dancing. There’s also a theatre, although the evening show would be well on its way by now.*
“Wanna go to the market? Or town square? Do you dance?”
*She grins over her wine glass.*
“Ooh… Both sound temptin’. There’s no sayin’ we can’t do one and then the other, yeah?”
*Nodnod.*
“Market first?”
“I think so, yeah.”
*Siiiip. Nom, nom.*
“Sounds like a plan.”
*Yummy wine :)*
*Very yummy. She polishes off her glass, along with the rest of her stew.*
“Fuck… That hit the spot.”
*Nodnod…*
“You’re a helluva cook.”
*She smiles.*
“Thanks… Yer a helluva dinner date.”
*She lifts her empty glass to cheers hys with.*
*Clink!*
“To our friendship.”
“To our friendship…”
*She smiles, faking a sip.*
*Shy cleans off per own glass and sets it down.*
“Wooh….. should we let the food settle a bit?”
“I think that’s a fair idea…”
*She nods, scooting her dishes aside and leaning back in her seat.*
*Ze does the same, drumming on the table.*
“…What do you call a horse that can’t lose a race?”
“… Hm…… I ain’t sure. What’s that?”
“A sherbet.”
*…….. She snorts, giggling softly.*
“That’s a good one… Sherbet.”
*Shy poses cutely.*
“Gods… I dunno. I don’t think I got any good jokes.”
“Got any bad ones?”
“Hm…. Okay. What’s green, has four wheels, and looks like a carriage?”
“…….Mm……..”
*A green carriage.*
“A plate of vegetables?”
“A green carriage.”
*Shy still laughs, dimples showing.*
“Nice.”
*She shrugs, smiling.*
“You asked fer bad… Yer turn.”
“…..When is a door not a door?”
“….. Wait! Fuck, I know this one. When…. When it’s…… Gods dammit. I know I know it.”
*She huffs, running through her mind palace.*
“……… When it’s ajar!!!!!”
*Ze laughs.*
“Yes!!”
*Clap clap clap.*
“See, you do know good jokes!”
*She laughs softly, rubbing at her neck.*
“I guess so… I can’t pull ‘em out quick enough like that.”
“We’ll up your improv game, it’s okay.”
*Ze winks.*
“Careful what ya wish for, Plum, I’ll be insufferable.”
*She giggles softly.*
“Just how I like my loved ones.”
*Shy smirks.*
“Gods, yeah… They’re my favorite people.”
“Join the party~~~~~~”
“Hehehe, I love a good party~…”
*Ze giggles.*
“Speaking of parties, you wanna head to the market?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
*She gets to her feet.*
“Lemme take care of these first.”
*Nodnod.*
“Alright. Sounds good.”
*Ze stands up too, stretching.*
*Her tail swish swishes behind her as she carries bowls and plates and glasses to her wash basin, giving them all a good scrub down. Bubbles float up past her ears.*
*……Shy giggles, and moves over, popping some of them.*
*She looks up at nim with a smile, popping one that goes towards Esquiline’s nose.*
*Vi blinks, and laughs a little harder.*
“I always liked bubbles. Me and my siblings would spend hours in the grass seeing who could blow the biggest one.”
*She smiles.*
“That’s sweet… Who usually won?”
“Usually, uhm.. Yaremi. Xe’s one of the twins.”
“Ah, I see.”
*She makes a ring with her thumb and middle finger, dunking her hand in the water. She blows a decent bubble.*
*Vi grins, carefully catching it in both hands once it settles.*
*She giggles softly, petting the air above the bubble.*
“Hello, bubble…”
“Hello, it’s me, bubble!! Thanks for creatin’ me!!”
*Very high and strong Yonan accent.*
“Oh my Gods, aren’t you charmin’…”
*She laughs, miming a little scritch on an imaginary forehead.*
“Yer very welcome, ‘lil fella.”
“Ooooh, thank you, that felt nice..”
*The bubble ‘nods’ as Esquiline tilts per wrists up and down.*
“‘Course! Everybody deserves a good scratch sometimes.”
“I agree—“
*Pop!*
….
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
*She gasps.*
“Oh fuck! No!!!”
“They died so young!!!!”
*Esq doubles over.*
“So young… They’ll always be remembered.”
*She holds her hand to her heart, a solemn look on her face.*
“They will……”
*Shy nods, looking sadly into the distance.*
“…What were we talking about again?”
“….. I have no fuckin’ clue.”
*…..Shy breaks out in giggles.*
“We would do great doing standup.”
*She follows suit, shaking her head.*
“First improv, and now stand-up… Let’s go on tour, Plum.”
*She dries the last of the dishes, and then her hands, before offering her elbow out.*
“What should our group be called?”
*Ze takes it.*
“Hm… Tall, Dark, and Plum.”
*She reaches up to touch her hair.*
*Vi laughs, leaning in to allow her.*
“I like it.”
“Good. We’ll be known over seas in no time.”
“Over planes, even.”
“Oh, we’ll be a fuckin’ hoot in the astral plane. Look out.”
“A hoot and a holler, I’d say.”
“A holler even? Hot damn.”
“We’re just that good.”
“I’ll have ‘ta believe ya then…”
*She giggles, leading zir out the door and down the road.*
*Hy grins, walking in time with her with a smile on per face.*
*The walk isn’t long. The sounds of a lively market draws them in, many vendors under dancing lights illuminating the road enough to see in the twilight. People yell out from their booths to catch the attention of any passerby.*
*Hyr ears twitch this way and that, listening out for a good deal.*
“…Looking for anything in particular?”
“Eh… I usually come down fer food, but I’m stuffed from dinner. There’s some jewelers and magic item dealers that I peek at from time ‘ta time, if only for presents.”
*Shy nods.*
“Might look for something that Jed’ll like….”
*There’s a familiar accent yelling out that keeps quieting itself the second Esquiline begins to pick it up. Shy looks around for it, and in the distance are patterns and designs from hys childhood. Vir eyes sparkle.*
“……Oh I’m about to make him cry.”
“Oh yeah? Make sure I’m there.”
*She giggles, letting her friend lead them towards the source of the voice.*
“Will do.”
*Ze leads her to a stall with a man who looks quite like hyr in it.*
‘Jewelry! Get traditional Vistani jewelry here!’
*Shy approaches, and the vendor stops, and smiles. Esquiline speaks up first.*
“Sastipe!”
*The man’s grin widens.*
‘Sastipe, friends! So śaj te lav tuqe?’
*Oh fuck his dialect is different than mine.*
“I’m looking for a gift for my fiancee. He’s Chaac, but we’re getting married soon, and I want him to feel like he’s truly part of the family…”
*Shy hums, looking over his various wares.*
“…Ooh, he’d love this.”
*Ze motions at a hand-embroidered shirt, then looks to Vanny.*
“What do you think?”
*A couple of days pass. There’s a letter in Esquiline’s mailbox.*
*Vi does a double take, because the only mail hy gets is from per fuckass landlord or spam. Shy opens it.*
*Ze doesn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but the tone of the author gives itself away. And the nickname.*
Hey, Plum. I don’t have that fancy mind link thing you and Crossroads do, so I figured a letter would work just fine. Wanna hang out tonight? Just us girls. I sent Walsh over to Crossroads so he won’t get lonely.
Just reply yes or no in my head. Save a tree, I guess.
Vanny
*…Ze smiles, reading it over again.*
*Hey, Vanny. I’m good to hang out. What time should I come?*
*Oh, thank fuck it got there. I was worried I had the wrong address.*
*She laughs.*
*I’m just about ‘ta put dinner on, are ya hungry?*
*Ooh, yeah, I could eat. What’s on the menu?*
*Some bean and veggie stew, and sourdough rolls I baked this morning. I had a few carrots and celery I had ‘ta use up before it went bad.*
*Perfect. I’ll bring some wine. Red or white?*
*Fuuuck, that sounds so good… Red’ll go good with the stew. Come on over whenever, it’ll be done in an hour or so.*
*Alright, lemme get dressed, feed the cats n’ such.*
*No rush, I’ll be here.*
*Ze lets the line go quiet, smiling softly. Vi wanders to their room for kitty time.*
*She waits for a second, and when she hears no more, she nods. Ae’ll be over soon enough.*
….
….
….
*40-ish minutes later, there’s a knock on her door.*
*….. And it opens! Vanity stands there in a simple white linen shirt and long lavender cotton skirt, held up by a braided leather belt.*
“Hiya. How’s yer day been?”
*Ze’s in a flowy sleeveless red dress that stops at per knees. Their hair is in two twin buns. Shy smiles.*
“Pretty good, casual, trying to stay out of the heat. Yours?”
“Ditto. It’s a fuckin’ inferno out there.”
*She waves hyr in and up the stairs, shutting the door behind them.*
“So naturally I made stew.”
“Oh of course.”
*Ze laughs, following easy. Shy sets a nice bottle of Petr’s wine on the table.*
“Once my baba made a spicy hot stew on the solstice. I don’t know how we survived.”
*She laughs.*
“That type’a shit builds character! I knew a guy who would only ever eat ice cream when it was cold out. Said it makes ya feel warmer or somethin’. I think he was just microdosin’ himself with hypothermia.”
*Ze snorts.*
“That is how hypothermia works, to be fair to him. You feel warmer when you’re getting colder, it’s like alcohol rules.”
“Yeah… I s’pose yer right, there. Still funny ‘ta me.”
*She inspects the bottle with a smile.*
“Oh Hells yeah, good shit. Can’t wait ‘ta pop that open.”
“I knew you would like it.”
*Ze grins with pride.*
“We can open it now, if you want.”
“Nah, I’ll wait a bit. Don’t wanna spoil my appetite.”
*Speaking of, it smells soooo fucking good in her home.*
“Yeah, better not. Smells too amazing to not eat.”
*She grins, lifting her chin with pride.*
“Think so? I kinda just measured with the heart. Hope it’s as good as ya think it smells.”
“Nah, measuring with the heart is always better than a true recipe. I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
“Well… Here. Try a bite.”
*She digs out a spoon from her drawers and scoops a good portion of veggies and broth, holding it out to nim with a hand beneath to catch droplets.*
*Vi leans forwards and takes that spoonful into per mouth.*
*Ae cannot remember the last time hy had a stew with such deep flavor.*
“Mmnh.”
*Shy throws vir head back and gives the nod, chewing and swallowing.*
“Holy fuck, V.”
*She laughs, though her cheeks warm slightly.*
“Good? I hope I didn’t just poison you.”
“If I did it’ll be a great way to die.”
*…….Don’t think about that.*
“I doubt you did. It’s great. Have a bite yourself.”
*She hums, scooping her own little bite and shoving it in her pie-hole.*
“…. Might as well put a baby in me, fucking Hells. Mmh.”
*Vi surprises hyrself with a snort, and laughs.*
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“We’re gonna eat so good tonight… I’ll send some home with ya for big man, don’t worry.”
*She pulls down two plates, and then two bowls.*
“He’ll appreciate it greatly, I know that for a fact.”
*Shy sets the napkins at the table and grabs two wine glasses.*
“I bet… It’s good ‘ta see him eatin’ so well.”
*She grabs a bun for her plate.*
“You want a bun too?”
“Sure. And, same. We might have to pop a few seams on his suits soon, and I couldn’t be happier.”
*Ze chuckles.*
“Better out than in… He’s been a skeleton as long as I’ve known him.”
*Vi nods. She thinks back to when ze first left him, and per smile falters.*
“… Yer a good influence on ‘im.”
*She pats hys arm, and then offers hyr abun to snack on.*
*Ze blinks, coming back to reality. That smile returns as shy takes it.*
“So are you.”
*Nom.*
*Pretty nummers!!!*
“Eh… You cracked him open more than I ever managed.”
“Doesn’t mean you didn’t pull a lot of the weight.”
*Hip check.*
“These rolls are so fucking good.”
*She grins, tongue caught between her teeth.*
“Thanks. That I know for sure is true.”
*Nodnod. Big ol’ bite.*
“Gnna have to steal some of these, too.”
“If there’s any left…”
*She giggles, gesturing at their place settings.*
“We might as well dish up properly. After you.”
*Ze nods and takes per bowl, filling it up a little under halfway and setting it down on the table. Shy begins to fuck with the wine cork.*
*Vanity dishes herself up about the same amount, taking the other setting.*
“I might have a corkscrew somewhere, hold on.”
*She starts to rummage through drawers.*
“Would definitely be helpful. Fucker’s stuck in here.”
*She eventually produces a well-loved one, handing it over.*
“That’s how ya know it’s good.”
*Nodnod. Vi stabs it in and starts twisting. It eventually comes out with a nice pop!*
“Theeeere we go! Here, ladies first.”
*Ze begins to pour her glass.*
“How sweet of ya… Thank ya kindly.”
*She swirls it a few times, sniffs, and sips.*
“….. Mmmh…. Nice and dry.”
“Glad you like it.”
*Shy pours hys own, seating nimself. Shy sets the bottle between them and off to the side.*
“Hard not to. Yer Petr is a master.”
*She sits across from aer, taking another sip before digging into her soup.*
“All we’re missin’ is a show.”
“Damn, I didn’t bring my major image projector.”
*Soup. Bigass bite of soup.*
“Oh yeah, you have one of ‘em, don’t you? Next time.”
*She dunks her bun into the soup. Om nom.*
“Next time.”
*Vi’s doing much of the same, like ze forgot shy was hungry until it was right in front of nim.*
*This is probably the fastest shy has seen Vanity eat, compared to the slow picking she tends to do elsewhere. She even stands for another bowl.*
*Ze smiles, letting per meal settle for a bit as shy stoops over nis wine.*
“…..Did you have any plans for us, or are we just hanging out?”
*She shrugs, sitting back down with her bowl.*
“Either or. We can play a few rounds downstairs, or find somethin’ ta do out of the house.”
“Hmmm..”
*Hy tries to think of what’s nearby because ze totally knows but the roleplayer does not.*
*There’s a late night market a little ways into town, and a park square that often has live music and dancing. There’s also a theatre, although the evening show would be well on its way by now.*
“Wanna go to the market? Or town square? Do you dance?”
*She grins over her wine glass.*
“Ooh… Both sound temptin’. There’s no sayin’ we can’t do one and then the other, yeah?”
*Nodnod.*
“Market first?”
“I think so, yeah.”
*Siiiip. Nom, nom.*
“Sounds like a plan.”
*Yummy wine :)*
*Very yummy. She polishes off her glass, along with the rest of her stew.*
“Fuck… That hit the spot.”
*Nodnod…*
“You’re a helluva cook.”
*She smiles.*
“Thanks… Yer a helluva dinner date.”
*She lifts her empty glass to cheers hys with.*
*Clink!*
“To our friendship.”
“To our friendship…”
*She smiles, faking a sip.*
*Shy cleans off per own glass and sets it down.*
“Wooh….. should we let the food settle a bit?”
“I think that’s a fair idea…”
*She nods, scooting her dishes aside and leaning back in her seat.*
*Ze does the same, drumming on the table.*
“…What do you call a horse that can’t lose a race?”
“… Hm…… I ain’t sure. What’s that?”
“A sherbet.”
*…….. She snorts, giggling softly.*
“That’s a good one… Sherbet.”
*Shy poses cutely.*
“Gods… I dunno. I don’t think I got any good jokes.”
“Got any bad ones?”
“Hm…. Okay. What’s green, has four wheels, and looks like a carriage?”
“…….Mm……..”
*A green carriage.*
“A plate of vegetables?”
“A green carriage.”
*Shy still laughs, dimples showing.*
“Nice.”
*She shrugs, smiling.*
“You asked fer bad… Yer turn.”
“…..When is a door not a door?”
“….. Wait! Fuck, I know this one. When…. When it’s…… Gods dammit. I know I know it.”
*She huffs, running through her mind palace.*
“……… When it’s ajar!!!!!”
*Ze laughs.*
“Yes!!”
*Clap clap clap.*
“See, you do know good jokes!”
*She laughs softly, rubbing at her neck.*
“I guess so… I can’t pull ‘em out quick enough like that.”
“We’ll up your improv game, it’s okay.”
*Ze winks.*
“Careful what ya wish for, Plum, I’ll be insufferable.”
*She giggles softly.*
“Just how I like my loved ones.”
*Shy smirks.*
“Gods, yeah… They’re my favorite people.”
“Join the party~~~~~~”
“Hehehe, I love a good party~…”
*Ze giggles.*
“Speaking of parties, you wanna head to the market?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
*She gets to her feet.*
“Lemme take care of these first.”
*Nodnod.*
“Alright. Sounds good.”
*Ze stands up too, stretching.*
*Her tail swish swishes behind her as she carries bowls and plates and glasses to her wash basin, giving them all a good scrub down. Bubbles float up past her ears.*
*……Shy giggles, and moves over, popping some of them.*
*She looks up at nim with a smile, popping one that goes towards Esquiline’s nose.*
*Vi blinks, and laughs a little harder.*
“I always liked bubbles. Me and my siblings would spend hours in the grass seeing who could blow the biggest one.”
*She smiles.*
“That’s sweet… Who usually won?”
“Usually, uhm.. Yaremi. Xe’s one of the twins.”
“Ah, I see.”
*She makes a ring with her thumb and middle finger, dunking her hand in the water. She blows a decent bubble.*
*Vi grins, carefully catching it in both hands once it settles.*
*She giggles softly, petting the air above the bubble.*
“Hello, bubble…”
“Hello, it’s me, bubble!! Thanks for creatin’ me!!”
*Very high and strong Yonan accent.*
“Oh my Gods, aren’t you charmin’…”
*She laughs, miming a little scritch on an imaginary forehead.*
“Yer very welcome, ‘lil fella.”
“Ooooh, thank you, that felt nice..”
*The bubble ‘nods’ as Esquiline tilts per wrists up and down.*
“‘Course! Everybody deserves a good scratch sometimes.”
“I agree—“
*Pop!*
….
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
*She gasps.*
“Oh fuck! No!!!”
“They died so young!!!!”
*Esq doubles over.*
“So young… They’ll always be remembered.”
*She holds her hand to her heart, a solemn look on her face.*
“They will……”
*Shy nods, looking sadly into the distance.*
“…What were we talking about again?”
“….. I have no fuckin’ clue.”
*…..Shy breaks out in giggles.*
“We would do great doing standup.”
*She follows suit, shaking her head.*
“First improv, and now stand-up… Let’s go on tour, Plum.”
*She dries the last of the dishes, and then her hands, before offering her elbow out.*
“What should our group be called?”
*Ze takes it.*
“Hm… Tall, Dark, and Plum.”
*She reaches up to touch her hair.*
*Vi laughs, leaning in to allow her.*
“I like it.”
“Good. We’ll be known over seas in no time.”
“Over planes, even.”
“Oh, we’ll be a fuckin’ hoot in the astral plane. Look out.”
“A hoot and a holler, I’d say.”
“A holler even? Hot damn.”
“We’re just that good.”
“I’ll have ‘ta believe ya then…”
*She giggles, leading zir out the door and down the road.*
*Hy grins, walking in time with her with a smile on per face.*
*The walk isn’t long. The sounds of a lively market draws them in, many vendors under dancing lights illuminating the road enough to see in the twilight. People yell out from their booths to catch the attention of any passerby.*
*Hyr ears twitch this way and that, listening out for a good deal.*
“…Looking for anything in particular?”
“Eh… I usually come down fer food, but I’m stuffed from dinner. There’s some jewelers and magic item dealers that I peek at from time ‘ta time, if only for presents.”
*Shy nods.*
“Might look for something that Jed’ll like….”
*There’s a familiar accent yelling out that keeps quieting itself the second Esquiline begins to pick it up. Shy looks around for it, and in the distance are patterns and designs from hys childhood. Vir eyes sparkle.*
“……Oh I’m about to make him cry.”
*A couple of days pass. There’s a letter in Esquiline’s mailbox.*
*Vi does a double take, because the only mail hy gets is from per fuckass landlord or spam. Shy opens it.*
*Ze doesn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but the tone of the author gives itself away. And the nickname.*
Hey, Plum. I don’t have that fancy mind link thing you and Crossroads do, so I figured a letter would work just fine. Wanna hang out tonight? Just us girls. I sent Walsh over to Crossroads so he won’t get lonely.
Just reply yes or no in my head. Save a tree, I guess.
Vanny
*…Ze smiles, reading it over again.*
*Hey, Vanny. I’m good to hang out. What time should I come?*
*Oh, thank fuck it got there. I was worried I had the wrong address.*
*She laughs.*
*I’m just about ‘ta put dinner on, are ya hungry?*
*Ooh, yeah, I could eat. What’s on the menu?*
*Some bean and veggie stew, and sourdough rolls I baked this morning. I had a few carrots and celery I had ‘ta use up before it went bad.*
*Perfect. I’ll bring some wine. Red or white?*
*Fuuuck, that sounds so good… Red’ll go good with the stew. Come on over whenever, it’ll be done in an hour or so.*
*Alright, lemme get dressed, feed the cats n’ such.*
*No rush, I’ll be here.*
*Ze lets the line go quiet, smiling softly. Vi wanders to their room for kitty time.*
*She waits for a second, and when she hears no more, she nods. Ae’ll be over soon enough.*
….
….
….
*40-ish minutes later, there’s a knock on her door.*
*….. And it opens! Vanity stands there in a simple white linen shirt and long lavender cotton skirt, held up by a braided leather belt.*
“Hiya. How’s yer day been?”
*Ze’s in a flowy sleeveless red dress that stops at per knees. Their hair is in two twin buns. Shy smiles.*
“Pretty good, casual, trying to stay out of the heat. Yours?”
“Ditto. It’s a fuckin’ inferno out there.”
*She waves hyr in and up the stairs, shutting the door behind them.*
“So naturally I made stew.”
“Oh of course.”
*Ze laughs, following easy. Shy sets a nice bottle of Petr’s wine on the table.*
“Once my baba made a spicy hot stew on the solstice. I don’t know how we survived.”
*She laughs.*
“That type’a shit builds character! I knew a guy who would only ever eat ice cream when it was cold out. Said it makes ya feel warmer or somethin’. I think he was just microdosin’ himself with hypothermia.”
*Ze snorts.*
“That is how hypothermia works, to be fair to him. You feel warmer when you’re getting colder, it’s like alcohol rules.”
“Yeah… I s’pose yer right, there. Still funny ‘ta me.”
*She inspects the bottle with a smile.*
“Oh Hells yeah, good shit. Can’t wait ‘ta pop that open.”
“I knew you would like it.”
*Ze grins with pride.*
“We can open it now, if you want.”
“Nah, I’ll wait a bit. Don’t wanna spoil my appetite.”
*Speaking of, it smells soooo fucking good in her home.*
“Yeah, better not. Smells too amazing to not eat.”
*She grins, lifting her chin with pride.*
“Think so? I kinda just measured with the heart. Hope it’s as good as ya think it smells.”
“Nah, measuring with the heart is always better than a true recipe. I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
“Well… Here. Try a bite.”
*She digs out a spoon from her drawers and scoops a good portion of veggies and broth, holding it out to nim with a hand beneath to catch droplets.*
*Vi leans forwards and takes that spoonful into per mouth.*
*Ae cannot remember the last time hy had a stew with such deep flavor.*
“Mmnh.”
*Shy throws vir head back and gives the nod, chewing and swallowing.*
“Holy fuck, V.”
*She laughs, though her cheeks warm slightly.*
“Good? I hope I didn’t just poison you.”
“If I did it’ll be a great way to die.”
*…….Don’t think about that.*
“I doubt you did. It’s great. Have a bite yourself.”
*She hums, scooping her own little bite and shoving it in her pie-hole.*
“…. Might as well put a baby in me, fucking Hells. Mmh.”
*Vi surprises hyrself with a snort, and laughs.*
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“We’re gonna eat so good tonight… I’ll send some home with ya for big man, don’t worry.”
*She pulls down two plates, and then two bowls.*
“He’ll appreciate it greatly, I know that for a fact.”
*Shy sets the napkins at the table and grabs two wine glasses.*
“I bet… It’s good ‘ta see him eatin’ so well.”
*She grabs a bun for her plate.*
“You want a bun too?”
“Sure. And, same. We might have to pop a few seams on his suits soon, and I couldn’t be happier.”
*Ze chuckles.*
“Better out than in… He’s been a skeleton as long as I’ve known him.”
*Vi nods. She thinks back to when ze first left him, and per smile falters.*
“… Yer a good influence on ‘im.”
*She pats hys arm, and then offers hyr abun to snack on.*
*Ze blinks, coming back to reality. That smile returns as shy takes it.*
“So are you.”
*Nom.*
*Pretty nummers!!!*
“Eh… You cracked him open more than I ever managed.”
“Doesn’t mean you didn’t pull a lot of the weight.”
*Hip check.*
“These rolls are so fucking good.”
*She grins, tongue caught between her teeth.*
“Thanks. That I know for sure is true.”
*Nodnod. Big ol’ bite.*
“Gnna have to steal some of these, too.”
“If there’s any left…”
*She giggles, gesturing at their place settings.*
“We might as well dish up properly. After you.”
*Ze nods and takes per bowl, filling it up a little under halfway and setting it down on the table. Shy begins to fuck with the wine cork.*
*Vanity dishes herself up about the same amount, taking the other setting.*
“I might have a corkscrew somewhere, hold on.”
*She starts to rummage through drawers.*
“Would definitely be helpful. Fucker’s stuck in here.”
*She eventually produces a well-loved one, handing it over.*
“That’s how ya know it’s good.”
*Nodnod. Vi stabs it in and starts twisting. It eventually comes out with a nice pop!*
“Theeeere we go! Here, ladies first.”
*Ze begins to pour her glass.*
“How sweet of ya… Thank ya kindly.”
*She swirls it a few times, sniffs, and sips.*
“….. Mmmh…. Nice and dry.”
“Glad you like it.”
*Shy pours hys own, seating nimself. Shy sets the bottle between them and off to the side.*
“Hard not to. Yer Petr is a master.”
*She sits across from aer, taking another sip before digging into her soup.*
“All we’re missin’ is a show.”
“Damn, I didn’t bring my major image projector.”
*Soup. Bigass bite of soup.*
“Oh yeah, you have one of ‘em, don’t you? Next time.”
*She dunks her bun into the soup. Om nom.*
“Next time.”
*Vi’s doing much of the same, like ze forgot shy was hungry until it was right in front of nim.*
*This is probably the fastest shy has seen Vanity eat, compared to the slow picking she tends to do elsewhere. She even stands for another bowl.*
*Ze smiles, letting per meal settle for a bit as shy stoops over nis wine.*
“…..Did you have any plans for us, or are we just hanging out?”
*She shrugs, sitting back down with her bowl.*
“Either or. We can play a few rounds downstairs, or find somethin’ ta do out of the house.”
“Hmmm..”
*Hy tries to think of what’s nearby because ze totally knows but the roleplayer does not.*
*There’s a late night market a little ways into town, and a park square that often has live music and dancing. There’s also a theatre, although the evening show would be well on its way by now.*
“Wanna go to the market? Or town square? Do you dance?”
*She grins over her wine glass.*
“Ooh… Both sound temptin’. There’s no sayin’ we can’t do one and then the other, yeah?”
*Nodnod.*
“Market first?”
“I think so, yeah.”
*Siiiip. Nom, nom.*
“Sounds like a plan.”
*Yummy wine :)*
*Very yummy. She polishes off her glass, along with the rest of her stew.*
“Fuck… That hit the spot.”
*Nodnod…*
“You’re a helluva cook.”
*She smiles.*
“Thanks… Yer a helluva dinner date.”
*She lifts her empty glass to cheers hys with.*
*Clink!*
“To our friendship.”
“To our friendship…”
*She smiles, faking a sip.*
*Shy cleans off per own glass and sets it down.*
“Wooh….. should we let the food settle a bit?”
“I think that’s a fair idea…”
*She nods, scooting her dishes aside and leaning back in her seat.*
*Ze does the same, drumming on the table.*
“…What do you call a horse that can’t lose a race?”
“… Hm…… I ain’t sure. What’s that?”
“A sherbet.”
*…….. She snorts, giggling softly.*
“That’s a good one… Sherbet.”
*Shy poses cutely.*
“Gods… I dunno. I don’t think I got any good jokes.”
“Got any bad ones?”
“Hm…. Okay. What’s green, has four wheels, and looks like a carriage?”
“…….Mm……..”
*A green carriage.*
“A plate of vegetables?”
“A green carriage.”
*Shy still laughs, dimples showing.*
“Nice.”
*She shrugs, smiling.*
“You asked fer bad… Yer turn.”
“…..When is a door not a door?”
“….. Wait! Fuck, I know this one. When…. When it’s…… Gods dammit. I know I know it.”
*She huffs, running through her mind palace.*
“……… When it’s ajar!!!!!”
*Ze laughs.*
“Yes!!”
*Clap clap clap.*
“See, you do know good jokes!”
*She laughs softly, rubbing at her neck.*
“I guess so… I can’t pull ‘em out quick enough like that.”
“We’ll up your improv game, it’s okay.”
*Ze winks.*
“Careful what ya wish for, Plum, I’ll be insufferable.”
*She giggles softly.*
“Just how I like my loved ones.”
*Shy smirks.*
“Gods, yeah… They’re my favorite people.”
“Join the party~~~~~~”
“Hehehe, I love a good party~…”
*Ze giggles.*
“Speaking of parties, you wanna head to the market?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
*She gets to her feet.*
“Lemme take care of these first.”
*Nodnod.*
“Alright. Sounds good.”
*Ze stands up too, stretching.*
*Her tail swish swishes behind her as she carries bowls and plates and glasses to her wash basin, giving them all a good scrub down. Bubbles float up past her ears.*
*……Shy giggles, and moves over, popping some of them.*
*She looks up at nim with a smile, popping one that goes towards Esquiline’s nose.*
*Vi blinks, and laughs a little harder.*
“I always liked bubbles. Me and my siblings would spend hours in the grass seeing who could blow the biggest one.”
*She smiles.*
“That’s sweet… Who usually won?”
“Usually, uhm.. Yaremi. Xe’s one of the twins.”
“Ah, I see.”
*She makes a ring with her thumb and middle finger, dunking her hand in the water. She blows a decent bubble.*
*Vi grins, carefully catching it in both hands once it settles.*
*She giggles softly, petting the air above the bubble.*
“Hello, bubble…”
“Hello, it’s me, bubble!! Thanks for creatin’ me!!”
*Very high and strong Yonan accent.*
“Oh my Gods, aren’t you charmin’…”
*She laughs, miming a little scritch on an imaginary forehead.*
“Yer very welcome, ‘lil fella.”
“Ooooh, thank you, that felt nice..”
*The bubble ‘nods’ as Esquiline tilts per wrists up and down.*
“‘Course! Everybody deserves a good scratch sometimes.”
“I agree—“
*Pop!*
….
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
*She gasps.*
“Oh fuck! No!!!”
“They died so young!!!!”
*Esq doubles over.*
“So young… They’ll always be remembered.”
*She holds her hand to her heart, a solemn look on her face.*
“They will……”
*Shy nods, looking sadly into the distance.*
“…What were we talking about again?”
“….. I have no fuckin’ clue.”
*…..Shy breaks out in giggles.*
“We would do great doing standup.”
*She follows suit, shaking her head.*
“First improv, and now stand-up… Let’s go on tour, Plum.”
*She dries the last of the dishes, and then her hands, before offering her elbow out.*
“What should our group be called?”
*Ze takes it.*
“Hm… Tall, Dark, and Plum.”
*She reaches up to touch her hair.*
*Vi laughs, leaning in to allow her.*
“I like it.”
“Good. We’ll be known over seas in no time.”
“Over planes, even.”
“Oh, we’ll be a fuckin’ hoot in the astral plane. Look out.”
“A hoot and a holler, I’d say.”
“A holler even? Hot damn.”
“We’re just that good.”
“I’ll have ‘ta believe ya then…”
*She giggles, leading zir out the door and down the road.*
*Hy grins, walking in time with her with a smile on per face.*
*The walk isn’t long. The sounds of a lively market draws them in, many vendors under dancing lights illuminating the road enough to see in the twilight. People yell out from their booths to catch the attention of any passerby.*
*Hyr ears twitch this way and that, listening out for a good deal.*
“…Looking for anything in particular?”
*A couple of days pass. There’s a letter in Esquiline’s mailbox.*
*Vi does a double take, because the only mail hy gets is from per fuckass landlord or spam. Shy opens it.*
*Ze doesn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but the tone of the author gives itself away. And the nickname.*
Hey, Plum. I don’t have that fancy mind link thing you and Crossroads do, so I figured a letter would work just fine. Wanna hang out tonight? Just us girls. I sent Walsh over to Crossroads so he won’t get lonely.
Just reply yes or no in my head. Save a tree, I guess.
Vanny
*…Ze smiles, reading it over again.*
*Hey, Vanny. I’m good to hang out. What time should I come?*
*Oh, thank fuck it got there. I was worried I had the wrong address.*
*She laughs.*
*I’m just about ‘ta put dinner on, are ya hungry?*
*Ooh, yeah, I could eat. What’s on the menu?*
*Some bean and veggie stew, and sourdough rolls I baked this morning. I had a few carrots and celery I had ‘ta use up before it went bad.*
*Perfect. I’ll bring some wine. Red or white?*
*Fuuuck, that sounds so good… Red’ll go good with the stew. Come on over whenever, it’ll be done in an hour or so.*
*Alright, lemme get dressed, feed the cats n’ such.*
*No rush, I’ll be here.*
*Ze lets the line go quiet, smiling softly. Vi wanders to their room for kitty time.*
*She waits for a second, and when she hears no more, she nods. Ae’ll be over soon enough.*
….
….
….
*40-ish minutes later, there’s a knock on her door.*
*….. And it opens! Vanity stands there in a simple white linen shirt and long lavender cotton skirt, held up by a braided leather belt.*
“Hiya. How’s yer day been?”
*Ze’s in a flowy sleeveless red dress that stops at per knees. Their hair is in two twin buns. Shy smiles.*
“Pretty good, casual, trying to stay out of the heat. Yours?”
“Ditto. It’s a fuckin’ inferno out there.”
*She waves hyr in and up the stairs, shutting the door behind them.*
“So naturally I made stew.”
“Oh of course.”
*Ze laughs, following easy. Shy sets a nice bottle of Petr’s wine on the table.*
“Once my baba made a spicy hot stew on the solstice. I don’t know how we survived.”
*She laughs.*
“That type’a shit builds character! I knew a guy who would only ever eat ice cream when it was cold out. Said it makes ya feel warmer or somethin’. I think he was just microdosin’ himself with hypothermia.”
*Ze snorts.*
“That is how hypothermia works, to be fair to him. You feel warmer when you’re getting colder, it’s like alcohol rules.”
“Yeah… I s’pose yer right, there. Still funny ‘ta me.”
*She inspects the bottle with a smile.*
“Oh Hells yeah, good shit. Can’t wait ‘ta pop that open.”
“I knew you would like it.”
*Ze grins with pride.*
“We can open it now, if you want.”
“Nah, I’ll wait a bit. Don’t wanna spoil my appetite.”
*Speaking of, it smells soooo fucking good in her home.*
“Yeah, better not. Smells too amazing to not eat.”
*She grins, lifting her chin with pride.*
“Think so? I kinda just measured with the heart. Hope it’s as good as ya think it smells.”
“Nah, measuring with the heart is always better than a true recipe. I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
“Well… Here. Try a bite.”
*She digs out a spoon from her drawers and scoops a good portion of veggies and broth, holding it out to nim with a hand beneath to catch droplets.*
*Vi leans forwards and takes that spoonful into per mouth.*
*Ae cannot remember the last time hy had a stew with such deep flavor.*
“Mmnh.”
*Shy throws vir head back and gives the nod, chewing and swallowing.*
“Holy fuck, V.”
*She laughs, though her cheeks warm slightly.*
“Good? I hope I didn’t just poison you.”
“If I did it’ll be a great way to die.”
*…….Don’t think about that.*
“I doubt you did. It’s great. Have a bite yourself.”
*She hums, scooping her own little bite and shoving it in her pie-hole.*
“…. Might as well put a baby in me, fucking Hells. Mmh.”
*Vi surprises hyrself with a snort, and laughs.*
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“We’re gonna eat so good tonight… I’ll send some home with ya for big man, don’t worry.”
*She pulls down two plates, and then two bowls.*
“He’ll appreciate it greatly, I know that for a fact.”
*Shy sets the napkins at the table and grabs two wine glasses.*
“I bet… It’s good ‘ta see him eatin’ so well.”
*She grabs a bun for her plate.*
“You want a bun too?”
“Sure. And, same. We might have to pop a few seams on his suits soon, and I couldn’t be happier.”
*Ze chuckles.*
“Better out than in… He’s been a skeleton as long as I’ve known him.”
*Vi nods. She thinks back to when ze first left him, and per smile falters.*
“… Yer a good influence on ‘im.”
*She pats hys arm, and then offers hyr abun to snack on.*
*Ze blinks, coming back to reality. That smile returns as shy takes it.*
“So are you.”
*Nom.*
*Pretty nummers!!!*
“Eh… You cracked him open more than I ever managed.”
“Doesn’t mean you didn’t pull a lot of the weight.”
*Hip check.*
“These rolls are so fucking good.”
*She grins, tongue caught between her teeth.*
“Thanks. That I know for sure is true.”
*Nodnod. Big ol’ bite.*
“Gnna have to steal some of these, too.”
“If there’s any left…”
*She giggles, gesturing at their place settings.*
“We might as well dish up properly. After you.”
*Ze nods and takes per bowl, filling it up a little under halfway and setting it down on the table. Shy begins to fuck with the wine cork.*
*Vanity dishes herself up about the same amount, taking the other setting.*
“I might have a corkscrew somewhere, hold on.”
*She starts to rummage through drawers.*
“Would definitely be helpful. Fucker’s stuck in here.”
*She eventually produces a well-loved one, handing it over.*
“That’s how ya know it’s good.”
*Nodnod. Vi stabs it in and starts twisting. It eventually comes out with a nice pop!*
“Theeeere we go! Here, ladies first.”
*Ze begins to pour her glass.*
“How sweet of ya… Thank ya kindly.”
*She swirls it a few times, sniffs, and sips.*
“….. Mmmh…. Nice and dry.”
“Glad you like it.”
*Shy pours hys own, seating nimself. Shy sets the bottle between them and off to the side.*
“Hard not to. Yer Petr is a master.”
*She sits across from aer, taking another sip before digging into her soup.*
“All we’re missin’ is a show.”
“Damn, I didn’t bring my major image projector.”
*Soup. Bigass bite of soup.*
“Oh yeah, you have one of ‘em, don’t you? Next time.”
*She dunks her bun into the soup. Om nom.*
“Next time.”
*Vi’s doing much of the same, like ze forgot shy was hungry until it was right in front of nim.*
*This is probably the fastest shy has seen Vanity eat, compared to the slow picking she tends to do elsewhere. She even stands for another bowl.*
*Ze smiles, letting per meal settle for a bit as shy stoops over nis wine.*
“…..Did you have any plans for us, or are we just hanging out?”
*She shrugs, sitting back down with her bowl.*
“Either or. We can play a few rounds downstairs, or find somethin’ ta do out of the house.”
“Hmmm..”
*Hy tries to think of what’s nearby because ze totally knows but the roleplayer does not.*
*There’s a late night market a little ways into town, and a park square that often has live music and dancing. There’s also a theatre, although the evening show would be well on its way by now.*
“Wanna go to the market? Or town square? Do you dance?”
*She grins over her wine glass.*
“Ooh… Both sound temptin’. There’s no sayin’ we can’t do one and then the other, yeah?”
*Nodnod.*
“Market first?”
“I think so, yeah.”
*Siiiip. Nom, nom.*
“Sounds like a plan.”
*Yummy wine :)*
*Very yummy. She polishes off her glass, along with the rest of her stew.*
“Fuck… That hit the spot.”
*Nodnod…*
“You’re a helluva cook.”
*She smiles.*
“Thanks… Yer a helluva dinner date.”
*She lifts her empty glass to cheers hys with.*
*Clink!*
“To our friendship.”
“To our friendship…”
*She smiles, faking a sip.*
*Shy cleans off per own glass and sets it down.*
“Wooh….. should we let the food settle a bit?”
“I think that’s a fair idea…”
*She nods, scooting her dishes aside and leaning back in her seat.*
*Ze does the same, drumming on the table.*
“…What do you call a horse that can’t lose a race?”
“… Hm…… I ain’t sure. What’s that?”
“A sherbet.”
*…….. She snorts, giggling softly.*
“That’s a good one… Sherbet.”
*Shy poses cutely.*
“Gods… I dunno. I don’t think I got any good jokes.”
“Got any bad ones?”
“Hm…. Okay. What’s green, has four wheels, and looks like a carriage?”
“…….Mm……..”
*A green carriage.*
“A plate of vegetables?”
“A green carriage.”
*Shy still laughs, dimples showing.*
“Nice.”
*She shrugs, smiling.*
“You asked fer bad… Yer turn.”
“…..When is a door not a door?”
“….. Wait! Fuck, I know this one. When…. When it’s…… Gods dammit. I know I know it.”
*She huffs, running through her mind palace.*
“……… When it’s ajar!!!!!”
*Ze laughs.*
“Yes!!”
*Clap clap clap.*
“See, you do know good jokes!”
*She laughs softly, rubbing at her neck.*
“I guess so… I can’t pull ‘em out quick enough like that.”
“We’ll up your improv game, it’s okay.”
*Ze winks.*
“Careful what ya wish for, Plum, I’ll be insufferable.”
*She giggles softly.*
“Just how I like my loved ones.”
*Shy smirks.*
“Gods, yeah… They’re my favorite people.”
“Join the party~~~~~~”
“Hehehe, I love a good party~…”
*Ze giggles.*
“Speaking of parties, you wanna head to the market?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
*She gets to her feet.*
“Lemme take care of these first.”
*Nodnod.*
“Alright. Sounds good.”
*Ze stands up too, stretching.*
*Her tail swish swishes behind her as she carries bowls and plates and glasses to her wash basin, giving them all a good scrub down. Bubbles float up past her ears.*
*……Shy giggles, and moves over, popping some of them.*
*She looks up at nim with a smile, popping one that goes towards Esquiline’s nose.*
*Vi blinks, and laughs a little harder.*
“I always liked bubbles. Me and my siblings would spend hours in the grass seeing who could blow the biggest one.”
*She smiles.*
“That’s sweet… Who usually won?”
“Usually, uhm.. Yaremi. Xe’s one of the twins.”
“Ah, I see.”
*She makes a ring with her thumb and middle finger, dunking her hand in the water. She blows a decent bubble.*
*Vi grins, carefully catching it in both hands once it settles.*
*She giggles softly, petting the air above the bubble.*
“Hello, bubble…”
“Hello, it’s me, bubble!! Thanks for creatin’ me!!”
*Very high and strong Yonan accent.*
“Oh my Gods, aren’t you charmin’…”
*She laughs, miming a little scritch on an imaginary forehead.*
“Yer very welcome, ‘lil fella.”
“Ooooh, thank you, that felt nice..”
*The bubble ‘nods’ as Esquiline tilts per wrists up and down.*
“‘Course! Everybody deserves a good scratch sometimes.”
“I agree—“
*Pop!*
….
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
*She gasps.*
“Oh fuck! No!!!”
“They died so young!!!!”
*Esq doubles over.*
“So young… They’ll always be remembered.”
*She holds her hand to her heart, a solemn look on her face.*
“They will……”
*Shy nods, looking sadly into the distance.*
“…What were we talking about again?”
“….. I have no fuckin’ clue.”
*…..Shy breaks out in giggles.*
“We would do great doing standup.”
*She follows suit, shaking her head.*
“First improv, and now stand-up… Let’s go on tour, Plum.”
*She dries the last of the dishes, and then her hands, before offering her elbow out.*
“What should our group be called?”
*Ze takes it.*
“Hm… Tall, Dark, and Plum.”
*She reaches up to touch her hair.*
*Vi laughs, leaning in to allow her.*
“I like it.”
“Good. We’ll be known over seas in no time.”
“Over planes, even.”
“Oh, we’ll be a fuckin’ hoot in the astral plane. Look out.”
“A hoot and a holler, I’d say.”
“A holler even? Hot damn.”
“We’re just that good.”
“I’ll have ‘ta believe ya then…”
*She giggles, leading zir out the door and down the road.*
*Hy grins, walking in time with her with a smile on per face.*
*A couple of days pass. There’s a letter in Esquiline’s mailbox.*
*Vi does a double take, because the only mail hy gets is from per fuckass landlord or spam. Shy opens it.*
*Ze doesn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but the tone of the author gives itself away. And the nickname.*
Hey, Plum. I don’t have that fancy mind link thing you and Crossroads do, so I figured a letter would work just fine. Wanna hang out tonight? Just us girls. I sent Walsh over to Crossroads so he won’t get lonely.
Just reply yes or no in my head. Save a tree, I guess.
Vanny
*…Ze smiles, reading it over again.*
*Hey, Vanny. I’m good to hang out. What time should I come?*
*Oh, thank fuck it got there. I was worried I had the wrong address.*
*She laughs.*
*I’m just about ‘ta put dinner on, are ya hungry?*
*Ooh, yeah, I could eat. What’s on the menu?*
*Some bean and veggie stew, and sourdough rolls I baked this morning. I had a few carrots and celery I had ‘ta use up before it went bad.*
*Perfect. I’ll bring some wine. Red or white?*
*Fuuuck, that sounds so good… Red’ll go good with the stew. Come on over whenever, it’ll be done in an hour or so.*
*Alright, lemme get dressed, feed the cats n’ such.*
*No rush, I’ll be here.*
*Ze lets the line go quiet, smiling softly. Vi wanders to their room for kitty time.*
*She waits for a second, and when she hears no more, she nods. Ae’ll be over soon enough.*
….
….
….
*40-ish minutes later, there’s a knock on her door.*
*….. And it opens! Vanity stands there in a simple white linen shirt and long lavender cotton skirt, held up by a braided leather belt.*
“Hiya. How’s yer day been?”
*Ze’s in a flowy sleeveless red dress that stops at per knees. Their hair is in two twin buns. Shy smiles.*
“Pretty good, casual, trying to stay out of the heat. Yours?”
“Ditto. It’s a fuckin’ inferno out there.”
*She waves hyr in and up the stairs, shutting the door behind them.*
“So naturally I made stew.”
“Oh of course.”
*Ze laughs, following easy. Shy sets a nice bottle of Petr’s wine on the table.*
“Once my baba made a spicy hot stew on the solstice. I don’t know how we survived.”
*She laughs.*
“That type’a shit builds character! I knew a guy who would only ever eat ice cream when it was cold out. Said it makes ya feel warmer or somethin’. I think he was just microdosin’ himself with hypothermia.”
*Ze snorts.*
“That is how hypothermia works, to be fair to him. You feel warmer when you’re getting colder, it’s like alcohol rules.”
“Yeah… I s’pose yer right, there. Still funny ‘ta me.”
*She inspects the bottle with a smile.*
“Oh Hells yeah, good shit. Can’t wait ‘ta pop that open.”
“I knew you would like it.”
*Ze grins with pride.*
“We can open it now, if you want.”
“Nah, I’ll wait a bit. Don’t wanna spoil my appetite.”
*Speaking of, it smells soooo fucking good in her home.*
“Yeah, better not. Smells too amazing to not eat.”
*She grins, lifting her chin with pride.*
“Think so? I kinda just measured with the heart. Hope it’s as good as ya think it smells.”
“Nah, measuring with the heart is always better than a true recipe. I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
“Well… Here. Try a bite.”
*She digs out a spoon from her drawers and scoops a good portion of veggies and broth, holding it out to nim with a hand beneath to catch droplets.*
*Vi leans forwards and takes that spoonful into per mouth.*
*Ae cannot remember the last time hy had a stew with such deep flavor.*
“Mmnh.”
*Shy throws vir head back and gives the nod, chewing and swallowing.*
“Holy fuck, V.”
*She laughs, though her cheeks warm slightly.*
“Good? I hope I didn’t just poison you.”
“If I did it’ll be a great way to die.”
*…….Don’t think about that.*
“I doubt you did. It’s great. Have a bite yourself.”
*She hums, scooping her own little bite and shoving it in her pie-hole.*
“…. Might as well put a baby in me, fucking Hells. Mmh.”
*Vi surprises hyrself with a snort, and laughs.*
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“We’re gonna eat so good tonight… I’ll send some home with ya for big man, don’t worry.”
*She pulls down two plates, and then two bowls.*
“He’ll appreciate it greatly, I know that for a fact.”
*Shy sets the napkins at the table and grabs two wine glasses.*
“I bet… It’s good ‘ta see him eatin’ so well.”
*She grabs a bun for her plate.*
“You want a bun too?”
“Sure. And, same. We might have to pop a few seams on his suits soon, and I couldn’t be happier.”
*Ze chuckles.*
“Better out than in… He’s been a skeleton as long as I’ve known him.”
*Vi nods. She thinks back to when ze first left him, and per smile falters.*
“… Yer a good influence on ‘im.”
*She pats hys arm, and then offers hyr abun to snack on.*
*Ze blinks, coming back to reality. That smile returns as shy takes it.*
“So are you.”
*Nom.*
*Pretty nummers!!!*
“Eh… You cracked him open more than I ever managed.”
“Doesn’t mean you didn’t pull a lot of the weight.”
*Hip check.*
“These rolls are so fucking good.”
*She grins, tongue caught between her teeth.*
“Thanks. That I know for sure is true.”
*Nodnod. Big ol’ bite.*
“Gnna have to steal some of these, too.”
“If there’s any left…”
*She giggles, gesturing at their place settings.*
“We might as well dish up properly. After you.”
*Ze nods and takes per bowl, filling it up a little under halfway and setting it down on the table. Shy begins to fuck with the wine cork.*
*Vanity dishes herself up about the same amount, taking the other setting.*
“I might have a corkscrew somewhere, hold on.”
*She starts to rummage through drawers.*
“Would definitely be helpful. Fucker’s stuck in here.”
*She eventually produces a well-loved one, handing it over.*
“That’s how ya know it’s good.”
*Nodnod. Vi stabs it in and starts twisting. It eventually comes out with a nice pop!*
“Theeeere we go! Here, ladies first.”
*Ze begins to pour her glass.*
“How sweet of ya… Thank ya kindly.”
*She swirls it a few times, sniffs, and sips.*
“….. Mmmh…. Nice and dry.”
“Glad you like it.”
*Shy pours hys own, seating nimself. Shy sets the bottle between them and off to the side.*
“Hard not to. Yer Petr is a master.”
*She sits across from aer, taking another sip before digging into her soup.*
“All we’re missin’ is a show.”
“Damn, I didn’t bring my major image projector.”
*Soup. Bigass bite of soup.*
“Oh yeah, you have one of ‘em, don’t you? Next time.”
*She dunks her bun into the soup. Om nom.*
“Next time.”
*Vi’s doing much of the same, like ze forgot shy was hungry until it was right in front of nim.*
*This is probably the fastest shy has seen Vanity eat, compared to the slow picking she tends to do elsewhere. She even stands for another bowl.*
*Ze smiles, letting per meal settle for a bit as shy stoops over nis wine.*
“…..Did you have any plans for us, or are we just hanging out?”
*She shrugs, sitting back down with her bowl.*
“Either or. We can play a few rounds downstairs, or find somethin’ ta do out of the house.”
“Hmmm..”
*Hy tries to think of what’s nearby because ze totally knows but the roleplayer does not.*
*There’s a late night market a little ways into town, and a park square that often has live music and dancing. There’s also a theatre, although the evening show would be well on its way by now.*
“Wanna go to the market? Or town square? Do you dance?”
*She grins over her wine glass.*
“Ooh… Both sound temptin’. There’s no sayin’ we can’t do one and then the other, yeah?”
*Nodnod.*
“Market first?”
“I think so, yeah.”
*Siiiip. Nom, nom.*
“Sounds like a plan.”
*Yummy wine :)*
*Very yummy. She polishes off her glass, along with the rest of her stew.*
“Fuck… That hit the spot.”
*Nodnod…*
“You’re a helluva cook.”
*She smiles.*
“Thanks… Yer a helluva dinner date.”
*She lifts her empty glass to cheers hys with.*
*Clink!*
“To our friendship.”
“To our friendship…”
*She smiles, faking a sip.*
*Shy cleans off per own glass and sets it down.*
“Wooh….. should we let the food settle a bit?”
“I think that’s a fair idea…”
*She nods, scooting her dishes aside and leaning back in her seat.*
*Ze does the same, drumming on the table.*
“…What do you call a horse that can’t lose a race?”
“… Hm…… I ain’t sure. What’s that?”
“A sherbet.”
*…….. She snorts, giggling softly.*
“That’s a good one… Sherbet.”
*Shy poses cutely.*
“Gods… I dunno. I don’t think I got any good jokes.”
“Got any bad ones?”
“Hm…. Okay. What’s green, has four wheels, and looks like a carriage?”
“…….Mm……..”
*A green carriage.*
“A plate of vegetables?”
“A green carriage.”
*Shy still laughs, dimples showing.*
“Nice.”
*She shrugs, smiling.*
“You asked fer bad… Yer turn.”
“…..When is a door not a door?”
“….. Wait! Fuck, I know this one. When…. When it’s…… Gods dammit. I know I know it.”
*She huffs, running through her mind palace.*
“……… When it’s ajar!!!!!”
*Ze laughs.*
“Yes!!”
*Clap clap clap.*
“See, you do know good jokes!”
*She laughs softly, rubbing at her neck.*
“I guess so… I can’t pull ‘em out quick enough like that.”
“We’ll up your improv game, it’s okay.”
*Ze winks.*
“Careful what ya wish for, Plum, I’ll be insufferable.”
*She giggles softly.*
“Just how I like my loved ones.”
*Shy smirks.*
“Gods, yeah… They’re my favorite people.”
“Join the party~~~~~~”
“Hehehe, I love a good party~…”
*Ze giggles.*
“Speaking of parties, you wanna head to the market?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
*She gets to her feet.*
“Lemme take care of these first.”
*Nodnod.*
“Alright. Sounds good.”
*Ze stands up too, stretching.*
*Her tail swish swishes behind her as she carries bowls and plates and glasses to her wash basin, giving them all a good scrub down. Bubbles float up past her ears.*
*……Shy giggles, and moves over, popping some of them.*
*She looks up at nim with a smile, popping one that goes towards Esquiline’s nose.*
*Vi blinks, and laughs a little harder.*
“I always liked bubbles. Me and my siblings would spend hours in the grass seeing who could blow the biggest one.”
*She smiles.*
“That’s sweet… Who usually won?”
“Usually, uhm.. Yaremi. Xe’s one of the twins.”
“Ah, I see.”
*She makes a ring with her thumb and middle finger, dunking her hand in the water. She blows a decent bubble.*
*Vi grins, carefully catching it in both hands once it settles.*
*She giggles softly, petting the air above the bubble.*
“Hello, bubble…”
“Hello, it’s me, bubble!! Thanks for creatin’ me!!”
*Very high and strong Yonan accent.*
“Oh my Gods, aren’t you charmin’…”
*She laughs, miming a little scritch on an imaginary forehead.*
“Yer very welcome, ‘lil fella.”
“Ooooh, thank you, that felt nice..”
*The bubble ‘nods’ as Esquiline tilts per wrists up and down.*
“‘Course! Everybody deserves a good scratch sometimes.”
“I agree—“
*Pop!*
….
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
*She gasps.*
“Oh fuck! No!!!”
“They died so young!!!!”
*Esq doubles over.*
“So young… They’ll always be remembered.”
*She holds her hand to her heart, a solemn look on her face.*
“They will……”
*Shy nods, looking sadly into the distance.*
“…What were we talking about again?”
“….. I have no fuckin’ clue.”
*…..Shy breaks out in giggles.*
“We would do great doing standup.”
*She follows suit, shaking her head.*
“First improv, and now stand-up… Let’s go on tour, Plum.”
*She dries the last of the dishes, and then her hands, before offering her elbow out.*
“What should our group be called?”
*Ze takes it.*
“Hm… Tall, Dark, and Plum.”
*She reaches up to touch her hair.*
*Vi laughs, leaning in to allow her.*
“I like it.”
“Good. We’ll be known over seas in no time.”
“Over planes, even.”
“Oh, we’ll be a fuckin’ hoot in the astral plane. Look out.”
“A hoot and a holler, I’d say.”
“A holler even? Hot damn.”
“We’re just that good.”
*A couple of days pass. There’s a letter in Esquiline’s mailbox.*
*Vi does a double take, because the only mail hy gets is from per fuckass landlord or spam. Shy opens it.*
*Ze doesn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but the tone of the author gives itself away. And the nickname.*
Hey, Plum. I don’t have that fancy mind link thing you and Crossroads do, so I figured a letter would work just fine. Wanna hang out tonight? Just us girls. I sent Walsh over to Crossroads so he won’t get lonely.
Just reply yes or no in my head. Save a tree, I guess.
Vanny
*…Ze smiles, reading it over again.*
*Hey, Vanny. I’m good to hang out. What time should I come?*
*Oh, thank fuck it got there. I was worried I had the wrong address.*
*She laughs.*
*I’m just about ‘ta put dinner on, are ya hungry?*
*Ooh, yeah, I could eat. What’s on the menu?*
*Some bean and veggie stew, and sourdough rolls I baked this morning. I had a few carrots and celery I had ‘ta use up before it went bad.*
*Perfect. I’ll bring some wine. Red or white?*
*Fuuuck, that sounds so good… Red’ll go good with the stew. Come on over whenever, it’ll be done in an hour or so.*
*Alright, lemme get dressed, feed the cats n’ such.*
*No rush, I’ll be here.*
*Ze lets the line go quiet, smiling softly. Vi wanders to their room for kitty time.*
*She waits for a second, and when she hears no more, she nods. Ae’ll be over soon enough.*
….
….
….
*40-ish minutes later, there’s a knock on her door.*
*….. And it opens! Vanity stands there in a simple white linen shirt and long lavender cotton skirt, held up by a braided leather belt.*
“Hiya. How’s yer day been?”
*Ze’s in a flowy sleeveless red dress that stops at per knees. Their hair is in two twin buns. Shy smiles.*
“Pretty good, casual, trying to stay out of the heat. Yours?”
“Ditto. It’s a fuckin’ inferno out there.”
*She waves hyr in and up the stairs, shutting the door behind them.*
“So naturally I made stew.”
“Oh of course.”
*Ze laughs, following easy. Shy sets a nice bottle of Petr’s wine on the table.*
“Once my baba made a spicy hot stew on the solstice. I don’t know how we survived.”
*She laughs.*
“That type’a shit builds character! I knew a guy who would only ever eat ice cream when it was cold out. Said it makes ya feel warmer or somethin’. I think he was just microdosin’ himself with hypothermia.”
*Ze snorts.*
“That is how hypothermia works, to be fair to him. You feel warmer when you’re getting colder, it’s like alcohol rules.”
“Yeah… I s’pose yer right, there. Still funny ‘ta me.”
*She inspects the bottle with a smile.*
“Oh Hells yeah, good shit. Can’t wait ‘ta pop that open.”
“I knew you would like it.”
*Ze grins with pride.*
“We can open it now, if you want.”
“Nah, I’ll wait a bit. Don’t wanna spoil my appetite.”
*Speaking of, it smells soooo fucking good in her home.*
“Yeah, better not. Smells too amazing to not eat.”
*She grins, lifting her chin with pride.*
“Think so? I kinda just measured with the heart. Hope it’s as good as ya think it smells.”
“Nah, measuring with the heart is always better than a true recipe. I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
“Well… Here. Try a bite.”
*She digs out a spoon from her drawers and scoops a good portion of veggies and broth, holding it out to nim with a hand beneath to catch droplets.*
*Vi leans forwards and takes that spoonful into per mouth.*
*Ae cannot remember the last time hy had a stew with such deep flavor.*
“Mmnh.”
*Shy throws vir head back and gives the nod, chewing and swallowing.*
“Holy fuck, V.”
*She laughs, though her cheeks warm slightly.*
“Good? I hope I didn’t just poison you.”
“If I did it’ll be a great way to die.”
*…….Don’t think about that.*
“I doubt you did. It’s great. Have a bite yourself.”
*She hums, scooping her own little bite and shoving it in her pie-hole.*
“…. Might as well put a baby in me, fucking Hells. Mmh.”
*Vi surprises hyrself with a snort, and laughs.*
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“We’re gonna eat so good tonight… I’ll send some home with ya for big man, don’t worry.”
*She pulls down two plates, and then two bowls.*
“He’ll appreciate it greatly, I know that for a fact.”
*Shy sets the napkins at the table and grabs two wine glasses.*
“I bet… It’s good ‘ta see him eatin’ so well.”
*She grabs a bun for her plate.*
“You want a bun too?”
“Sure. And, same. We might have to pop a few seams on his suits soon, and I couldn’t be happier.”
*Ze chuckles.*
“Better out than in… He’s been a skeleton as long as I’ve known him.”
*Vi nods. She thinks back to when ze first left him, and per smile falters.*
“… Yer a good influence on ‘im.”
*She pats hys arm, and then offers hyr abun to snack on.*
*Ze blinks, coming back to reality. That smile returns as shy takes it.*
“So are you.”
*Nom.*
*Pretty nummers!!!*
“Eh… You cracked him open more than I ever managed.”
“Doesn’t mean you didn’t pull a lot of the weight.”
*Hip check.*
“These rolls are so fucking good.”
*She grins, tongue caught between her teeth.*
“Thanks. That I know for sure is true.”
*Nodnod. Big ol’ bite.*
“Gnna have to steal some of these, too.”
“If there’s any left…”
*She giggles, gesturing at their place settings.*
“We might as well dish up properly. After you.”
*Ze nods and takes per bowl, filling it up a little under halfway and setting it down on the table. Shy begins to fuck with the wine cork.*
*Vanity dishes herself up about the same amount, taking the other setting.*
“I might have a corkscrew somewhere, hold on.”
*She starts to rummage through drawers.*
“Would definitely be helpful. Fucker’s stuck in here.”
*She eventually produces a well-loved one, handing it over.*
“That’s how ya know it’s good.”
*Nodnod. Vi stabs it in and starts twisting. It eventually comes out with a nice pop!*
“Theeeere we go! Here, ladies first.”
*Ze begins to pour her glass.*
“How sweet of ya… Thank ya kindly.”
*She swirls it a few times, sniffs, and sips.*
“….. Mmmh…. Nice and dry.”
“Glad you like it.”
*Shy pours hys own, seating nimself. Shy sets the bottle between them and off to the side.*
“Hard not to. Yer Petr is a master.”
*She sits across from aer, taking another sip before digging into her soup.*
“All we’re missin’ is a show.”
“Damn, I didn’t bring my major image projector.”
*Soup. Bigass bite of soup.*
“Oh yeah, you have one of ‘em, don’t you? Next time.”
*She dunks her bun into the soup. Om nom.*
“Next time.”
*Vi’s doing much of the same, like ze forgot shy was hungry until it was right in front of nim.*
*This is probably the fastest shy has seen Vanity eat, compared to the slow picking she tends to do elsewhere. She even stands for another bowl.*
*Ze smiles, letting per meal settle for a bit as shy stoops over nis wine.*
“…..Did you have any plans for us, or are we just hanging out?”
*She shrugs, sitting back down with her bowl.*
“Either or. We can play a few rounds downstairs, or find somethin’ ta do out of the house.”
“Hmmm..”
*Hy tries to think of what’s nearby because ze totally knows but the roleplayer does not.*
*There’s a late night market a little ways into town, and a park square that often has live music and dancing. There’s also a theatre, although the evening show would be well on its way by now.*
“Wanna go to the market? Or town square? Do you dance?”
*She grins over her wine glass.*
“Ooh… Both sound temptin’. There’s no sayin’ we can’t do one and then the other, yeah?”
*Nodnod.*
“Market first?”
“I think so, yeah.”
*Siiiip. Nom, nom.*
“Sounds like a plan.”
*Yummy wine :)*
*Very yummy. She polishes off her glass, along with the rest of her stew.*
“Fuck… That hit the spot.”
*Nodnod…*
“You’re a helluva cook.”
*She smiles.*
“Thanks… Yer a helluva dinner date.”
*She lifts her empty glass to cheers hys with.*
*Clink!*
“To our friendship.”
“To our friendship…”
*She smiles, faking a sip.*
*Shy cleans off per own glass and sets it down.*
“Wooh….. should we let the food settle a bit?”
“I think that’s a fair idea…”
*She nods, scooting her dishes aside and leaning back in her seat.*
*Ze does the same, drumming on the table.*
“…What do you call a horse that can’t lose a race?”
“… Hm…… I ain’t sure. What’s that?”
“A sherbet.”
*…….. She snorts, giggling softly.*
“That’s a good one… Sherbet.”
*Shy poses cutely.*
“Gods… I dunno. I don’t think I got any good jokes.”
“Got any bad ones?”
“Hm…. Okay. What’s green, has four wheels, and looks like a carriage?”
“…….Mm……..”
*A green carriage.*
“A plate of vegetables?”
“A green carriage.”
*Shy still laughs, dimples showing.*
“Nice.”
*She shrugs, smiling.*
“You asked fer bad… Yer turn.”
“…..When is a door not a door?”
“….. Wait! Fuck, I know this one. When…. When it’s…… Gods dammit. I know I know it.”
*She huffs, running through her mind palace.*
“……… When it’s ajar!!!!!”
*Ze laughs.*
“Yes!!”
*Clap clap clap.*
“See, you do know good jokes!”
*She laughs softly, rubbing at her neck.*
“I guess so… I can’t pull ‘em out quick enough like that.”
“We’ll up your improv game, it’s okay.”
*Ze winks.*
“Careful what ya wish for, Plum, I’ll be insufferable.”
*She giggles softly.*
“Just how I like my loved ones.”
*Shy smirks.*
“Gods, yeah… They’re my favorite people.”
“Join the party~~~~~~”
“Hehehe, I love a good party~…”
*Ze giggles.*
“Speaking of parties, you wanna head to the market?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
*She gets to her feet.*
“Lemme take care of these first.”
*Nodnod.*
“Alright. Sounds good.”
*Ze stands up too, stretching.*
*Her tail swish swishes behind her as she carries bowls and plates and glasses to her wash basin, giving them all a good scrub down. Bubbles float up past her ears.*
*……Shy giggles, and moves over, popping some of them.*
*She looks up at nim with a smile, popping one that goes towards Esquiline’s nose.*
*Vi blinks, and laughs a little harder.*
“I always liked bubbles. Me and my siblings would spend hours in the grass seeing who could blow the biggest one.”
*She smiles.*
“That’s sweet… Who usually won?”
“Usually, uhm.. Yaremi. Xe’s one of the twins.”
“Ah, I see.”
*She makes a ring with her thumb and middle finger, dunking her hand in the water. She blows a decent bubble.*
*Vi grins, carefully catching it in both hands once it settles.*
*She giggles softly, petting the air above the bubble.*
“Hello, bubble…”
“Hello, it’s me, bubble!! Thanks for creatin’ me!!”
*Very high and strong Yonan accent.*
“Oh my Gods, aren’t you charmin’…”
*She laughs, miming a little scritch on an imaginary forehead.*
“Yer very welcome, ‘lil fella.”
“Ooooh, thank you, that felt nice..”
*The bubble ‘nods’ as Esquiline tilts per wrists up and down.*
“‘Course! Everybody deserves a good scratch sometimes.”
“I agree—“
*Pop!*
….
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
*She gasps.*
“Oh fuck! No!!!”
“They died so young!!!!”
*Esq doubles over.*
“So young… They’ll always be remembered.”
*She holds her hand to her heart, a solemn look on her face.*
“They will……”
*Shy nods, looking sadly into the distance.*
“…What were we talking about again?”
“….. I have no fuckin’ clue.”
*…..Shy breaks out in giggles.*
“We would do great doing standup.”
*She follows suit, shaking her head.*
“First improv, and now stand-up… Let’s go on tour, Plum.”
*She dries the last of the dishes, and then her hands, before offering her elbow out.*
“What should our group be called?”
*Ze takes it.*
“Hm… Tall, Dark, and Plum.”
*She reaches up to touch her hair.*
*Vi laughs, leaning in to allow her.*
“I like it.”
“Good. We’ll be known over seas in no time.”
“Over planes, even.”
“Oh, we’ll be a fuckin’ hoot in the astral plane. Look out.”
“A hoot and a holler, I’d say.”
