Facing New Horizons

(Scroll for more info) Current M!A: None [Indie Fandomless OC] [Cross-over Friendly] Available Specific verses/AUs: Persona (3/4/5 compatible) Genshin Impact Tales of Series Legend of Zelda: BOTW/TOTK AU Disney Friendly Crossover AU Dragon Age Sonic (on request)

[byimagination]

Goldguy test run // @charlotte-liddel

"Oh, Buon Giorno. Are you a tourist in this town?"

[charlotte-liddel]

"Salve, sir!" A little curtsey accompanied her greeting, "Yes, I am, but I am also here on business. Maybe you could help me?"

[heartsnmagic]

[charlotte-liddel]

"...It's not even August yet and they're already selling that?" She's not even surprised at this point, just disappointed.

[bestiadentro]

"I'm sure I'll enjoy whatever you make." Well, he's also sure there are some things he might end up not liking eventually, but it'll be because of what it is rather than her messing it up. "I'm excited to see what you've made." Or what she was going to make in general, really. The idea that someone wanted to make things just for him? Whether it was because he was renting a room in her business or not, it still excited him a bit.

Alaire would like to think they're friends at the very least considering his main reason for coming this time is to see her. The first time, it'd been to escape from the city. And what a lovely escape it turned out to be. He's glad he picked this place. Not just because the building itself was nice, but because he found Charlotte pleasant to be around.

Though Alaire is kind to most people he meets, there aren't many people he goes out of his way to spend time with. Perhaps it might be because of the fact that he's never had the chance to until the past few years, but still, he's more of a quality over quantity type of person. The idea of hanging out with a big group of friends that all laugh and have fun together is great and all though Alaire knows the reality of that? It'd wear him out in minutes. Large groups typically meant you're someplace loud. Not his favourite sort of places. Loud with tons of people talking over each other is a nightmare he'd rather avoid!

He follows her the whole way, giving a small nod upon her mention of his needing to watch his step. Luckily, Alaire tends to step carefully in general. Often times he can be found looking at his feet or down in front of him when he's walking, making sure not to misstep or trip. "Thanks for the warning," Whether he typically steps carefully or not, the concern and warning is still appreciated.

[charlotte-liddel]

She kept up her brisk pace ahead of him, following the winding paved path between the planting areas and trees of the greenhouse. It was rare she let many in here, so she walked backwards every so often to ensure he was keeping up. Even if it was easy enough to make it to the indoor pond by following the paved flooring she couldn't help but have her worries.

Once they reached the pond area, she started to float to a few of the fruit trees that sat on the border of the area. Some fresh fruit would go well with the refreshments she already prepared. A key lime and orange specifically.

"...So I've prepared a few things you didn't get to try last visit." Charlotte joined him back on the ground at the table. Wasting no time she skillfully cut the orange into wedges on a plate and squeezed the key lime into the teapot before serving the tea, "The tea is a fresh herbal blend with some flowers and the lime for acidity to brighten it. I find it naturally sweet, but do speak up if you want to add some honey to it."

On the center of the table the assortment of baked refreshments were the definition of spoiled for choice. Gingersnaps, Snickerdoodles, Cheddar and Chive scones, Chocolate Dipped Biscotti, Butter Tarts, Garlic and Pesto Pinwheel Pastry, Tiramisu Macrons, Bacon Wrapped Chestnuts, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tartlets, and two Japanese style Egg Salad Sandwiches for good measure.

[charlotte-liddel]

"...A longbow form might work, but I'll have to study their limits..." Her desk is covered with a mix of papers of bow sketches and tiny replica's made from her magic. She's clearly developing a new weapon form for her magic.

[lostusagis]

She was quite a kind person, to be fussing over such a thing. Many places that serve food just cared about getting their money, and very little about the customers themselves. That may have earned some respect from him then.

''Hmmm. . . . since you're so persistent, let me think for a moment.'' Kamui hums in thought, contemplating his choices. Was she really willing to cook just about anything for him? There was a reason he'd often get kicked out and/or banned from eating in some places.

''Okay, miss little kind-hearted chef. . . . then can I have a large bowl of soba, pork ramen, okonomiyaki, dumplings, the spiciest curry you can make, takoyaki, spicy sushi, spicy yakisoba, kimchi, jiggae, spicy chicken, BBQ, Wasabi rice bowl, teriyaki, tempura-'' He may have been talking a little too fast, but it was evident he really enjoyed spicy cuisine.

''Umm. . . . is that too much? Oh, make sure everything is in super large servings ~! ♫'' Kamui very cheerfully says, leaning his cheek into the palm of his hand.

''I'll give you a nice tip too afterwards, if you manage to satisfy my appetite.''

[charlotte-liddel]

She quickly got a grasp of a pattern for spicy foods in his order, and didn't miss much of a beat as she scribbled down each thing he listed. Half of what he wanted wasn't really even on her menu. That didn't mean she couldn't make most of it. Just at the mention of the large servings she shook her head a little again.

While she could make concerningly sized servings for him, it was just as easy for her to pack more of her magic into the meal to give it boosted effects. In most cases that would be her go to when it came to anyone ordering this much food. For him, however, she had a gut feeling to avoid doing that.

"...It's a bit much, but I can make most of that easily. I just wouldn't be bringing it all out at once." The minimum magic and buff infusion in each dish was part of the time factor she had to worry about, "I should also warn all my cooking is known to be very satiating. I can make a few half or regular orders of some of the spicy dishes for you to start, and make more if you like it or adjust the spice to what you're after."

With that offer out of the way, she produced a small side dish of homemade kimchi and six pork spring rolls seemingly out of nowhere. She could keep those appetizers coming steadily for a bit while she cracked down on the other feasible orders in the kitchen. There was just one other matter that came to mind for her that she knew she needed to address.

"Now, I usually make my curry a bit sweeter, with apples, tomatoes and pork instead of beef. If you'd like to try some of it I can bring some out now. It will take me a bit to turn the next batch base into something more spicy."

[kakashimultimuses]

"Oooh! That's an interesting form of payment. If that's how you prefer it, I'll respect that. Thank you again, Charlotte." He crossed his arms, giving a wide smile, pleased with their agreement.

Then, when she asked about the portion size, he touched his chin thoughtfully. "Four kebabs then! And if possible, I'd like five orders as an appetizer!" The blond dragon closed his eyes, satisfied with that portion to start with.

"I may be small in my human form, but my true form is very large! I need quite a lot to satisfy myself! Will you be able to satisfy the hunger of the great Veldora Tempest, Charlotte?" Veldora gave her a challenging smile.

[charlotte-liddel]

Charlotte gave him a playful smirk right back at his challenge, lacing her fingers together before stretching her arms over her head nonchalantly. She was aware enough of his name, and thus had an idea of his size; if even by tales of exaggeration. Whether or not she could satiate his appetite was a matter of whether or not he could handle her above and beyond.

"Well then, Oh Great Veldora Tempest, can you withstand the might of my cooking?" She let her arms swing back down, before snapping her fingers to make a large cluster of nebulous butterflies to help her. There was a sense she had that he may have ordered far less than what he would want to eat. As such, being prepared never hurt.

Setting the butterflies off to the kitchen, she then reached her hand into one curtain like glittering portal to pull out a iced coffee carafe. With her other hand she then pulled a tall glass out of a second portal on the tabletop. At this point she was making a show of the presentation before filling the glass with a Vietnamese style iced coffee.

"...I suggest this to go with your order as a refreshment to start. I can bring different drinks later, but just know I don't really serve alcohol." Unless it's after sunset, but she's not really advertising that. Right now she had her butterflies already working to get his order dishes plated, and extra enhanced with her magic, in the kitchen.

[charlotte-liddel]

"It's barely the start of summer and I'm already sick of the heat."

She meant that sentiment in a more relative sense.

[thesilvermoonrays]

When Can't I?

He'd keep that to himself. The phantom scent of human blood regularly haunted him. Something he couldn't avoid, no matter how much he washed his clothes, and his body. It didn't stop Inuyasha from taking a few deep, audible sniffs of the air. That was when his expression hardened, brows knitting deep. Golden eyes narrowed, he could smell quite a few things.

And the blood of an innocent was one of them.

"Yeah. Same direction we were goin'. It's fresh, too. Human blood. I'd guess whatever unlucky person traveled through is gone by now." Hands clenched into fists. He hated it. Compassionate heart be damned, Inuyasha hated when they had to bury another body. That was assuming there was any body left to bury. "There's a strong yōki, we need to get there as fast as possible."

Just in case a life could be saved. The Shikon Fragment, for this moment, was second in his mind.

Taking the moment to properly turn in Charlotte's direction, his expression was of anger. Nothing directed at her, merely the situation. "Whichever one of us is fastest needs t'lead. No time for thinking about it, we gotta go now."

[charlotte-liddel]

His answer gave her a small pit in her stomach. She would have rather hoped that no humans would be anywhere near this forsaken valley. Anyone that would be here either had to be desperate, or had some involvement with the fragment being here. Though the latter was what she hoped not to be the truth.

She didn't want things to be more complicated that the greys of morality had to come into play.

Clicking her tongue into a short sigh, she magically changed her outfit to a more form fitting modern piece; while giving him a look of urgency in return. The rest of her magic was already becoming a more visible glittering trail hanging in the air, seemingly coming off her hair and tail, as she built up for a boost. She knew she was the faster of the two, but he was the one familiar with whatever they would find as a probable opponent. It would be better if they arrived together.

If he'd take the offer, that is.

With little time to deliberate it with herself, Charlotte adjusted her own course swiftly to put herself a little ahead and above him, "You can either grab on or ride my tailwind, then. Choose quickly."

She stretched her arms down, her small hands open and reaching for him to grab on. Whether or not he took her hands, she was ready to take off like a bolt of lightning in just a few moments.

[charlotte-liddel]

"Making good sourdough is a careful process. You have to take care of the yeast culture for it, and some people have sourdough yeast that has been going for a century."

"...So, I really don't recommend it for beginners or trend chasers."

Charlotte is a little tired of the whole shallow traditionalism trend in the more modern realities.

[indeliblepromise]

‧₊˚ ⋅ ꒰১ ᯓ ☆ㅤ˗ˏˋ⠀ㅤ𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈. The idea of a warm bed was incredibly tempting. To even be tempted by such a simple thing was so silly; it was almost STUPID. He shouldn't have even been thinking about it. But unfortunately, he had to eat his food. And with every bite he took, the thought lingered in his mind.

˚ʚ ☾ ɞ˚ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤㅤ⠀Wouldㅤ—ㅤwould the Comte even NOTICE ? It wasn't as if the Comte checked on him very often. Nearly every night was spent ALONE; out in the cold with only Etoile by his side. The chances of the Comte finding out wereㅤ—ㅤnot that much really.

˚ʚ ☾ ɞ˚ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤㅤ⠀The idea was still terrifying though. To everyone's knowledge, there was only supposed to be ONE Blue Moon, not two. If it came out that there was a second Book of Vanitas out there, it would have made things harder. It would have made the chances of Father coming back become even less.

˚ʚ ☾ ɞ˚ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤㅤ⠀Butㅤ—ㅤsome people already knew, didn't that ? There was Mademoiselle Domi if she even remembered. Then there was that Hellfire Witch. And of course, that DAMNED VAMPIRE . . .

˚ʚ ☾ ɞ˚ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤㅤ⠀As he finally finished his meal, he looked up at the woman; a calm and collected look on his faceㅤ—ㅤas if he hadn't just spend the ENTIRE time deliberating on such a simple thing.

˚ʚ ☾ ɞ˚ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤㅤ⠀❛ㅤWellㅤ—ㅤI suppose it is rather chilly tonight . . .ㅤ❜⠀

[charlotte-liddel]

His answer gave her some obvious relief, her shoulders relaxing, as she started to clean up his dishes. The night would be spent with far less worry with Mikhail resting and well fed in her guest room. It honestly bothered her more than a bit that she never saw any sort of chaperone beyond Etoile with the young boy. A responsible adult would be coming to look for him at his point.

That depended, though, on if Mikhail spoke of her cafe with his brother. By the most reasonable logic she could depend on a worried family member coming to her to ask for him. At least usually.

There was that inkling getting all the louder in her mind that Mikhail was being neglected in some capacity. His stay for the night had the helpful side effect of determining the answer to that concern.

"Let me get this all to the kitchen, and then I'll show you up to my guest room then. I know I have some spare night shirts that should fit you too." She was going to have her butterflies clean these when it got down to it. Mikhail needed most of her attention to accommodate him.

"I can also draw you a warm bath if you'd like. It would help so I can wash your clothes." She never felt right sending anyone staying impromptu home without cleaning their clothes first. The night gave her more than enough time to handle the trouble of it too.

[thesilvermoonrays]

The only response to her comment on humans was a sharp "Keh.". He agreed with her, but that was on a need to know basis. Nobody needed to know. The humidity wasn't helping with his mood. Dogs didn't sweat, a trait he inherited from his father. inuyahsa had no natural means to cool himself off in places like this. He also couldn't deny a place like this was one of his great strengths. plenty of natural formations to jump off of.

"The only 'synergy' we need is the fragment that may not even be here." His irritation wasn't directed at Charlotte. Goal oriented was a good way to describe him. Whether Inuyasha's goals were good or not, that could be another story entirely. Without even looking down, he was capable of avoiding any jagged rocks on his bare feet. Perhaps it was demonic intuition. It may have just been the sheer number of valleys he'd through in his years.

He'd been through too many. He'd been caught up in flash floods, too.

Then came the abrupt stop before he could answer her. Chin raising, Inuyasha was audibly sniffing once again. Then his nose wrinkled with disgust.

Figures...

"Further north." What had been a walk, turned into moving even faster. The scent of yōki. Where yōkai gathered in large droves was about as good a lead as they were going to get. Inuyasha didn't even bother turning his head around to look at her. "You'd better be keeping up back there!" Not that it stopped him from slowing his pace. At least until her scent was stronger again.

"You sense it too, right?"

[charlotte-liddel]

She didn't let his prickly demeanor get to her; no matter how tempting it could be to get sarcastic with him. Intuition told her that would be like tossing water on an oil fire. That was a mess she would rather avoid.

It also helped that Charlotte's mind was a little elsewhere, focusing on a certain energy to their surroundings. When something shifted or dipped in any one direction, she could pick up on it. This worked well when it came to her usual quarry of giant beasts. For yōkai it required a little more finesse on her part; though it wasn't too dissimilar to how she dealt with detecting western demons.

Still, that did mean it required quite a bit of her focus.

Lagging a little behind him, she only barely adjusted her trajectory after Inuyasha stopped and hurried north. She didn't even notice he slowed his pace for her to catch up, having only barely picked up on the energy made by the yōkai. Now with it on her radar, at least, honing in on it was easy.

Doubling the orange butterflies, she picked up speed to fly beside him with very little delay, "Yes, if only a little." Since it was so fickle in nature to detect. Not that she was going to say it out loud right now. Instead, she decided to ask the more pertinent question.

"...Can you smell any blood?"

[bestiadentro]

Somehow he managed to forget about that ability of hers. He supposes that's what time away from someone would do though he also hadn't stayed too entirely long either. What a convenient ability, he thinks as the butterflies seemingly vanish through a portal with his luggage. He's then following after her, allowing her to lead the way to their destination.

"I like both, honestly." Alaire isn't particularly picky with food. There are some textures he hated, sure, but he hasn't found too many foods he isn't fond of yet. Besides grits. That texture he could never handle. Yuck. "So I'm fine with either, really. I'm just happy to eat what you make again." Did that maybe come off as flirting? He has no idea. It's just the truth. Her food tasted delicious! That much he knew from the last time he visited.

[charlotte-liddel]

It was easy enough to set another group of butterflies to grab the combined treats and the tea tray. She had been technically preparing to have tea with him when he arrived since last night. Most of it overthinking details, though.

Still, she wasn't going to let herself miss any beats in the moment; if she could help it, that is.

There was a smile flashed at him as she opened the conservatory door, "And I'm happy to cook for you again. I've been looking forward to seeing if we can discover more recipes of mine you'll enjoy." The hazard of recipe cards and books in her private study were a testament to that. Not that he would be likely to see it.

As she led him down the garden stone path from the patio to the greenhouse, a thought did dawn on her. She couldn't recall if he had ever made time to visit the greenhouse during his last stay, which bothered her a bit, so she paused in front of the door once they reached it. Only briefly, though, before she opened the French doors and motioned him to follow her inside.

"Mind your step and be a little careful. It's a bit bigger than it looks inside." Not that it wasn't already quite a little past modest for a glass greenhouse set in the garden. Really it was all to fit the fruit trees, mostly. "...I've set up the table by the pond in the central area. It can be a little humid there, so I hope that's okay."

[indeliblepromise]

‧₊˚ ⋅ ꒰১ ᯓ ☆ㅤ˗ˏˋ⠀ㅤ𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒂𝒔, 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒇𝒆. The Parisian nights could still get terribly cold; especially when you didn't have a proper roof over your head. He doubted he would actually get that much sleep that night; not without the warmth and care of a PROPER home. ˚ʚ ☾ ɞ˚ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤㅤ⠀But⠀—⠀if that bitter chill was what he had to deal with to get his family back, he would GLADLY deal with it.

˚ʚ ☾ ɞ˚ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤㅤ⠀At the woman's words; his sapphire sights trail back down to the half - eaten meal. Right, he should definitely finish it while it was still warm⠀—⠀and while it wasn't nearly pitch black outside. After all, the night was when the LITTLE CHILDREN like him tended to disappear from the streets. And he knew very well where those children went . . .

˚ʚ ☾ ɞ˚ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤㅤ⠀He pushed those thoughts aside as he took a few more bites of his food. And yet, he stops when a glint of BLUE caught his eyes. The boy looks up just in time to see the woman fashion a pair of gloves that sparkled like the stars above.

˚ʚ ☾ ɞ˚ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤㅤ⠀A light gasp left his breath before he would take the gloves in hand; feeling its soft warmth between his fingers. Even if it was just gloves; it would HELP a great deal with the cold.

˚ʚ ☾ ɞ˚ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤㅤ⠀❛ㅤThis is really BEAUTIFUL, Mademoiselle Charlotte ! It looks like the stars outside ! Thank you !ㅤ❜⠀

[charlotte-liddel]

"It's no trouble, really. You're very welcome. If you need anything else for the chill, just speak up." For now she just wanted him to finish up his meal more than anything. She didn't want him returning home hungry.

If she could have it her way she would be letting him spend the night in her spare room. A better option than sending him home too close to the worrisome hours of nightfall. The only thing really preventing her making that offer was her expectation he would refuse it; just as he has dodged other offerings or questions she's made.

The thought briefly crossed her mind to even offer him a thicker jacket, though it might be oversized on him, from her own closet. Well, maybe more push it onto him than offer to ensure he was warm. It was an option she was entertaining in the back of her mind.

"...And I do mean it, Mikhail. You're always welcome here and to ask anything you need. Even a warm bed in my guest room." Charlotte kept her eyes trained on him again, offering him a more calm smile than the previous. The best she could really do here was keep emphasizing he was safe in her care, and that he could ask her for anything.

[lostusagis]

@charlotte-liddel ask continued

Kamui was quite quick when devouring the cake she handed him. Seems he wasn't really picky as long as he was fed.

''Eeeeh ~? Are you concerned over your customer's health? I'm fine, I'm just really craving sweets, so you should just be concerned over whether I'll be paying. Which I will be, not to worry. ~♫'' Kamui wasn't one who often showed sympathy towards others, at least not those he did not care for. However, he respected the ones that fed him. He was just being somewhat of a brat right now since he was hungry.

''So, can I have some more? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease ~?''

[charlotte-liddel]

He practically inhaled that cake slice, didn't he? And that meant it was likely he didn't really catch any of the flavour. That wasn't something Charlotte was willing to stand for, given the effort she put into her cooking and baking.

"...Health is always paramount for me. I don't want my cooking being the cause of anyone getting sick." Even if they over-indulge in it willingly. That was why she had certain hard stop rules in place. However, she wasn't about to address that openly just yet.

"I'm not going to worry too much about your ability to pay, but I can't in good faith serve you just sweets." She was still trying to assess his appetite from how quickly he ate that slice, "...Could you humour me a bit with giving me an idea of how much of a meal you're really after? I'll bring you something more once you answer that much."

She was already mentally preparing herself for what sort of nightmare he could be.

[bestiadentro]

"Better than last time now that I know the way." Going to unfamiliar places was always pretty distressful for him. He liked knowing his surroundings and that's not surprising being that his surroundings had stayed the same for over one hundred years. That's not to say he isn't excited to finally be able to explore the world he's been confined from all that time.

Being that this is a familiar place now, it makes getting there and adjusting to being there a lot easier for him. Having an idea of what to expect is always helpful. It's just that he didn't exactly do the best research about the goings on in the area. Something Alaire feels like should have been obvious to him though it's easy to miss details when you're distressed about your trip as a whole. Going and on his own the very first time he traveled? It was pretty brave for him. It makes him happy something seemed to come out of it. Made a friend he can take the time to see every now and again.

There's something a bit relieving in the fact Charlotte appears a bit excited to see him. So, he smiles, giving a small nod "If that's no trouble?" Shortly after he speaks, he's blinking. "Oh? Well - I'd love to. That sounds really nice, actually." A good place for them to sit and talk and catch up. Not like they don't talk outside of his being here, but still. It's nice to get to talk in person again.

[charlotte-liddel]

"Oh, it's not trouble at all." With a snap of her fingers a small cluster of her nebulous butterflies formed and whisked away his luggage through a shimmering portal nearby. All to save time as she motioned him to follow her as she made way for the conservatory near the dining room.

While she'd usually use the rear door in the kitchen to get out to the rear of the property and the greenhouse, that didn't seem right to pull Alaire through there just now. The conservatory itself let out onto the rear patio, and could access the garden stone paths that lined the way to the greenhouse. It was just a bit more of a wind than the more direct path from the kitchen door.

"...Now, I will ask if you'd like something savory or sweet with the tea. I have either type of treat to accompany prepared, and I can do both." She had maybe made a little too much if she were to admit it; which she won't. Not that it was a bad issue to have when she had a guest or company she enjoyed. It was just a little embarrassing.

[charlotte-liddel]

//Little Update

Me being busy with the abrupt moving madness still stands, and I have a landlord who is not making any matter of this easy.

That said, I will be back to more of my normal activity capabilities after April 15th. I might still send asks and messages to mutuals on mobile between now and the 15th regardless.

Just anything I got drafted from today won't likely get replied to until like the 16th or 17th. If I put a like on it you can be assured I do have it drafted for later.