Belladonna Bouquet

Sideblog for Az. Belladonna Bouquet (Kalos)

[faetedlegacy]

@shadewoods continued from here

"Well I see Selene the most, since we share a room and usually wake up together. Have breakfast, then we're onto our own schedules for the day." she explained, motioning with her finger as she tried to think through her usual routine.

"After her I see Eos the most, but whether she's in a lazy mood and is sleeping through most of the day or is out doing every physical activity under the sun differs day to day.

"Leto isn't here right now, but when she is, she's like a more consistent Eos. Keeps herself busy all day, sleeps like a rock all night. If you wanna hang out with her, you have to be fast, that's for sure.

"Cyn's supposed to live here, but she's on a course learning how to... well, everything really. Long story with that, but it probably won't be much longer before she moves back in for real, though Eos will probably need to move out for that. Helios would probably let her move in with her, but nobody's actually asked her about that as far as I'm aware."

"Okay, so maybe I'm talking a lot and not really getting to the point; a lot of us live here, but ultimately this place is mostly me and Selene. The others are amazing, really, but for them this place is more like a rest stop than home. Me on the other hand, I couldn't last a minute outside without knowing that I can always come back here at this point."

[shadewoods]

Bell added sauce to her pan, heating it up and mixing it with her meat and veggies to make a nice curry, as she listened to Mene list off her family members and their schedules, trying to memorize their names and personalities. The girl certainly had the bigger family between them by leaps and bounds, leading Bell to imagine that kind of home life, more busy and chaotic a household than she's used to; strange but exciting.

"Oh, no, you're fine, Mene, really. It's interesting hearing about your home life, it sounds exciting! And I can understand having somewhere special you can always come back to. I'm trying to find my home myself..."

The girl trailed off, silently stirring the food as she lost herself in her thoughts. The lonely halls of her childhood home, silent fields being tended to. The workers around the house and in the fruit fields would entertain her and let her help out, and her busy parents loved her dearly, but aside from being a representative of the family business, Bell couldn't say there was much "home" to where she lived.

[shadewoods]

faetedlegacy​:

If Mene had any more experience with life, she might have been a little offended that Bell didn’t trust her to make the meal on her own.

As it was, not only was Bell right that leaving her to it would result in rice that was, at best, flavoured only from the overcooking it would be subjected to, but Mene hadn’t even noticed the implication at all.

“What kind of host would have the guest take part in the cooking?” she asked, a little disappointed momentarily.

“Well,” she corrected herself after only a second or two, “I guess that would be pretty fun. My sister usually cooks with me. It’d be pretty interesting to see what your tastes are like compared to hers. So, sure, let’s do it together.”

Bell clapped happily and tore herself from the window, walking over to the fridge and going through it with Mene’s consent, noting what vegetables and meats she had before pulling out the ingredients for curry. Taking them to the counter and retrieving a cutting board and knife, Bell started to chop and mince tomatoes and onions before turning back to Mene.

“You cook with your sister, hm? That must be… Selene, right? I had heard about Eos, Selene and her twin from the kitchen staff, so I’m assuming you must be the magnificent, mysterious Deo twin, right?”

Bell tried winking at Mene at the end of her magnificent deduction for some dramatic flair and immediately felt like she looked like an idiot, turning back to shred the next vegetable in embarrassment.

“S-so… what’re they like? Your sisters, I mean. I had heard they were good battlers but not much else, and almost nothing about you, no offense. I had just assumed you weren’t as flashy as them.”

[faetedlegacy]

Mene laughed in light embarrassment at Bell’s words. “Magnificent? I don’t think so, I’m just ordinary.”

She paused and gazed upwards for a brief moment in silence, pondering what she had just said before continuing. “At least, I think I’m ordinary. I haven’t met all that many people to compare myself to.”

“Well, the first thing is that we’re actually triplets. Me, Selene, and Cynthia. Selene is who I usually cook with. Eos… I don’t know if I’ve ever seen her cook for herself, Helios lives a few blocks away instead of here with us, and I’m not sure if Cyn knows how to cook yet. We also live with our cousin, Leto, but I feel like I haven’t seen her around for a few weeks…”

“Well, I’m sure she’s fine. She’s done a lot worse than not contact us for a while.”

[shadewoods]

Bell listened closely as she finished chopping up the vegetables and meat, transferring them to a pan, seasoning tem as she stirred, though her arm slowed as she heard more names.

“Wow, you have a decent sized family, huh? That sounds pretty nice.”

She wasn’t jealous per say, she loved her parents and had plenty of acquaintances, though not nearly as many people she would consider herself super close to. She has her Pokemon to keep her company but she can’t say she’s ever been a part of a busy or exciting household. Working in the stock and kitchen of Aegis is the most excitement she’s had in a long time.

“How is it? Living with that many people, I mean. Is it too much? Or do you really like it?”

The girl tried to seem casual with her question, but she definitely looked more interested than most.

[shadewoods]

faetedlegacy​:

If Mene had any more experience with life, she might have been a little offended that Bell didn’t trust her to make the meal on her own.

As it was, not only was Bell right that leaving her to it would result in rice that was, at best, flavoured only from the overcooking it would be subjected to, but Mene hadn’t even noticed the implication at all.

“What kind of host would have the guest take part in the cooking?” she asked, a little disappointed momentarily.

“Well,” she corrected herself after only a second or two, “I guess that would be pretty fun. My sister usually cooks with me. It’d be pretty interesting to see what your tastes are like compared to hers. So, sure, let’s do it together.”

Bell clapped happily and tore herself from the window, walking over to the fridge and going through it with Mene’s consent, noting what vegetables and meats she had before pulling out the ingredients for curry. Taking them to the counter and retrieving a cutting board and knife, Bell started to chop and mince tomatoes and onions before turning back to Mene.

“You cook with your sister, hm? That must be... Selene, right? I had heard about Eos, Selene and her twin from the kitchen staff, so I’m assuming you must be the magnificent, mysterious Deo twin, right?”

Bell tried winking at Mene at the end of her magnificent deduction for some dramatic flair and immediately felt like she looked like an idiot, turning back to shred the next vegetable in embarrassment.

“S-so... what’re they like? Your sisters, I mean. I had heard they were good battlers but not much else, and almost nothing about you, no offense. I had just assumed you weren’t as flashy as them.”

[faetedlegacy]

shadewoods​:

“Oh, thank you!” Bell said this with enthusiasm but on the inside is a bit of a mess.

She had hoped she could just find something in Aegis to eat or resort to late night take out. She was not, however, prepared to immediately dine with a nice young lady she had only just met in her own home! And she’s a Deos, no less. Bell wasn’t helping set up celebrity scandal because she was bit peckish, was she? She quickly shooed those thoughts away as she entered the elevator. however. Mene seemed genuine and nice enough, there was no harm in having her treat her, right? And the Deos weren’t quite that famous, were they? Wait, were they?

Bell shushed her dumb little head. She was going to join Mene for dinner and enjoy it. She hoped… It had just occurred to her that she had never actually visited someone else’s home for leisure before. She wore a small smile on the way up, actually excited for this little dinner of theirs.

A short elevator ride up to the top floor of the building was all it would take - one that would normally be taken in silence, but Mene didn’t seem to be able to stop bouncing lightly in place and coming up with mundane things to ask, such as where Bell was from, or what she generally did around Aegis. A moment after the last of these questions, the elevator let out a ping! and the duo disembarked into the lobby of the Deo household.

“The view from up here is pretty awesome. Pick a window, any window. You can see the whole city.” she chimed, heading towards the open-plan kitchen in the middle of the penthouse that they were now within.

Mene wasn’t wrong; on each wall was at least one massive window – or perhaps more accurately each massive window served as an outer wall – which let one look out on Lumiose City like few ever got to see. They were high up enough that a tiny sliver of light could be seen on the horizon, despite the fact that the sun had set ages ago, creating an almost movie-like scene.

“Hm… Do you think rice would be okay? I can manage something like that, at least.”

[shadewoods]

"Yes, that sounds fine..." Bell trailed off, hands pressed against the glass, marveling at the sight with "oohs" and "ahs" galore. She had never been this high up, yet instead of being scared like she thought she would be, she was overwhelmed with the beauty of the city, at an angle she never could've dreamed of seeing.

She would've thanked Mene for the sights alone, but when Bell looked back, she saw the Deo preparing the rice as she said she was going to, and then just... staring at the pot? She looked by no means confused, quite proud in fact, of her work, however she hadn't pulled anything else out, nor did she make any move to do anything else with the dish. Was she planning on just making rice?

Bell hummed at the thought. She didn't want to seem rude, and she appreciates the free meal wholeheartly, but... just plain rice? Bell finally tore herself from the glass and gingerly walked over to the girl, coughing a bit to get her attention. "Um, if it's alright with you, why don't I help you with cooking dinner? I'm pretty well versed in the craft and it'd be fun to do together. How does that sound?"

[faetedlegacy]

tshadewoods​:

Mene Deo… Deo… Wait, like, THAT Deo? A slightly surprised and panicked expression crossed Bell’s face. This wasn’t the child of the founder, was it? Did that make Mene her senior or boss? Well, Bell mused, she was just a volunteer, right? So that would make this girl a supervisor to her or sorts, maybe? Was her first impression to a member of the Deo family going to be wandering in the dark, looking for food?

“Um, uh,” Bell mumbled and shuffled in place for a moment, thinking, before lightly slapping her cheeks.

She was definitely overthinking this; Mene was just another girl. Who she may or may not be related to isn’t that important, she seemed nice enough. Bell decided to just treat this Mene girl as a new friend, and readjusted her stance back to normal.

“ Why, yes, I would love to take you up on that offer. It would definitely be more convenient for me to do so.”

“Great!” Mene said a little too enthusiastically, clapping her hands together before catching herself with embarrassment. “Uh, I mean, I’m happy to be of help! Now then…”

She quickly walked over to the private elevator that was a little ways ahead, and flashed her ID to the scanner, which confirmed her identity with the blink of a green light before audibly sending the elevator down towards them.

“I think my sisters will be out right now. Well, Eos might just be asleep actually knowing her, but still! It’ll be just the two of us, and I’m not a particularly amazing cook or anything, so it really won’t be anything special, but it’ll be food, and on nights like this that’s all you really need, right? Oh, not to imply that I think you wouldn’t have standards, of course, but all the food we get in is pretty great. Not that I’m trying to brag either, mind! Um–”

A light bing! sound from the elevator snapped her out of her rambling, causing her to giggle lightly at herself, half out of embarrassment, half nerves, as she turned back to her new acquaintance and motioned towards the now-open door.

“After you, Bell!”

[shadewoods]

"Oh, thank you!" Bell said this with enthusiasm but on the inside is a bit of a mess.

She had hoped she could just find something in Aegis to eat or resort to late night take out. She was not, however, prepared to immediately dine with a nice young lady she had only just met in her own home! And she's a Deos, no less. Bell wasn't helping set up celebrity scandal because she was bit peckish, was she? She quickly shooed those thoughts away as she entered the elevator. however. Mene seemed genuine and nice enough, there was no harm in having her treat her, right? And the Deos weren't quite that famous, were they? Wait, were they?

Bell shushed her dumb little head. She was going to join Mene for dinner and enjoy it. She hoped... It had just occurred to her that she had never actually visited someone else's home for leisure before. She wore a small smile on the way up, actually excited for this little dinner of theirs.

[faetedlegacy]

shadewoods​:​

“Eh?” Bell jumped at bit, but eased at the other girl’s calmer demeanor. She hadn’t expected to see anyone this late, not that she was used to being there at that time herself. This girl must either live in or frequent the Aegis Refuge as often as Bell does; she has definitely seen her around before.

“Oh, how do you do? Sorry, I was helping with some errands earlier and was asked to stay a bit later than usual. I just wrapped up everything I needed to do and was going to see about getting dinner, but it appears everything is closed.”

Bell only then realized that the girl mentioned having seen her. Not wanting to be rude, she cleared her throat, held out her hand, and gave the stranger a pleasant smile. “Hello, my name is Belladonna Bouquet, but you may call me Bell. And you are?”

Such a formal greeting was kind of a surprise to Mene, but if that was what Bell preferred, she wasn’t about to refuse her. With a smile, she took the black-haired girl’s hand and shook it gently.

“Mene Deo. Nice to meet you, Bell.” she returned the greeting, letting her grip relax after she finished speaking. She paused for a moment, processing what she had just said. This may well have been the first time she’d ever introduced herself with that name. It felt… nice, to finally say such a thing out loud to a relative stranger.

“Missed closing time, huh?” she asked, looking around for a moment. It was true that everything in Aegis was shut now. The quiet of the halls confirmed that much. Well, if she really was a volunteer at Aegis, she and the rest of the family owed her at least a little thanks.

“Well, if it’s food you want, you could come eat at our place? It wouldn’t be fancy, but you don’t have to wander Lumiose at night if you don’t want to.”

[shadewoods]

Mene Deo... Deo... Wait, like, THAT Deo? A slightly surprised and panicked expression crossed Bell's face. This wasn't the child of the founder, was it? Did that make Mene her senior or boss? Well, Bell mused, she was just a volunteer, right? So that would make this girl a supervisor to her or sorts, maybe? Was her first impression to a member of the Deo family going to be wandering in the dark, looking for food?

"Um, uh," Bell mumbled and shuffled in place for a moment, thinking, before lightly slapping her cheeks.

She was definitely overthinking this; Mene was just another girl. Who she may or may not be related to isn't that important, she seemed nice enough. Bell decided to just treat this Mene girl as a new friend, and readjusted her stance back to normal.

" Why, yes, I would love to take you up on that offer. It would definitely be more convenient for me to do so."

[faetedlegacy]

Communicating with spirits

It was late at night in the Aegis Refuge, and Mene was just wrapping up her duties for the day. The night was quiet, as it always was once all the various facilities of the refuge had closed, and with her bettering health, Mene liked to spend some of her time soaking in the atmosphere of a populated building winding down.

Unusually, however, she sensed that she wasn’t alone. Could there be a cursed spirit walking the halls with her? A grudge damned to purgatory, trapped within the confines of the concrete prison it now found itself within?! It was, of course, nothing quite so dramatic. Mene recognized the girl as an occasional volunteer at Aegis; a delivery girl for the local berry fields, who had frequently gone above and beyond those duties for the charity. And, by the looks of it, she was a little lost. Perhaps this was an opportunity for Mene to emulate Selene’s proactive kindness and help out a little.

“Hey. I’ve seen you around, haven’t I?” she called out to her as she approached, putting on as approachable a face as she could muster without a degree of practice at the act. “Is everything okay? It’s a little late to be aimlessly walking around, don’t you think?”

@shadewoods​

[shadewoods]

"Eh?" Bell jumped at bit, but eased at the other girl's calmer demeanor. She hadn't expected to see anyone this late, not that she was used to being there at that time herself. This girl must either live in or frequent the Aegis Refuge as often as Bell does; she has definitely seen her around before.

"Oh, how do you do? Sorry, I was helping with some errands earlier and was asked to stay a bit later than usual. I just wrapped up everything I needed to do and was going to see about getting dinner, but it appears everything is closed."

Bell only then realized that the girl mentioned having seen her. Not wanting to be rude, she cleared her throat, held out her hand, and gave the stranger a pleasant smile. "Hello, my name is Belladonna Bouquet, but you may call me Bell. And you are?"

[shadewoods]

"I wish I could handle spicier foods. It always seems like there are as many options as sweets, which is really cool. I'm happy the people that can handle them have some variety in that regard!"

[shadewoods]

"Even after months of effort, I just don't think it's possible to grow Drash Berries in Kalos. Hard enough to import the darn things..."