Lady's Night Out! Or in, technically.

[necromanswers]

♥ Who: Lup, Honerva, Pyra, and Era
♥ Where: A... new business!?
♥ When: Tail end of the winter holidays
♥ What: Lady sleepover party, time for drink and gossip
♥ Rating: probably at least PG


In the heart of the entertainment district, closest to where the majority of residents live, a new building has opened up- in theory, that is. There is a sign across that door that reads "opening soon", and the curtains are drawn across the window to hide its contents, but those passing by might catch a glimpse of things here and there. A stack of cups on a table, a spread of colourful fabric, a cat perched in the window, staring back. Hints of what's to come. Today, beneath the existing sign, hangs an extra: "closed for private party".

Attendees of said party will find the interior still very much a work-in-progress, but it has the signs of obvious progress. The business is set up as a cafe, the walls painted warm shades of browns and pinks, cat toys piled in the corner, synthetic trees and shelving along the walls for climbing and exploring. The central area is peppered with blankets and pillows all gathered in a pile, and beneath them a series of connected sofa cushions forming the "mattress". One table is set up as a work station of sorts, with paints and various construction supplies laid out, though for tonight it's mostly abandoned.

Another table is decorated with snacks and dishes, mostly finger food and sweets for easy eating; it all smells delightful, with varying recipes to indicate that the chef has been experimenting on which to choose. Many of them are decorated with animal motifs: cut-out cookies in mammal shapes, tarts with icing whiskers, cat-eared quiche. The coffee drinks too will have simple shapes drawn into the foam when ordered. The alcoholic drinks will probably not, but they're smooth and cold and are made for fun more than aesthetic, anyway. A variation of old-school or modern pop style music plays quietly from wall-mounted speakers, loud enough to be heard but not overwhelm. Two cats wander about the premises, introduced to the party-goers for those not in the know as Ditto and Kova. They're friendly, but be gentle!

Before things get going, Lup lays down a few ground rules:
1) respect the animals, and do not feed them!
2) respect the other people here and definitely feed them
3) if you make a mess tell her, that's what magic is for
4) have a good time, yes this is a rule
5) profit? maybe? you get paid for cuddles here, get drunk and go nuts

Let's go, girls! Time for some R&R fun.

Comments

[astralera]

I tried one once, and suffered severe anaphylactic shock. I've never run tests to see if it only occurs from ingestion.

[necromanswers]

Okay, got it. Well, avocado's kind of a niche taste anyway, and I'm not big on the texture. No big deal to keep it out of the menu. No avocados, no peanuts!

[astralera]

I have heard good things about 'guacamole', and had been looking forward to trying it until I realized it would kill me.

[ Esteem sees fit to add: ]

«If you had to be allergic to something, a fruit that looks like shriveled up goobbue balls is not a bad choice.»

[ Era shoots her Darkside an absolute 'wtf?' look. ] How do you even know what goobbue balls look like?

[necromanswers]

[Lup giggles at that. Not like she has any idea what the heck that is, but with a name and description like that, she can use her imagination.]

Well, the good news is, if you aren't opposed to a bit of magic I can certainly whip you up some guacamole that tastes like it should, without any real avocado in it. Otherwise, every ingredient that exists has some kind of safe replacement that can be easily swapped in.

[astralera]

[ Era glances at the plate of food in her hands now. ]

Have you used any magic in the other foods?

[necromanswers]

Only a little Prestidigitation. It changes the flavour, makes it taste real. Gods know this stuff is like hot garbage otherwise.

[It tastes okay, more or less, but definitely not up to her usual standards. She's not going to have sub-par food in her cafe, dammit.]

[astralera]

Prestidigitation? [ She repeats the word carefully, syllable by syllable, to make sure she's pronouncing it correctly. ] Is that something like transmutation?

[necromanswers]

[And literally no one would blame her for fudging it because seriously feck that word. It's the worst spell to say.]

It's a transmutation cantrip, so yep. Same school of magic.

[astralera]

If there is magic lingering in the food, it is likely I will taste it.

What is your magic source? Inner energy, or channeling external energy?

[ Era doesn't— ]

«She doesn't want to taste you, since that's kind of fucked up.»

[necromanswers]

Excuse you, I'd taste delicious.

[Lup snickers quietly, obviously teasing; the objection is fair enough. Esteem sure is a useful peek into Era's mysterious air.]

Wizards use external energy. It's the sorcerers who use their own innate powers. Don't worry, it's all natural in there.

[astralera]

You would pale in comparison to him.

[ That... wasn't what she had meant to say, but it's entirely true. No one would ever match up to the taste of Hades' aether. ]

I wonder, then, if it would leave an aftertaste of this world.

[ Her expression is halfway intrigued and halfway 'ew no'. ]

[necromanswers]

Ooh, ouch.

[Lup doesn't sound especially bothered. If anything she's amused at the perhaps-unintended admission. Been doing some tasting of essence, have we.]

Try the cookies, the ones with icing whiskers. They should taste like chocolate cream and caramel.

[astralera]

[ Era barely manages to glance at Esteem before they reach over and lift one of the pastries to reveal the cookie in question. Her expression brightens, and Esteem's shifts into one easily interpreted as satisfaction because of course they already brought Era one of those. ]

«Let's hope this garbage world doesn't leave a garbage aftertaste.»

[necromanswers]

I sure hope not, because if it tastes that bad, this world might already be doomed.

[Lup moves to fuss a bit with the display, readjusting plates and keeping it orderly.]

The magic of a planet runs a lot deeper than just its outward appearance. It's also dependent on where the folds of reality have opened to let the magic in. It's not much, but there's still life in our little corner here. That's worth a lot, in my book.

[astralera]

I am accustomed to ambient, surface aether being used in spells. I know of only one who can draw power from the life stream directly.

[ Era and her simulacrum both watch Lup's movements with keen eyes, though for all that they are identical in form an attentiveness, their body language is very distinct from each other. ]

I believe Esteem was making a joke about my feelings for this world.

[necromanswers]

[They won't find her doing anything untoward, at least. Though she does give one cookie a little flick with her fingers before she bites into it herself, a glimmer of arcane energy flowing into it as she enhances the taste with Prestidigitation, as a demonstration (but mostly because hello, better flavour, yes thank you).]

I hear you. I stand by what I said, though.