♥ September (Ohnir) Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

September (Ohnir) Event Log
The month of Ohnir brings with it a slow but steady relief from the heat, as summer gives way to autumn and the city begins to change with it. Plants are slowly deflowering, leaves are starting to fade and fall, and while the season is not yet in full swing, all the signs are there if you know where to look. The city is abuzz with new energy as the residents realize that for the first time in centuries, they have some actual nature clean-up ahead of them: raking leaves, pruning branches, protecting young wildlife and fresh plants from the incoming chills of winter. Such work used to be relegated to those who cared for the botanical gardens and zoos, but now everyone who's been enjoying this year's garden harvest has to learn how to future-proof their treasured flowers. Offworlders are encouraged to do the same, lest all of the growth be lost over the winter.

---

❥ PROMPT I: A Clean Getaway

With all of the work to be done, it's no surprise that some are looking for new ways to refresh themselves and relax, and what better time would there be to open up the Public Baths! All the volunteer work cleaning the place has paid off, and the facilities are officially open and available for use. It is technically free to use, as a public facility, but those visiting are encouraged to tithe a small donation once in a while to pay for upkeep and freshen up the place, provide new soaps, etc. No judgment if you can't! It'll just make everything that much nicer in the long run.

The baths are separated into a few sections: oil baths for the native residents, and water baths for the offworlders. For obvious reasons, offworlders are encouraged not to enter the robot-residential sections! Though they are not strictly forbidden... it would be quite messy and bad for your health.

The offworlder half has additional separated sections that may interest characters when they visit:

1) Hot Springs Style - Clothed or Unclothed: there are 3 available rooms for each, one for separate presented genders, and a shared bath for those comfortable with the concept or don't wish to use either male or female. Each room has one larger pool and a few smaller sets, so you can sit by yourself or with others as you please.

2) Pool: a shared public pool! The water is nice and cool, which should be a comfort to those still struggling with the lingering summer heat. There is some water game equipment available for open use if people want to play and get their sports on.

3) Sauna: similar to the springs, once again, there are 3 rooms for gender splits so everyone can enjoy the place at their own comfort level.

It all seems very nice and relaxing for everyone, but this wouldn't be a proper event without some shenanigans now, would it? There are a few effects that may occur within the baths, and these effects are somewhat random. Some characters may experience them to a powerful degree, while others feel nothing at all. Players can decide for themselves who and where these will affect, so feel free to mix, match, and go wild. The effects are:

• The spring water is so relaxing that you feel free and more willing to talk about yourself, or share your feelings more openly.


• The swimming pool is cool and energizing, making you want to horse around and play with others nearby. You may also feel inclined to drape yourself onto others, like a cool, comfy pillow.


• The sauna has you dishing up spicy hot takes, releasing negative emotions or complaints, and makes you a little more inclined to gossip.

All effects can either be nullified or emphasized according to player discretion by physical contact. For some characters, holding hands or something will stop the effects, but for others it'll intensify them - it should keep characters guessing!

❥ PROMPT II: REM Stands for Realistic Emotional Memory in These Parts

Characters who were around last year might remember a bout of strange and sporadic dreams that plagued the town around this season, along with the sensation that they were being followed. This year, dreams once more enter uninvited to one's mind, but this time, it occurs as a random daydream while they are awake, and it is very different from person to person- instead encouraging you to do the following. All visions start out hazy, like a grainy old movie where details and figures are difficult to make out, but there is something both familiar and alien about it. It feels like a memory… but it is not your memory. Over time, the visual begins to clear the more often the dream repeats, until slowly the images grow more distinct, offering clearer faces, the addition of voices, discernable quotes or expressions. The memory will provide hints as to who it might belong to, though the subtlety of those hints will likely vary. Before too long, if you have not found a way to rid yourself of the dream, you will experience an entire memory of another person in town as if you were witnessing it from their perspective!

Now, how does one rid themselves of these strange visions? You could wait it out, if you're patient enough and not inclined to seek the answer, but those who've been here long enough can wager a guess: you must find the source of that memory and "send" it back to them through physical interaction of some kind. Some memories may take longer to transfer than others, and it may depend on the person, the memory itself, how clear the memory has become in the time you carried it… no two experiences are likely to be the same.

There are a few specifics about these memories that are worth noting:

• the memory should be of a single event, not a series of events that span a long period of time. For example, you could witness the stretch of someone's day at a wedding or long party (sped up to skip insignificant moments so it doesn't play in real time), but not a memory of an entire war that goes for months. How long the memory goes for is up to the player that the memory belongs to, as long as it falls within these guidelines.


• you are not limited to a single memory from a single person. Once you have solved one vision, after a certain amount of time, you may find yourself plagued with another.


• you will not necessarily end up having the same memory partner! You won't always have the memory of the person who has your memory. Characters are encouraged to pair up and try to piece together clues that might lead you to your intended partner. Help each other out and guide one another in the right direction if you can.


• those whose memory has been borrowed may find it difficult to recall it; it can seem fuzzy and indistinct, missing entirely or simply missing choice details. Through physical contact, that memory will fully return to them and both participants can experience it together.


• you can find your partner accidentally! If you're still searching for clues and happen to touch your partner through other circumstances - such as shake their hand at first meeting, or hug a friend - you may find both of you are suddenly experiencing a memory together as it is transferred! Aren't you lucky, to have found your partner so easily?

!!! IMPORTANT !!! The contents of the memory shared is up to you, but please be mindful of harmful subjects and tag/mark your comments and toplevels accordingly! Triggering memories should be noted with content warnings. Be kind to your fellow players! If someone asks you to tag something and you have not done so, please correct it as soon as possible. Untagged comments that aren't adjusted and are reported to us may be subject to mod screening until the issue is resolved.

❥ PROMPT III: I Shall Fight With My Bear Hands

Closer to the tail end of the month, one of the research facilities distributes a "Help Wanted" advertisement through the network, requesting the aid of offworlders. The advertisement reads:

"Calling all offworlders! Havenwell Research and Development is seeking volunteers for both physical prowess and supernatural ability testing. All are welcome! Even if you have no combat skills and feel only a desire to learn, we have a job for you. Those who already possess some form of self-defense or combative powers will be partnered and asked to "spar" in a partially digitized facility, or proceed with a simulation that will gauge destructive capabilities. And for those who possess neither, don't worry! Our program is specially designed to help you discover just where your talents lie.

No harm should come to any volunteers, as this is strictly simulation-based, similar to the virtual reality technology already widely used throughout the city. However, in case of any accidents, medical staff is on site to treat injuries as needed. Additionally, there is no need for you to wear any of the VR headgear typically required in our cafes, so if these devices cause you discomfort, this may be a simulation that better meets your needs.

Please contact us ASAP if you are willing and able to help. A monetary commission will be awarded upon completion of each session."

Any volunteers or inquiries will be provided with more information, and invited to one of the research towers located in town. They are guided to a floor that is abuzz with activity, partnered with whoever happens to be scheduled at the same time or a partner they themselves opted to bring with them, and taken to a room akin to Star Trek's holodeck. There, they can input "powers" or "no powers", and a simulation will be created for them based on their selected guidelines.

With Powers:
The console invites characters to select one of two options- their own abilities, or temporarily gain access to the elemental powers offered via AC Rewards (point levels 50, 100, and 200). They are able to choose a particular power level for the duration of the simulation, which can either dampen their natural abilities to a more fair level for the test you're undertaking, or remain normal. While in the simulation room, rather than actually using any real abilities, the room will materialize whatever ability you choose without causing true damage to either the room or your opponent. Science, or magic? It's probably both. Feel free to go wild and have fun, maybe try some powers you've never experienced before or vent your frustrations on being stuck here!

Without Powers:
The console invites characters to select a type of weapon and skill level, and said weapon will materialize in a basic form; while held inside the room it moves and feels real, but it cannot be removed from the facility. Those who are skilled in utilizing said weapon are free to wield it as if it were the genuine article in their chosen simulation. Those without much or any skill will be walked through a tutorial on basic techniques from a variety of styles, old or new, most unfamiliar but well suited to the body type of the person using the program. It's quite intuitive, though it is by no means perfect, so characters might end up being guided through a stranger workout than intended.

For versus mode, each participant has an HP bar displayed above their heads, and everyone has the same HP unless both players select an unbalanced mode, and the goal is to force your opponent to hit zero HP. Characters can also choose how realistic the simulated violence is and how the process feels: in low realism, it's similar to laser tag, where characters flash a colour when hit and take damage without feeling anything more than some uncomfortable vibration. In high realism, pain is genuine to a certain degree depending on how high a level they choose, though it is artificial and will fade as soon as the program ends. Hitting zero HP will not result in a knock-out, but characters will feel dizzy and be forced to sit down, unable to rise again until they surrender. All effects wear off as soon as the simulation ends.

For demonstration mode, participants are given a selection of virtual targets to practice on using whatever method of combat they've chosen. It could be moving targets, such as creatures that have invaded the barrier previously (via the Wild Wild prompt), or simulations of the more dangerous beasts in the museum/zoo areas of town. It could be simple targets built to take a beating without providing much challenge in return. It could be a collection of buildings that characters can break or explode as they please. This mode is designed to gauge just how strong a person's destructive potential is, either with their own powers or with powers granted to those who have been blessed by their patron god.

Characters are welcome to volunteer as many times as there are available partners and/or slots! So feel free to try a few times using different options.

❥ PROMPT IV: A Bonus Trip Down Memory Lane

Last year, some offworlders might remember the tradition of sharing stories in the temple of Ohma, to offer small tributes to the god on their first month of devotion. It is that time of the year again, and everyone is welcome to return and share more stories, or perhaps retell an old favourite to a new audience. Here is the event as described previously:

Ohma's temple is particularly lively during Ohnir and the priests are busy cleaning and sweeping, decorating it with rolls of parchment and digital inkwells and quills that write as if they were actually fountain pens. The natives, especially adherents of Ohma, start to make pilgrimages to the temple in little processions, some playing music, others flying banners.

Anyone who chooses to follow can observe the natives going up to the altar and sharing stories with one another. They talk about things they did over the past year or things that are far, far in their past. Some of the stories are happy and result in the procession laughing and some are...well, not everyone returns safely from certain disasters that befall the city throughout the year. The priests diligently write every story down on those parchment rolls and deposit them onto the waiting altar, where they're summarily lit on fire to the cheers of those present. The more emotional the story it seems, the brighter and bluer the flame that it emits and the louder the procession cheers.

As the file out, they notice you watching and urge you to go up with someone else in the temple to clear your heart and offer up your own stories. They can be stories of home, information about your worlds, or stories about your life.

---

This event will run from September 14th to 30th. Click on each prompt's title to see the text. If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread.

Comments

Honerva | ota

[shroudedsecrets]

( I. hot springs; )

[ It wasn't Honerva's intention to visit the bathhouse for relaxation until Lup talked her into it. Whether in the mixed area or not, she'll always be wearing a full-length, long-sleeves coverall attire, most of her hair pulled up and twisted into a bun.

( a )
Sometimes she might be studying the decoration with some curiosity. Even rarer, she might sit at the edge of the pool if it seems to be more inviting, or if Lup had beckoned her to try it, but... she is less knowledgeable about the appeal it has otherwise. If one of the balls someone might be playing around with happens to land near her or is aimed directly at her, she'll... move her arm slightly, a faint glow of energy holding it in place, and then send it back to the sender, gently -- though some water might get caught up in that and bring with it a small wave of a splash. Sorry.

( b )
Most of the time though, those few visits she does allow, she will be in the hot springs themselves. Perhaps... more talkative than usual? Hard to say. She might seem a little distracted at times otherwise, particularly if visions happen to be getting in the way or if she's been otherwise lost in thought and hoping company in the springs would distract away from them. It's been an... interesting month. She has a lot on her mind. ]


( II. dream a little dream; )

[ When not at the springs, most of her time otherwise would be spent at the cafe in some way, whether stopping in to check on the cats during the week or working. Come on by to Affurgato, though be mindful that one of your servers might seem distracted staring into space from time to time. The cats might just use that opportunity to sneak more snuggles in. Still, it's a new month, a new menu to consider, for newcomers and regulars alike.

Though discussing the memory phenomena even if there is no link between them is always an option, even if they do not end up being a match... or she might suggest meeting later when there is more time to consider such things, particularly if there's a brush with anything too heavy--then just name a comfortable place and time. ]


( Wildcard! )

[ Feel free to give a nudge at CR meme or plotting thread or on plurk if you wanted to ask about anything else/request or share a memory. Those with memory plans, writeups are still in progress, but we can talk bits and pieces as needed! Ty for your patience. ]

II

[dontcallmebro]

[Ideally, Cloud would like to stay away from the cafe today. Or.....stay away from any situations that meant interacting with people, considering what has been going on. On the other hand....these people will still have whatever memory he doesn't want them to see so they might track him down one way or another. And he doesn't want these visions either.

And this one he's seen.....well, he doesn't know what's going on exactly. But the voice of the memory's owner has become more and more familiar. And while she didn't strike him as so before, there is something....off about her. Then there is that cat (or what he assumes is a cat) who got cured with this quintessence stuff. And the warning from one of the men that quintessence is dangerous. And the other man talking about ruling the world...before the memory's owner collapsed.

Cloud doesn't know the whole story but something about the whole scene just rubs him the wrong way. REALLY rubs him the wrong way.

Whatever the case and whoever Honerva really is, she still has one of his memories. And he knows she works in Affurgato so....he spots her checking on one of the cats.]

You busy? We need to talk. [Just straight to the point. NOT EVEN A HI HOW ARE YOU?]

[shroudedsecrets]

[ Honerva glances up from the cat, which had been one of the more ordinary ones, so it scurries off at the abrupt arrival. It's certainly not their working time.

Still, she's accustomed to his terse behavior from their work at the factory, and if that sort of attitude has brought him here, then one could surmise that he wasn't here to talk about a food request.

Besides, his arrival... it's just another little piece in a puzzle of her own she's slotting into place. ]

... Very well. [ She half-turns, gesturing toward one of the couches. ] Care to have a seat?

[dontcallmebro]

[Manners aren't always Cloud's forte. And him being more on edge than usual probably doesn't help.

And he doesn't know how she's going to take the fact he has THAT memory but.....] Sure. [And he'll take off his sword and put it beside the couch so he doesn't damage it. But not too far away....just in case she reacts badly. But hopefully that won't be the case.]

Guess you already figured out why I'm here.

[shroudedsecrets]

I have an idea.

[ She smiles wanly, lifts her arms in a half shrug, before moving to perch on the other side of the couch one he's sat himself down. ]

It is not be the first time that this world would be so... invasive, where we are concerned. Though this situation is a little new. And not... limited, it seems.

ii

[scourgingstars]

[Ardyn was more used to seeing too-realistic memories than he should have been, but one that was explicitly not his own was a newer experience he found deeply unsettling. He'd been on his way to Affurgato regardless when it came in unclear and indistinct flashes, but the gradual recognition as it gained clarity and substance only made him take quicker steps to find the source of it. Because who else's memory could it be, especially with a familial resemblance even Ardyn could pick up on?]

...Honerva. [He reached out with a gentle touch to her arm, concern written all over his face.] Could I speak with you, when you've time enough for it?

[shroudedsecrets]

...Ardyn?

[ The touch is light enough to not initiate anything, though there's a small flicker of sorts, as much indication as any. A matter of privacy, as well as urgency, then. She looks to the surroundings, assesses, and inclines her head. ]

Come. There is a place on the roof with shade at this hour.

[ They'll be closing soon anyway, and she trusts Ditto can get the word out to the kitchen that some coverage might be needed. ]

[scourgingstars]

Wherever you wish. By all means, lead the way. [Gods knew he wasn’t going to turn down shade at any point.]

[shroudedsecrets]

[ She knew it was what he preferred, and whatever he had to share with her, at least she could make it more comfortable for... well, one of them.

Her memories are simultaneously so vast and yet so limited that she doesn't know what she might be missing. Only that she is missing, and that was much of her entire life. So with a careful nod, though a glance to his table to be sure it was clear-- unless he had no intention of ordering, she leads him quietly toward the door that leads to the back stairs to the roof. ]

Wildcard: Call --> Meeting + Memory

[kingkingcxiii]

["What shall we name the boy?"

The words are familiar--not in tone for the voice is one Regis has not heard before--but in form. Only a few short years ago, he and his wife were making this very same decision for a child they greatly wanted but had begun to worry would never be graced with. The setting was very different though, as was the atmosphere. This one seems formal, not for the decor but for the way the two interact. It is clear they are both joyful, but they are so much more restrained about it than he and Aulea had been. For them, naming books had rested on the bed with his wife as she leafed through them every so often calling a name out to him to test it. It was a tradition really, a game. They already knew what his name would be for she was certain their child would be a boy.

Noctis. Because despite all the things that demanded both their time during the day, the 'night' was for them and them alone.

This memory is slow to review clues as to who it belongs to. It's as if the person it belongs to is uncertain about sharing such a private thing. Perhaps that is why, when he finally catches sight of long white hair out of the corner of 'his' eyes in the memory, he first thinks of Honerva. While younger, she had told him some of her husband. Regis has to admit the imposing man in the memory does very much fit what little she had told him.

Usually, he would go to the cafe to see if she was in so he could talk to her, but this memory is a private one and one shared without her permission. As restrained as she is about sharing her past, he can't help but think discussing it should perhaps happen someplace where people won't be coming and going. That is why he ends up calling her instead.]

Good afternoon, Honerva. If you are not too busy, may I ask you something?

[shroudedsecrets]

[ A call from Regis. This... is unexpected at first, since the last time he had communicated to her in this way was to inform her of Cor's departure. Hopefully... there have not been others.

However, with the nature of what else has been occurring this month, no less to herself, it is not too difficult to surmise that it could refer to something else instead. ]

... Hello, Regis. Do you require assistance? I can spare some time.

[ She can't help but revert to an over-formality at times when she's a little wary. ]

[kingkingcxiii]

[Fortunately, he can't blame her for being wary, especially if she knows what has been going on this month. For a moment, he can't help but feel sad. How many more of her memories have been sent to others without her permission?]

You are aware of the strange happenings regarding memories this month, correct? I have reason to believe that I have seen one of yours. One with your husband in it to be specific. I thought we should talk of it, but I wasn't sure where would be the most comfortable place for you to do so.

[shroudedsecrets]

[ Your husband, he says, not The Emperor which is almost just enough to indicate at least something of the when of the memory, but little more. Any reference she might have referred back to are ever unclear.

There's a considerable pause before she replies again. Comfortable... how kind of him to offer that. ]

You may... come to our home. Or I can join you at your location if it is private enough.

[ Since she can... teleport. But she can't help but feel unsettled all the same. ]

a mix of wildcard and 2, maybe!

[notkakashi]

[ There's memory exchanging going on with either of them, at least, not for the moment. Satoru at the cafe like the routine customer he is and notices Honerva staring into space. He raises his arm to try and get the other's attention, but then he quickly realizes he could go about it more creatively... Like using his newly acquired skill from the gods.

Satoru makes a smile as he gives a small wave of his hand, conjuring a small breeze to make the other's hair flutter in hopes of trying to get her attention. ]

Hey there!

[shroudedsecrets]

[ It's the height of distraction, weaving ones way through memories not their own or even reflecting on ones they may have had returned to them. She'd greeted Satoru on his way in, but hadn't yet come back around.

Her hair begins to flutter softly with his efforts, but she has enough of it to not immediately notice the movement. She blinks, and her gaze shifts, but anything she's visualizing is not quite in this room. ]

[notkakashi]

[ Satoru blinks his eyes underneath his blindfold at the lack of reaction from the other. It looks like more of a sudden hallucination than a normal daydream if he were being honest.

Unfortunately for Satoru, his air magic that he's acquired in this world doesn't get any stronger than a light breeze, so decides to move over to where Honerva's standing, and waves a hand in front of her face for a more apparent way to get her attention. ]

You there~?

[shroudedsecrets]

[ It takes her a moment, before her ears react in sudden, alert flicker before she blinks, shakes her head as the cafe reasserts itself through the strange vision, the haze of the 'dream' retreating.

And... there's a hand being waved in front of her face. Frowning slightly, she takes a step back. ]

... I am present.

[ Well now she is. Probably not the first or last time she's gotten stuck like that. ]

MEMORY

[iustaegis]

[ Never has she felt the love of a husband or that of a parent, much less given such love to someone wed to her or a child of her own. However, through this memory, she now has experienced it-- and now she knows she has given that love before, for it is unconditional.

When the memory ends, she's lost two pieces that have had a phantom, half-forgotten form of that love. ] Ah...

[ The world spins with anguish and grief for all of two tumultuous seconds before a grey, cold numbness overcomes her for having had something precious like love and loving others, then lost it.

That. That is familiar.

She wavers for a few more moments afterwards, placing her hand upon the ground where she sits. Before her are an array of sylleblossoms and juniberries.

Flowers. A planet. A husband, a son. All gone. She had lost all of that, all of that. But somehow the love for them remains. It's not enough to fill the emptiness of that loss. Is this how Honerva has felt all this time?

It's painful in a familiar way. It's awful.]

Honerva

I have something of yours. A memory.

[shroudedsecrets]

[ A few moments pass, while Honerva considers the suddenness of this message. Another person with a memory of hers... not a stranger this time, but still neither the first nor likely the last, but in the end...

She knew what needed to be done, no matter what was thrown back at her. Perhaps especially so. ]

... I understand. Let me know where to meet you. I can be there shortly.

[iustaegis]

[ After bidding Honerva to meet her at her and Somnus' old townhome, she invites her inside, her expression troubled.

How, after everything she's learned of Honerva, look at her without some sort of sympathy? She has been through so much. She has had so much taken from her. She has lost so much...

Does it hurt to live, she wonders, after having lost so much. ]

We'll... need to exchange touch. If you wish for it back. [ Her pause is tense. ] If you do want it back.

[ Like the flowers, it could be her choice. ]

[shroudedsecrets]

[ Here again...

Ironic to be here, after the last time. To accidentally receive a vision of the future... and now to purposefully see a vision of the past.

She could hardly know what it would be, but she can see by the troubled expression on Pyra's face that the other feels reason for concern. That she could be at risk again? That she perhaps, did not trust Honerva... ]

Then, let us sit down together. It must be something, if you will hardly speak of its contents.

[ She is here. That is her choice. ]

II

[jivitadana]

[Minato isn't exactly sure what he is seeing, but even if there were a way to stop it, he wouldn't want to. Dreams existed for a reason, were powerful and meaningful, and Minato would follow wherever it took him. As someone close to him once said, "Attaining one's dream requires a stern will and unfailing determination," and all dreams deserve the same reverence and respect, including this one. It reminds him of that slight fleeting feeling of seeing a blue butterfly flutter into his view and then flitter off a moment later, but the vision he's seeing before him has decided to make itself at home right in the forefront of his mind and in his eyes.

At least, to him it's like a dream, even if he's clearly awake, which then makes him wonder if this dream is more, is what as others have alluded to: A memory. If it were a memory, especially someone else's, then that made it all the more precious. He has too many of those that he wants to hang onto and also knows what it's like to see memory just vanish in the blink of an eye, just like that butterfly.

Then where is this? It isn't a place Minato has ever seen or could ever imagine, as vivid as his imagination might be. It looks like some kind of futuristic realm complete with immaculate white infrastructure and technological advances. He's relieved that the sky above is still blue. Part of him thinks he should commit the scene to his own memory in case it's ever lost or he'd never see it again, then another part of him fights him on that in that it's also too invasive. He also knows what it's like to hide things away into the darkest and farthest recesses of his mind, locked away in places where people aren't supposed to peek. That's part of being respectful, isn't it, keeping that distance? But he decides on seeing and remembering as it's preferable; he could be a vessel, temporary or not, housing the memory until he could find its rightful owner.

Perhaps the most surreal part of all of this is that he thinks he can feel himself moving. And he can feel himself feel, some concoction of emotion that is so visceral and deep, but its source completely foreign. But there isn't time to separate or sift through emotion before he sees something... familiar? It's black and orange and...?

Then the voice that leaves him also sounds a little... familiar, too? But he's not quite sure of that yet either.

While sitting at his table at Affurgato, Minato sees that dream memory looping once again for him to see. It's clearer the second time, but not by much. The second he lowers his now empty glass of soda though, he blinks when something black and orange darts by and then disappears. That is definitely not a butterfly. With that thought, he straightens up a bit and leans slightly out of his chair, looking to see if he could catch a glimpse again. Is that cat one and the same though? Still. Not sure.]

[shroudedsecrets]

[ The cats at Affurgato at least are usually more attentive to the customers, though sometimes they are stirred by restlessness, particularly if there isn't that much attention to go around.

It's a quieter day, and Kova has been scampering around after a toy, waiting for the seemingly sleepy young man to show any attentive interest, but had been so preoccupied with the toy he almost forgot to see if Minato was paying attention.

The cat in his vision is much smaller, fluffier, but similarly playful. It might be a coincidence. He might need another chance to get a better look.

Still, someone else catches the way he shifts, as Honerva walks over to greet him. ]

... Did you wish to make an additional order?

[ She offers service, first, though she well knows that if someone's sitting around looking distracted, it's probably for a certain reason, this month. ]

[jivitadana]

[Hearing that voice, Minato sits up straight again and gives her a small, apologetic smile. He must have looked a little strange, trying to catch the attention of a cat. Something in her tone resonates within him but he thinks he needs more time to process.

He glances at his glass and then shakes his head.]

I'm okay, thanks. But maybe I can ask you something else?

[Which, again, is also probably a little strange. He's been here a couple of times already, so he should know. But he has to be certain.]

There's a black and orange cat here, right?

[shroudedsecrets]

[ Hardly strange to her at all, when very much a secondary point of being in the cafe was for visitors to catch the attention and affection of the cats there. And it is certainly part of her job to know whether they're getting what they're paying for. ]

There is. I can call him over, if you would like to meet him.