Affurgato Mingle: December edition

[necromanswers]

♥ Who: Open to all
♥ Where: Affurgato
♥ When: This week
♥ What: A grant reopening of the best restaurant in town!
♥ Rating: probably PG/13ish?



What a sad, sad month November was. The local cafe, Affurgato, has been closed. However, at the start of this week, a surprise notice is sent out to all communicators:

Affurgato's open again! Come save your sorry tongues from those replicator meals. Or come pet a cat, if that's more your jam. We don't judge here, we only charge.

Also: it's Candlenights! Bring the staff a present. If we find it interesting enough, you might get something extra in your meal. What do the staff like? Well, that's your job to figure out. <3

The restaurant hasn't gone through any sort of redesign, but it is somewhat decked out more than usual; soft colourful lights line the outside, candles on every table (fake or magical, so they are cat-safe and non-flammable), and even Ditto appears to be a little more seasonal this month. Hard to tell whether or not he's okay with this, he's a tough read.

One notable difference is that Lup isn't out running front of house as much, with the kitchen more bustling now that they're down one chef. She's keeping up pretty well, but the seating arrangements have been shuffled around to make the max capacity a little lighter to maintain things if there happens to be a rush. The menu is gently simplified, but the ingredients taste better than ever, and for this week in particular, fresh turkey dinners are back on the menu, alongside a crunchy treat that is called "fried unicorn dick", but is... probably just a battered candy bar. Probably. Maybe. Who's feeling brave?

On the 9th in particular, a fresh message goes out to friends of Honerva, gently pestering them to swing by the cafe for an open mingle. And maybe you should volunteer for a little bit at the cafe, serve, assist Honerva... it's terrible for a lady to have to work on her birthday, after all. You know, if it was her birthday. Wink.

On that day in particular, every visitor gets a free slab of delicious and delicately frosted cake.

Come on over, Havenwellians! Or whatever you're called. The cats have missed you! And you've missed the food, no doubt.

Comments

[necromanswers]

[He gets a smile right back, glancing over her shoulder at him; she'd been on her way back to the kitchen from a quick check on the front area, but she'll take a break for him.]

Hell yeah! Can't keep me down for long. I was just due for a nice vaycay, you know?

[nyxly]

[ A vacation is certainly putting a positive spin on it, but he can understand the need for time alone to recuperate after losing someone. And in any case, he's glad to see her in better spirits. ]

Any nice resorts or beaches I should know about?

[necromanswers]

You're looking at one excellent beach right here and now.

[Ha ha, wordplay, she is so very funny you see.]

[nyxly]

[ He can appreciate that, and also that the beach has very fine coconuts.

With a bit of an amused smile, he makes his way over to her. ] Guess I am.

[ A pause, and then he asks, ] You got time for a coffee?

[ Since, she does work here and all. He wouldn't occupy her time if she's busy. ]

[necromanswers]

Hmm, I don't know. Let me ask the boss. -Oh wait, that's me.

[She gestures towards the table area; pick a spot, and she'll join him.]

[nyxly]

[ Chuckling briefly, he takes a seat at the table. After a moment's hesitation at-- what should be nothing, really, since he's visiting her after a month apart, but he does so all the same-- he reaches into his jacket pocket to bring out a small, wrapped parcel, wrapped with a violet bow. ]

Your post mentioned gifting presents for... Candlelight's? [ UH. ] Candlenights. Anyway, thought you might like these.

[ Setting it down upon the table between them, his hand slides back to Upon opening the parcel are a pair of iridescent-indigo earrings. ]

[necromanswers]

Nice catch. Happy Candlenights to you too, good sir.

[She accepts the box with a pleased smile, opening it up, and is momentarily stunned by the contents. Despite the small box she really hadn't expected jewelry, and the gift comment had been more of a dare than an expectation.]

Oh, shit! [She lifts them up, turning to see them glimmer in the cafe light, her brows raised.] Good taste, handsome. I think this one goes a little beyond 'interesting'.

[nyxly]

[ His shoulders roll back as if proud at how well-received the gift is, and he allows himself another smile.

It can be safely assumed he put some thought into this gift for her. Handsome, she calls him; beautiful, he thinks of her. ]

Your hair's not one color all the time. Thought that the more iridescent look could match with most.

[necromanswers]

You're not wrong- it can get a little tricky, finding things that match on multiple days. I'm impressed you thought of that.

[Not that she thought badly of him, he just hadn't struck her as especially fashion-conscious. So few men that she's known are, Barry included. Then again, she knows his body better than she knows his interests. Maybe she ought to mend that.

She lifts the earrings up to her ears, near the base of each.]

How's it look in practice?

[nyxly]

[ Admittedly he can't afford anything expensive, but she makes them look like luxury. ]

I feel like I should say something about them rivaling your sparkling personality [ --Said with just a hint of playfulness. ] But I think I'll just settle with 'great'.

They look great on you.

[necromanswers]

[Someone with a more discerning eye might be able to tell, but she's no jeweler by trade- she can tell the real thing for spell components, but otherwise if it's shiny and/or pretty, then she's happy enough with it. These qualify as both, so she'll gladly accept.]

Well, thank you. Consider me officially interested, Nyx Ulric.

[She tucks the earrings back into the box, a pleased smile on her lips. Save those for later, since she is still working.]

Though now I have to think about that little something "extra"...

[nyxly]

Ha, don't even worry about it. [ He waves a hand, casual. ] I'm just glad to see you around.

[ Anyways. ] So, what is this whole Candlenights business about?

[necromanswers]

[She won't worry, exactly, but she will be thinking about it.]

Candlenights is the big winter holiday celebrated in the world I came from. It's sort of a... non-denominational smorgasbord of different traditions crammed together into one big party. Flexible dates, too, so it more or less happens in the last month whenever people feel like it's time. And most of the traditions revolve around food, so it's good for people like me.

[nyxly]

Good food, lots of food? [ He smiles. Food and spending time gifting things to someone he cares about... He can like this just fine. ] Hope you don't mind if I adopt the tradition.

Respectfully speaking, of course.

[necromanswers]

Adopt it all you like. Candlenights is for everyone, everywhere.

[Which sounds cheesy, but it's not like she invented the holiday. That's just how it is in Faerun.]

[nyxly]

Nights implies more than one day.

[ Gurl tell him more. Is this more than a one-day holiday? What does he get to look forward to? ]

[necromanswers]

Yeah, it's a holiday more about feeling than schedule. It starts and ends whenever people feel like it's time.

[She gives a wobbly, non-committal handwave.]

The only constraints are usually that it's the last month of the year and somewhere, there are candles. Could be a few days, could be half the month. Mostly it's whenever we get sick of eating the food or run out of wax.

[nyxly]

And it's already started? How many candles have I missed in lighting so far?

[ He's just going to keep this conversation light. (h e h) ]

[necromanswers]

When it comes to Candlenights, you miss nothing. It starts the day you start celebrating it and not a moment before. Happy first Candlenight, Nyx Ulric.

[She snaps her fingers, firelight flickering between them, and when she holds her hand up towards him, one finger lifted, there's a small flame at the very tip, like a candle. Her expression is inviting, playful.]