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

the twins only tolerate two-horned magic beasts

[necromanswers]

[Ditto waits. He tolerates, quietly and balefully, as she sets the hat on his head. He sits there motionless for all of three seconds, allowing them to take in the view of a cat in a very silly unicorn hat.

And then without warning he poofs out of existence in a burst of ethereal smoke, leaving the abandoned hat behind on the cat tree. There is no dignity in what just happened, friend...

Behind her, Lup just bursts out laughing.]

their loss tbh

[daikonrose]

[ For those brief, precious moments, Kyoko almost vibrates as she takes in the beauty, the majesty before her. But then it's all over. How tragic.

Except for the welcome sound of laughter behind her. Kyoko's shoulders had sagged for a second there, but when she turns around, shaking her head, she doesn't look too broken up about anything. ]

Aaah, even if I know about it, I really can't get used to him just vanishing like that!

[necromanswers]

That's probably because you still see him as a cat.

[She snaps her fingers, and Ditto reappears on Kyoko's drooping shoulder, chittering his mild displeasure. Very cat-like.]

One of these days he'll be an octopus and it'll really blow everyone's minds.

[daikonrose]

[ There's a jump at the sudden presence of a whole entire animal on her shoulder, Kyoko quickly reaching up to steady him. ]

Wha--why an octopus?? No matter what kind of creature, of land, air, or sea, it's bound to be a shock!

[necromanswers]

[Lup shrugs.]

I dunno, I was just thinking of the slimiest thing he's ever been.

[daikonrose]

[ Kyoko slowly turns her head to look at Ditto, contemplating what it would be like to have an octopus in his place. ]

... I'm not saying he wouldn't still be beautiful, but....

[necromanswers]

You wouldn't want to visit an octopus cafe?

[daikonrose]

I'm not saying nobody would want to, but... the charm points would be pretty different, right?

[necromanswers]

I suppose we'd have a slightly smaller customer base, yeah. We'd really tell who's committed to the food.

[daikonrose]

[ There's a quip about takoyaki to be made somewhere in all this, but that's a little too indelicate for Kyoko. Instead, she taps her lip, thoughtful. ]

You do have the market pretty much cornered. And I wonder if an octopus would be less likely to steal turkey off plates....

[necromanswers]

Sorry, bud, they're predators. Bet they'll steal any meat they can get their tentacles on, and it's more limbs to worry about.

[daikonrose]

What, even the owner won't try to sell me on it?

[necromanswers]

I could turn you into an octopus, if you're so keen on it.

[She can try to sell you on that, if you really want.]

[daikonrose]

I'm not keen on it.

[ She was joking before, but now this is s e r i o u s. ]

I definitely won't be a charming octopus... no matter what kind of hat you put on me.

[necromanswers]

What, even the source of the idea won't dare to try it herself?

[How the tables have turned...!]

[daikonrose]

The source--the source is you! Isn't it?! It's you! You were the first one to bring the word "octopus" into play!

[necromanswers]

I don't recall ever saying any such thing.

[daikonrose]

But you did!! Right?? [ She turns to Ditto on her shoulder with a frantic look, as if he might help her remember. ] I hadn't even thought about octopuses in a long time, until now!

[necromanswers]

[Ditto stares back unhelpfully, as cats are wont to do.]

Maybe it's been so long that you really missed it. Have you been craving calamari?

[daikonrose]

No! [ There's a beat. Ditto's stare penetrates her guilty soul. ] --Yes! A little bit! But that's squid, it's different!

[necromanswers]

Eh, same family. Many squiggles, lots of tasty tentacles.

[daikonrose]

It's... a different taste, though! And I definitely wouldn't be delicious as either a squid or an octopus!

[necromanswers]

Maybe we'll see. Maybe I'll add seafood to the menu and call it the Kyoko Special, and then we'll see how tasty everyone finds it.

[daikonrose]

Noo! That's not fair!! When I've barely even tasted the ocean breeze in all my years of life!

[necromanswers]

Oh shit, seriously? No oceans at all?