#lacedaether

@lacedaether sent : ❝ Had you taken much longer to return I may have been forced to form a search party, my lord. ❞ Unprompted || Always Accepting!

It was almost his favorite time of the morning again.

Honestly he probably shouldn't be this excited about what was about to happen but who could blame him after seeing that Moon every day? Well the others in the shop liked to pick on him and his little crush, telling him to man up and to be the Khalakka he was supposed to be rather than some love bitten puppy. Now that had started a few brawls over the weeks, and more than a few blackened eyes for more than a few of his boys. Now they did their little snickering out of earshot of him - and truly that served him just fine. Without Pono, Chollo, and the rest Drogo had been able to think, to plan out just how he was going to get the Moon to at least acknowledge his presence.

(Yes, he had tried before to little success. It would seem that the woman was either entirely uninterested or completely unphased by all his old tricks, which may have bruised his ego a bit more than he had bruised Pono's face for laughing at his failure). Today, however, was going to be as fool proof as he could make it at least. She liked to go to the little cafe just across the street on her way to work - it was part of her routine to make sure she was early enough to beat the morning rush of patrons, exiting the little cafe with her steaming little white cup of something just as the queue reached its peak. And since the barista's know her well enough it hadn't been too difficult to pop by right as they opened, flashing his boyish grin at the older woman behind the counter in the most disarming way he could as he bought himself a coffee and a pastry.

It was simple enough to start an easy conversation as she got the rest of the shop in order, fixing his drink and warming his pastry, until he had her where he wanted her. Hanging off his every word? Check. Dazzled by his smile? Also check. Leaning against the counter he flicked his eyes over to the clock counting down within his head before retraining himself from turning to look over his shoulder at the little chime of the bell signaling the next customer for the day coming in. He knew without looking it was her, he could sense it - part of the charm of being what he was he could tell when certain people came near.

The owner turned, offering a gentle smile towards her next customer, "Good morning, deary. It'll be just a moment with your usual."

               @lacedaether offered: "Your journey has come to an end."

𖤐  ⸻ It feels impossible to discern what's happening— so much so that the typical fear Peter greets the reaper with is noticeably absent. Eyes dart from left to right in an effort to make sense of the world around him. It's dark, a small park on the unfamiliar side of town his current dwelling, and he's as stiff as a board.

                        He doesn't yet understand that he was possessed.

❛ My j... where did I go...? ❜ One of the swings creaks quietly to his left, the smell of rubber and smoke slithering its way up his nose and down his throat. ❛ What's going on? ❜ Like mother like son.

Slowly, Peter releases the tension in his body, coming back down to earth. It starts to dawn on him that he is familiar with this feeling— and that lately, it's been happening so much more frequently. His heart performs a nervous somersault as he looks up at Theta.

    ♤  ⸻  ❛ They think I'm on eleven but I'm on a nine. ❜

It takes a further five minutes to summon the courage to knock on the door. For all intents and purposes, Lulu seems nice. It's simply Peter's nature to be wary of those he doesn't know.

❛ Hi, ❜ he says as the door opens, barely resisting the urge to shuffle awkwardly. For some unknown reason, it feels distinctly as if he's doing something wrong by turning up here. ❛ Uh— Two gave me the address to swing by. Are you... coming with us to the beach? ❜

The Guildhall was unusually busy today, Clive pushed open the doors to find it crowded and loud. For a brief moment, surprise dusted his expression, glancing this way and that to see if it was as bustling as it looked, and it certainly seemed that way. Unfortunately, his business wouldn't allow him to come back at a better time, shouldering his way into the crowd. The incessant buzz of conversation was somewhat pleasant, it meant Clive wasn't getting looks or questions about why he was there, though it did mean he had to raise his voice for the receptionist to hand him the papers he needed. It was the typical process for the Hunters Guild, marks and missions had to be submitted in writing if they weren't contracted through the guild, and then had to be approved before payout could happen. It seemed as if there had been a migration of sorts, monsters from the North having come down and made their homes further south than usual, and now there were more contracts and missions than before!

Clive intended to fill out the form so that he could hunt a Morbol on a lesser noble's property, having been asked personally so that the nobleman wouldn't have to barter and work with the Guild directly. He couldn't believe he had come from greater status than that and yet held none of the misconceptions that every git with a bit of Gil to his name seemed to hold. Trying to not focus on that particular thought, Clive turned his attentions to finding a seat so he could fill things out without having to lean on a wall!

It seemed as if every chair in the place was occupied, and Clive was going to have to resign himself to standing, yet just before he was to make his way outside, he watched as a man got up from a table that was shared with a dark-haired woman. A brief glance between the two made it obvious they had shared out of convenience rather than intentionally, the woman not even bothering to glance at the other as he left. Figuring it was worth a shot, Clive made his way over to the now empty seat, putting a hand on the back of it to make a temporary claim before anyone else came over and had any ideas.

"Excuse me." He spoke gently, though with enough volume to allow his voice to make it despite the constant buzz of the Guildhall. "I'm sorry to bother you, but is this seat taken?" It most likely wasn't, the man who had gotten up was already out of the Guildhall, but he left room for her to deny him the spot. A strange thing to do in such a crowded room, but Clive had his manners.