[OPEN LOG]

[nukeoleptic]

Who: Jade + literally anyone
What: Jade bribing people into her restaurant with free things.
When: Day 355.
Where: The Highwind, in Heimdall's district.
Rating: PG-13 for language at most!

EDITED TO ADD: Also, totally feel free to threadjack and use this as a mingle log IF YOU WOULD LIKE ♥

[ It had worked once before, back in the heat of late summer in Asgard, so Jade was trying it again. She had dragged the sign out to the front of the store, right in the middle of the sidewalk, and written in huge letters:

free hot chocolate! :D
just come inside ♥

The temperature hadn't broken the sixty degree mark today - it was getting chilly fast. Both Orihime and Annabeth were gone, and the store was oddly quiet. Jade will be found keeping herself busy throughout the day with odd little chores when it's completely empty of customers - sweeping, dusting, and occasionally dozing in a booth near the door when the boredom becomes too much to bear. ]

Comments

[wasthemaster]

[That same kind of smile's etched on his face...and is quickly squashed down because honestly they're in public. But it's hard to keep the amused tone out of his voice.]

Take your time.

[nukeoleptic]

[ She wipes at her hands, and it's just a few minutes before she's bringing him a cup of hot cocoa heaping with whipped cream. She sort of awkwardly half-waves at him in greeting, before kneeling down to hug at Osiris's neck. ]

Thanks for stopping by.

[wasthemaster]

You make it sound like I never do anything for you. [But he's eyeing that cup while Osiris basically tries to lick Jade's face off.]

[nukeoleptic]

Well, you don't usually spend a lot of time around the restaurant. -- it's weird here with Orihime and Annabeth gone. I guess I'm gonna have to hire more people.

[ She playfully pushes at Osiris's face for a moment, quietly babytalking the dog, before standing and shifting slightly. ]

Did you bring my jacket? And just let me know if you need more marshmallows or anything.

[wasthemaster]

That would require pulling my head out of my work. [He looks a little surprised though.] Wait they're both gone? [Yup. Definitely need to pull out of his work more often.

When she asks he suddenly moves to grab his usual bag, opening it and pulling out Jade's jacket that he wadded up and shoved in there.] No more marshmallows, but you should bring home any extra hot chocolate you have. I'll get the vodka. [...gods. Their first winter. A lot had changed since then. He just shrugs though.] Either way.

[nukeoleptic]

Umm. Yeah. Karkat and Rose, too. And Kieran? I don't know if you met him, he and Ash helped me out a lot during that big ice battle in the city...

[ But she's digressing, trailing off as she shrugs and pulls her rumpled jacket on. That last question gets a surprised little smile out of her. ]

Did you know it's been almost a year exactly since then by Asgard's reckoning? The sixth of fall, year 416.

[wasthemaster]

People need to quit leaving. It just allows for more obnoxious ones to turn up. [Still, he's busy fishing out a marshmallow when she speaks and he looks up, lifting an eyebrow.]

Has it really? [He's aware that he's known Jade for a very long time, but sometimes it seems strange hearing just how long. Other days it doesn't seem like long enough.] I hadn't even thought about it. Does it bother you we've been here so long?

[nukeoleptic]

[ Jade doesn't even seem consciously aware of what she's doing as she gently nudges Draco's hand out of the way, scooping a fork up from one of the tables to idly scoop the marshmallows up out of his drink into her left palm - the right one is still bandaged over the healing runic tattoo. ]

Only when people who've been here longer than us leave. I mean... there aren't really that many in the city anymore.

[wasthemaster]

[He's watching her, but he's not stopping her yet.]

...who is left? I know Namine's one. I don't expect you to name everyone but I guess I never thought about it.

[nukeoleptic]

Roxy? Arthur. Hibiki, Aladdin.. Merlin, I think. I'm sure there are more. [ She steps back, finished, careful to keep from spilling the soggy mini marshmallows from her palm. ] Maybe I'll ask around.

[wasthemaster]

I'm curious now. I don't think any of us ever anticipated being here this long. [As soon as she moves though he frowns.] Where do you think you're going with those?

[nukeoleptic]

[ She looks down at the marshmallows in her hand, then back up to him, confused. ] Toooo.. the trash can?

[wasthemaster]

Why are you throwing out my marshmallows though...? [He's mostly amused.]

[nukeoleptic]

You said 'no more marshmallows' and then you started to take them out of your cup... I thought you didn't want them.



[ No, Jade. He was fishing one out, not all of them. She seems openly confused, though. ]

[wasthemaster]

I wanted some of them...[Is he pouting? He's pouting a little bit.] Don't worry about it, I'll just buy a bag and eat them that way at home.

[nukeoleptic]

... oh.

[ She pops the handful into her mouth, glancing at the counter. ]

I'll go get you one of the bags we have here. I bought a ton. Trade you them for Osiris?

[wasthemaster]

Kicking me out? [But he would totally take that bag thank you.] That is a pretty fair trade though...

[nukeoleptic]

I'm not kicking you out. I just figured you'd be pretty impatient to get back to work.

[wasthemaster]

I've been working a lot lately. [...someone...might be feeling a little clingy at the moment. Ignore him.]

[nukeoleptic]

[ It was loneliness in the empty shop that had led her to message half the city to bribe them over with free hot chocolate. She isn't going to drive him away, but she seems to be studying him in a vain attempt to figure out if he actually wants to be there or not. ]

Yeah... that's why I assumed you'd want to get back to it?

[ It's not accusatory -- simply curious. ]

[wasthemaster]

[He just regards her just as carefully, not really revealing anything in his expression.] Not particularly. I took the day off.

[nukeoleptic]

Oh, um. Okay. Hold on, then, okay?

[ She heads back to the counter, taking two tall carafes of hot chocolate and settling them there next to a small stack of cups, a bag of marshmallows, and two cans of whipped cream, before she snags another bag of the marshmallows herself and returns to the booth Draco and Osiris are at.

Wordlessly, she slides into the seat across from him, sort of awkwardly offering the bag out. ]

[wasthemaster]

[As soon as she sits Osiris is moving from Draco's side to sit near her legs, leaning bodily against them. Draco meanwhile is taking a marshmallow out of the bags and popping it into his mouth. He silently lifts an eyebrow, chewing slowly as he thinks of how to phrase this.]

You look very, very surprised right now.

[nukeoleptic]

I just didn't expect you to, um. Hang out here. On purpose? It's not a bad sort of surprise.

[ But her hand sinks into the dog's fur. ]

Mostly I was worried I was interrupting you.

[wasthemaster]

Uh huh. Have I ever let you interrupt me before? Honestly.