[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

[bestestfurrend]

[Nepeta squishes her in her arms at that laugh. She'd been hoping that saying it would amuse her, mostly because it's quite true.

But then the conversation turns serious again, and Nepeta mulls that over, frowning.]

I think he might be, but Sollux does get angry very easily. And the way he's thinking about things now, he might run away if you tell him everything straight away. But if you're friends first, even if he gets mad about it later, I'm sure he'd forgive you. You're not doing it to trick him, after all. You're doing it so that you both get a chance to know each other and be friends, just as he wants, as if it's the first time all over again.

[lethechained]

[Her eyes search downward at-- er, what would normally be the ground, but she's sort of surrounded at the moment, so she settles for turning slightly to search for answers in Pounce's fur. She finds none, as expected.]

That's what I'm afraid of. Even knowing that, I-- it feels a little underhanded. I always thought I shouldn't do that, especially not to-- [One's moirail. But he doesn't count as her moirail anymore.] ... to him.

[She shakes her head slightly.]

You're right, though.

[There's a brief, heavy sort of silence, then,]

I always sort of thought it was a fluke. That we were friends in the first place, I mean. [Much less anything more than that.]

[bestestfurrend]

[Pounce's fur may be magnificent and luxurious, but sadly it does lack answers to the tough questions in life. It does provide some solace in terms of being snuggled into, at least.]

It's not a fluke! Don't think that. You were meant to meet and be friends, and even if it doesn't end up being more than that this time, it means something that you've been given the chance again! Don't pass it up, Namine.

[lethechained]

[She can appreciate Pounce's fur for what it does do, anyway. (And it is quite magnificent and snuggleable indeed, which is... helpful in its own way.)]

I won't. [She swallows the lump in her throat, and once it's gone she has an easier time working out a smile.] I'd never forgive myself if I didn't at least try, I guess. [He might forgive her, but--] As long as I have the chance, I won't waste it. ... Thank you, Nepeta. It's very kind of you to try to help me.

[bestestfurrend]

If there's anything else I can do you just have to ask, okay? Come ofur to our hive or to our shop and we'll talk.

[There's a purr and a nudge from Pounce's head.]

And Pounce says she's always available for cuddling too.

[lethechained]

Okay. [It's grateful enough, even if she's not likely to ask. It's the thought that counts.] I'll remember. Thank you for that, too.

[Which earns a warm little smile and further pettings, because wow Pounce what a sweetie.]

I'll keep both of you in mind, then. And-- I guess maybe if you wouldn't mind, we could just... do something fun, too. [Less for the sake of talking about problems and more for the sake of having a nice time together. A bit late;] I didn't realize you had a shop.

[bestestfurrend]

Oh, yes, I'd like that! We can go out and play and purrhaps have a picnic! ...well that can wait until it's warmer. But we'll play games and go shopping for cute things if you want.

[Pounce purrs, approving of this, mostly because Nepeta always spends nearly as much on her as on herself.]

And I do! Well, it's Equius', not mine, but we run it together! I'm very good at selling things for him too.

[lethechained]

Yeah. It'll be great...! Games sound good. And-- oh, do you have clothes for this weather, yet?

[Hee. It's so funny, that purring. It almost makes Naminé laugh.]

I see...! What is it that you sell?

[bestestfurrend]

I have a couple...but I should purrobably get more. Pounce doesn't like it if I'm not bundled up properly in the cold.

[She pets the cat affectionately. Good kitty, best lusus.]

Equius sells fuel for the motorcycles people have here! And he repairs them too, and other machines, and in my part of the shop I sell food and candy and snacks!

[lethechained]

That's sweet of her to worry over you. [Such a nice lusus. Here, have some very gentle pets from Naminé, too.] Well, in that case - maybe we could do some shopping? I could use a backup coat, myself.

[She nods her understanding.]

Fuel for machines and for people, then. [Hee.] So he's a mechanic, then? Does he like doing that?

[bestestfurrend]

She always worries over me. She is the best at making sure I'm okay, oh yes - though Equius does that a lot too, of course. [Pounce certainly doesn't seem to mind sharing this praise with her little one's moirail, not when she's receiving a double share of pettings.]

Ooh, yes, okay! I would like that!

[Hearing it said that way makes her laugh.] That's right! And he's not just a mechanic, he's an engineer and an inventor too! He loves it!

[lethechained]

Of course. [She holds back the 'that's what moirails are for, aren't they?'] I'm so happy for you, that you have people like that in your life.

Alright...! I think I would, too.

[-- Hee. She can't help laughing a little, herself, at the laugh.] That sounds like quite an interest. It's great that he can do that for work, too. What does he like to make?

[bestestfurrend]

Purrhaps, when you and me get to know each other better, we can be like that for each other too? [She certainly thinks that Namine both needs and deserves someone she can rely on to look out for her.]

Yay! Then we'll do it sometime soon!

Lots of things! He made my tail for me, and Tavros' legs. But mostly he builds robots!

[lethechained]

--.... [Her startled expression gives way slowly to a cautiously pleased sort of one.] I think I'd be very fortunate to have someone like you looking out for me, Nepeta. Thank you. I'll... be looking forward to it.

Okay...! Sounds like a plan.

[-- Oh!] Huh...! That's-- [What's the word?] ... really, really cool. What does he do with them all?

[bestestfurrend]

Good! I'm glad we can try to do that. [She beams, terribly pleased that Namine seems to like the idea.]

Oh, he...well, he fights them most of the time. He used to do it more to work out being angry but he doesn't need to as much since we became moirails.

[lethechained]

Me too. I'll try not to be a burden. [Even saying that, she smiles brightly, as well.]

-- Fights them? [Blink.] I see. But... isn't that dangerous? Or-- doesn't it damage his work? [Hm.] ... I'm glad to hear you've been helping him.

[bestestfurrend]

You wouldn't be! Efur!

[She holds out her hands to Namine, meaning to hold the other girl's hands if she'll let her.]

Oh, no, not for him! Equius is really strong and really hard to hurt! And it generally destroys them but then he learns how to build them better next time! I'm glad too that he's better at controlling himself now we're together though.

[lethechained]

[Naminé does, in fact, let her - after a surprised moment to process what's being offered to (requested of?) her.]

How did I know you'd say that?

[She speaks it smilingly, though.]

Oh...! I guess that's one way to learn. Well, if something ever does go wrong, you can always call for me. I'll do my best to patch him up. [... Heh.] It sounds like you've been very good for him. How long have the two of you been together?

[bestestfurrend]

Because it's true!!!

[Nepeta giggles as she presses her hands in hers, swinging their arms back and forth together.]

That's furry kind of you to offer, I'll remember! [Though it really would take more than a killer robot to seriously hurt him.] It's been a while now, a little more than a sweep, I think?

[lethechained]

Should have figured you'd say that, too.

[She's giggling, too, studying the motion a moment before mimicking it.]

I'll be prepared, then, in case you do call. [Still, better safe than sorry, right?] Huh...! That's... a long time, isn't it? [She has to take a moment to think back on what she knows of troll phrasing.] So you know each other well, then?

[bestestfurrend]

Pfft, you know me too well already.

[She doesn't make it sound like a bad thing at all, though.]

It's...around two human years? I think? And we were friends before that too! So I think we do know each other pretty well, and even better now that we see each other in person all the time. It just wasn't the same over trollian.

[lethechained]

Hee...! Maybe so.

[She doesn't think it is, either.]

That is a long time. [Gosh.] It's great that you've been able to stay together. Wasn't that hard, only being able to speak long distance? [Because she's trying to imagine having that sort of situation and it's not particularly appealing.]

[bestestfurrend]

I suppaws it is! It doesn't feel like it, though. But it was hard, sometimes, because we couldn't get to know each other as well as we'd like to. And it was hard to know what Equius was really thinking as well, he was so bossy. I used to be a little scared of him! But now I know I never needed to be.

[lethechained]

I was only with-- [... Nope. She's just going to... stop that sentence right there and leave it be. She shakes her head slightly, briefly, then,] I'm sure...! Communicating from a distance always seems to make it so hard to be clear or learn all the little things about people. ...! Scared? [Hm.] Well, it's good that you aren't, anymore. I guess relationships always go through that sort of stage - it can be very troubling, not being sure what someone else really means or what their intentions are.

[bestestfurrend]

...I know. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that when you're happy together, time goes by too fast!

[Nepeta giggles.] Scared! He'd tell me what to do and sound so determined and angry sometimes. But he's a big softy really [no, he isn't, he just lets Nepeta push him around now] and we understand each other very well!