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 Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 6:50 pm
Scenario 12: When they say 'break a leg', is that literal, or?...
Ah, Vodenska: barely more than chilly even through the winter months!
Sure, it was still relatively cold during that time of year, but not a fraction as terrible as anything the weary quartet had dealt with back in Salig or Xorosho, of which both Yossarian and Shae were exceptionally thankful for.
As for the former dark knight, he'd more or less just relaxed back into the 'usual' routine of life as a foursome once again, scavenging odd jobs of dock guarding and load hauling and damn near whatever he could pick up for the sake of their funds and still having only a minimal profit to show for it.
The sad fact was that such a sleepy seaside village just didn't have much in the way of large earnings; there were only a handful of places to scavenge for fliers, and those places were perpetually picked clean before he even got there. Bah.
But hey, at least he was finally rid of his father and things had returned to a nice, quiet norm, right?
... Well, with one little exception, anyway.
For almost a week now he'd noticed that the short tailed woman was curiously absent: leaving at the crack of dawn just as he stumbled out of his room to start coffee and coming back long after dark, looking curiously worn out and exhausted. He figured she'd managed to locate a job of some sort, but just what kind eluded him since... well, she hadn't even elaborated to the rival, let alone him.
On that particular day and at that particular time it was already late evening; as expected, she was still a no-show when he returned from his own (rather monotonous) crate hauling venture for the day, having managed just enough to pay for their rooms in the humble inn and maybe even buy some decent foodstuffs later.
HMM...
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Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 7:08 pm
She'd actually been one of their little group who due to her domestic-win hadn't had a problem locating steady work in the town doing the simplest of things (at least in her eyes), having actually been settled into ONE consistent establishment to cook and clean.
Certainly not the most grueling of work, but it paid well enough to make her feel some SEMBLANCE of useful.
Not to mention she got to steal away leftovers at the end of the day. So she'd consistantly brought up things like bread and casserole-esque leftovers, if only to find that it was only something herself and her other half got to share.
Kanda was always uninterested in food and Shae was....
....
...
somewhere.
But that day, like every other day, she'd come home as promptly as the early evening would allow, toting a plastic bag with wrapped plates that would end up cleaned and then returned to her place of 'work'.
A quick glance around the relatively empty inn caused her to sigh a bit.
"It's really.. strange to be in a town that isn't full of travelers.." she grumbled, taking up one of the tables to set her little 'pay' of the day down on before sighing and sitting at it.
...
...
"Is anybody else even back yet?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 7:34 pm
He'd actually been 'back' for a short while before her arrival-- not that it was particularly obvious for anyone to tell, of course, seeing as his things were shoved away in the appropriate sleeping quarters and he himself had been idling in the back of the humble kitchen area, leering down a kettle that outright REFUSED to boil.
Perhaps the rickety old stove was in need of replacement or something.
"... I would imagine so," he responded in a raised voice (just so she could hear him given the distance), heaving a sigh and fiddling lamely with a little flame-control nob on the contraption still thwarting him. "The swordsman is somewhere upstairs to the best of my knowledge, and the other woman is... out."
Not that that was really surprising; by his estimations Shae wouldn't be back for another hour at lea--
Fjkfladg;agfakslhfdja!!!!
Okay, maybe he'd jinxed that thought right then as a certain golem came spiraling in from the cracked front door to SMACK HIM IN THE FACE, earning a hiss and a splutter of surprise as he tried to smack the foreign thing away from him.
... Which just sent it crashing into the fiddly nob, which turned the stupid flame OFF COMPLETELY before it smacked his SHIN and landed on the ground.
GOOD TIMING THERE, DEL.
Although the golem's feeble master was actually a few minutes behind her darling pet, as it were, coat neatly tied up over her shirt and clutching a rolled mess of bound paper in one hand with a slight frown.
Of all the terrible things to happen... why did it have to be this?
Good luck expressions were never meant to be literal!
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Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 7:46 pm
"Oh, well I brought home some leftovers again. I think we're fortunate to not really have to use a major expenditure on dinner with how loose my employer is with what I've made at the end of the da-"
And there went the jasdkljfldkj ing. Sounded like something had just smacked him in the face or attempted to eat HER (a quick check to make sure she was still in the dining area). Sad that his sounds could be attributed to things such as that now.
Huh, looked like Shae was back too!
The fold-eared woman offered her companion a smile. "Welcome back! I've brought back some things, so if anything suits your fancy, have at it~" Asteria offered, pulling out several plates of various little things (they weren't LARGE plates by any means, but it was a nice assortment), before going over to make sure Yossarian wasn't suffering TOO badly for having been assaulted by Del.
Hmm..
..
Oh.. one of these things.
"The sparker is out in this stove, most of the time that means they have matches nearby so you can turn on the gas and then ignite it manually.." she offered as a sort of 'help' before she toddled off to start unwrapping the plates she'd brought back with her.
"Shae, will you go drag Kanda down here and eat with us? He hasn't been eating since you started coming back late." What a MOM she was being!
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Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 9:08 pm
Well no, thankfully his response wasn't to anything like an eaten Asterkitten (as far as he knew, anyway), though Yossarian still glared down his tiny assailant all the same, half contemplating a good PUNTING into the wall as the golem rolled near his boot before it suddenly jumped into the air again, whirled off, and dizzily returned to Master's shoulder as she peeked in the through door.
O SHI-- And to think, she'd been trying to sneak in without being noticed, too! Had Shae not been such a skilled little actor (OH THE IRONY OF THAT STATEMENT), no doubt the girl would have betrayed a little awkwardness right then, pausing ever so briefly before she just forced a quick nod.
"... Ah, yes Ma'am, certainly."
YEP, NOT ABOUT TO IDLE THERE A SECOND LONGER THAN NECESSARY BEFORE SHE STARTED FROWNING AGAIN--
Though Yossarian, in glancing through the doorway, had noticed a certain odd rolled paper stack in her hand and, admittedly, his curiosity was (slightly) peaked. For that matter... was it really freezing enough to warrant one's heavy coat being bundled up like that?
... Food for thought-- and hey, thought for food now, too!
"Matches, then..." Yes, right, back to that! And fiddling around in some drawers produced, sure enough, a nice little firestarter to strike against its package and re-ignite the burner. "Best to have some manner of beverage with the meal, after all..."
And while the coffee water FINALLY came to a boil, Shae could drag that antisocial swordsman out of his room... or maybe just lightly knock on the door upstairs before opening it a crack. "A-Ah, Sir? Are you present in there?... Ma'am's requested you downstairs for dinner..."
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Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 9:15 pm
Hee hee~ She'd actually been a bit surprised that Yossarian hadn't thought of it herself, but kept herself from actually taunting him over it in exchange for fishing some plates out of the cupboard to set out with the plates she'd brought back with her.
.....
.......
It felt so strange to be used to just hoarding through the stuff of another like this. Especially after she'd been so used to just having her OWN stuff. Not that she was in a rush to ever get all of those things back. She had nowhere to put them at that current time as it was.
But no matter....
......
........
....
Sigh.
He could hear the woman downstairs making request of Shae for his presence, causing Kanda to sigh a bit, looking from the ceiling over to the door, staring at it for a few moments before he rose to his feet to actually walk towards it...
...
..
In time for a tapping on it.
Which just meant he opened it all the quicker, really.
"I heard. I'm assuming you'll also be coming down for dinner, yes?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 9:40 pm
WHOA, OKAY, SHE HADN'T REALLY BEEN EXPECTING THE DOOR TO SWING OPEN THAT FAST--
But once again Shae just masked any startled response with the skill of an old pro and forced that same thin smile she'd worn for Asteria, playing off the hesitation as little more than a thoughtful pause.
"Oh... ah, certainly..." Her voice was a little subdued though as she stepped in, making a beeline for her bed (there were two per room here, thankfully) and going to shove her scr-- ... that paper carefully into her carry bag before rifling deeper to search out something more. "I just need to change first, though, i-... if you'd excuse the brief wait..."
But change from what exactly?
And she was looking even wearier than normal for some reason, and perhaps even the slightest bit dismayed beneath her tempered exterior, too.
Not that anyone could've blamed her had they known the circumstances. Just... ARGH, talk of all the worst bum luck to happen! At this rate, her whole paycheck might be down the drain!
Downstairs with the other duo, Yossarian had finally boiled his water successfully and went to coffee prep right after, so used to the ritual that it was almost laughable.
"So.... what exactly is it that you've managed to procure for dinner tonight?" Ah, there was at least a nice relevant question to get the lame conversation going again.
... Because, sad as it was, he had little else to discuss right then.
Aside from his bruised shin and Del-shaped facial dent, that was.
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Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 9:49 pm
"Very well then.." Kanda answered with little grief for his companion, just making sure to close the door behind himself while Shae got changed. Though why she had to change, even HE didn't know.
Perhaps whatever job she had going for her had a sort of uniform and she just was tired of being in it.
Seemed reasonable enough. However, he didn't linger outside the door as he headed down the stairs to join the other pair.
Hmm? Oh, food.. right. That definitely was the conversation they were having, ha ha. "Well, I learned to make a sort of sweet cinnamon-raisin bread today and was allowed to bring a loaf home with me, Plus some rice, and some chicken-and-broccoli. I thought they sounded decent together as a meal.."
....
..
Wow, they hardly ever had 'meals' when they were out on their own, huh? They just had 'food'. Whatever entree they could get their paws on. At least they were getting some proper eating in.
...
MORESIGH.
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Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 11:25 pm
Well, 'uniform' was one thing it could've been called, Shae making certain to wait a full fifteen seconds after the door had been closed before she unbuttoned her coat and shed it to one side, breathing a sigh of relief. Granted that it was chilly outside, but she'd been a little too warm once within the building, given all the layers...
With that out of the way, she got to peel off everything else-- which consisted of a peculiarly ornate looking crushed velvet top in royal cobalt (complete with gold trim) and matching trousers she'd only managed to keep hidden thanks to tucking into boots. Both garments were stripped and folded with utmost neatness before she hid them away, replacing them with her more 'usual' white top and black slacks.
Ah, that felt much better.
Now, if only she could alleviate the anxiety of her FAILED WORKDAY AND RELATED DILEMMAS... God, her brain couldn't even begin to fathom how that would all work out. Sure, there were allies to ask, but... well, Ma'am didn't know how to read and...
"Hmm, sounds well enough..." Downstairs Yossarian was (not so) blissfully unaware of her anxiety though, having to actually eye the ambiguous foodstuffs as she elaborated on them. Cinnamon-raisin bread was something he didn't recall having in a good while, but the rest sounded nice and mundane enough.
And hey, look, there was the swordsman, come to join them! Nothing more effective than using one's closest partner to leverage them out of their room after all!
"I'm sure you heard the menu," he mumbled lamely, obviously not going to repeat himself as he took a plate (with a quiet mumble of gratitude for Aster's ears) and a couple of utensils to go start dishing up.
Mmm, hodgepodge dinner was a go!
Shae had even turned up at about that time too without comment, just sliding in with her fresh change and Del on her shoulder to wait in the doorway like a good girl until the others had been served.
Yep, last to arrive, last to plate up.
She was a little too worn out for any assertive behavior that night anyway.
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 10:52 am
Ha ha, that was if she hadn't butchered it in her first attempt at making it! Which was sadly more possible than she would have liked (sigh). Oh how badly she tended to flounder with new things when they were offered up to her.
But she just sighed a bit more and made a point of taking some of everything (Though less chicken and more broccoli like an anti-child would) before she took up a seat at the next table over to stab at her plate.
Nnngh. Was it really possible for her to be sick of her own cooking after doing it day in and day out just to actually eat it?
BAH.
Kanda had made a point to also take a bit of everything (a small bit, albeit, but it would do to not insult the woman's ability to bring home dinner or at least some aspect of it every night while they'd been there),
holding the last plate out to Shae before moving to sit at the table on the OTHER side of the one where the food had been laid out.
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:04 pm
Sadly, however, even if Aster was tired of her own cooking by that point, there was really no alternative to be had from it short of, say, heading back to a certain dark knight's parents' house for some hospitality via Mother Dearest. Yossarian would have probably rather gouged his own eyes out at that point than do such a thing, too, given how they'd JUST managed to get rid of his father so recently and...
Yeah, no.
Thank god he wasn't at all sick of her cooking, though (not that he'd openly confess that needlessly), having thrown a good portion of both meat and vegetables on his dish (protein was good energy) before he, too, went to sit down at the table... naturally taking a spot beside the butterfur at her little station and giving the plate an idle test stab or two.
Nnngh...
"These past weeks have been unusually monotonous," he couldn't help but comment as well, trailing off to just sort of... sigh. Not much of a conversation starter, was it?
Yet so sadly true.
As for Shae, she had (of course) taken the plate Sir passed to her with the usual quiet thank you before dishing up as well, her portions equally feeble looking, but still qualifying as just enough for an 'alright' meal before it was time to go sit. Two tables, two pairs. Ah, the usual... except that, y'know, nothing was usual in the slightest from her perspective. SOBSOB.
Del gleefully flung itself onto the tabletop for some spastic rolling around between the plates while she chewed a piece of broccoli wearily, too, ears hanging just a touch lower than usual and gaze may a little too distant in its lack of focus. Hmmm, now h--
Oh geez, and now her thoughts had been interrupted by a yawn of all things!
Sobsowornout.
And just where was she going to find someone suitable to help solve that, anyway?
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 12:40 pm
Ha ha, no. Her cooking was cheaper than other options, so she wasn't about to shove the simplicity of what it was she could get her hands on in exchange for not being tired of her own cooking (and if Yossarian had mentioned he wasn't sick of her cooking he might have been mauled with affections right there at the table).
"Mmm? Well, yes. But it's not as though there's much else for us to do right now. I mean, if we'd made a name for ourselves that was more widely known than perhaps someone else would come to us for work instead of having to go and look for it.
But that would be highly unlikely in this town."
SIGH.
Goodness, she'd gotten rather observant ever since she'd been thrown out into the world as it was.
Kanda stabbed at his plate several times before he looked to Shae and her slight 'spacing out' with a frown.
"Anything you care to share?"
Oh ho ho.
Penny for Shae's thoughts? Or something like that. Either way he was trying to be supportive! Maybe.
...
...
Shoot, he was no good at this stuff.
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 1:50 am
"... Nngh, I suppose that's true," the kitten's (very nearly downtrodden) conversation partner mumbled, stabbing a chunk of chicken and popping it in his mouth. Hmm, more than palatable, just as expected. Too bad he was distracted by thoughts of their utter STIMULATION FAIL right then to fully enjoy it though.
He just... wasn't really certain as to whether or not he 'liked' this peaceful thing, ridiculous as it sounded. It wasn't like he wished for chaos or anything, of course, but at the same time, he was just so used to being busy with things that mundane "normal" activity seemed...
... Er, painfully mundane.
Sadder still, he didn't actually have much else to say on that particular conversation, either, which meant he had little to do but trail off and boredly listen in on the other marginally-more-lively duo at the other table. SIGH.
"Hnn?" And one spacy member of said duo was about to (unintentionally) let slip the eventual failure of them ALL right then as she blinked back to reality, forcing a thin smile out of reflex before she seemed to catch herself a moment later, decided against it, and frowned more genuinely instead, heaving a deep sigh.
"A-Ah, well, it's just... one of my--" There was a very brief pause as she seemed to debate the 'right' word. "Coworkers--" Good decision. "-- was injured on the job tonight, and... I may wind up losing a substantial paycheck because of it..."
Yeah, unless she could somehow find a solution to this whole mess with REPLACEMENT HELP...
But god, no. Just... no.
That thought was too terrible to even consider!
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 7:00 am
Oh good, she was willing to share her woe with him. This was a decent thing.
What with otherwise it would have been a dead silent room - or at least a dead silence over their group that would have allowed for a tumbleweed (or would have if it hadn't been COOOOLLLLLLLD. Ish.
Coldish.
"... Well that would be a damper." Kanda agreed. And maybe perhaps he'd been willing to drop the subject there, except that he had to now ask further:
"And just how were they injured?" Was it something that was less likely to repeat again and thus render it unlikely that Shae was going to get hurt a second time around or...?
................
...........................................
......................................................
And then it had gotten silent. SIGH. She'd just... devote her efforts into stabbing her food with a fork. Since if she didn't eat she'd regret it later anyways, so at least this way there were fewer distractions?
...
....
But she liked conversation!!
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