Oh today I'm just a drop of water | April Catch-all

[lasergrenades]

Characters: Pepper Potts, Devin Parker, and you!
Date: Throughout April
Location: Around Aifaran
Situation: Pepper is enjoying shopping and some gourmet meals, and Devin is decidedly not enjoying a sudden flood of attention. Neither is especially bothered by the rain.
Warnings/Rating: None yet, will add as needed


A. [Pepper] Arts 5 | Throughout April | Open

Pepper will basically never say no to free food, especially food that is gourmet. Sure, there are some things that she's not all that familiar with as far as ingredients, but she's been assured that nothing being served can kill her (probably). With her skills in persuasion, she's also managed to let the cook bring a friend along each day, so long as they know they will be expected to give honest and helpful critiques. And there's no rule it can't be a different friend each day - this actually seems to delight the chef, who is getting a wide variety of testers without having to do the work of recruitment. Come join her for lunch!

B. [Pepper] Dreaming Bridge | Bakura

It has not escaped Pepper's notice that Bakura is a bit… distant? She's not quite sure that's the right way to describe it, but something is on his mind. Her insatiable curiosity is there, as always. Over the past two years of living in this world, however, she's learned it was sometimes better to be gentle and subtle about inquiries than acting like a battering ram. They'll be moving out of the Bridge soon, which is an event to look forward to in a number of respects, not the least of which is privacy.

"If you're not careful, I'm going to make all the decor decisions," she teased, waving her pencil at him. Her notetaking with Tony the previous month had only expanded beyond apartment features to budgeting for furniture and the like. The departure of the Bresilykians was an opportunity Pepper intended to take advantage of, too.

C. [Pepper] Renewal Festival | April 1-15 | Open

Anyone who knows Pepper knows that she loves shopping. The rain doesn't bother her too much; it isn't the torrential downpours New York got yearly, and the temperature isn't too bad most of the time. The festival reminds her of Keeliai, in some respects, and while she doesn't go diving in the vernal pools she does go shopping. Mostly window shopping, because budgeting is a thing that needs to happen, but the brightly colored rain gear and artistically decorated umbrellas are lovely to look at. She's got a decent coat to deal with the weather, but Pepper can be seen trying on a few different hats or chatting with merchants. Any chance she gets, she will definitely invite people out to the markets with her.

D. [Pepper] Metaphysics 3 | Miles

Pepper is no stranger to weird Dreaming shenanigans. They happen a lot. This, though, is new. All she was trying to do was go back to her room, but she gets about halfway into the lobby when she's suddenly yanked upwards. It feels a lot like she's just fallen, but fortunately Pepper doesn't hit the ceiling too hard. Enough that she may end up mildly bruised, no more.

"Ow," she grumbles, 'sitting' up and staring at the floor. "Okay, this is really freaky."

E. [Devin] Crime 1 | Kit

Devin swears he does not get into fights on purpose. In this case, he's not even remotely involved with how it starts, seeing as he's on the other side of the bar when the first punch is thrown. This isn't his favorite establishment by any stretch, but it quickly turns into an all-out brawl when others unsuccessfully try to resolve it and brawls are not fun for anyone. Sighing, Devin puts his drink down and dives into the fray, moving faster than anyone has a right to and separating people with what might be casual boredom.

F - 1. [Devin] Arts 4 | Open

There is a reason that Devin does not use social media, and that reason is so no one can find him who he does not want to. He also doesn't have time for flame wars and diatribe, and the sole reason he would ever consider an account on any platform is to keep an eye on other people. There are no vampires here to track, but he has a Xa Xa account with zero pictures or information on it just in case it could prove useful to access.

The sudden influx of messages and, disturbingly, offers to do things like model for more photos - when did he model in the first place? - has him grumpier than average. The written letters that arrive for him may be well-intentioned, but the fact that people know how to find him feels… threatening. He's going to find the artist and politely but emphatically tell them to stop.

F - 2. Closed to Leo

It quickly becomes clear that a candid shot Leo took of Devin with his new pet inan draped across his shoulders is the cause of this uproar. He's not thrilled. He's also aware that it's not actually Leo's fault, but given that the young man has such a large following on the network, perhaps he can exert some influence to make this attention go away. The knock on Leo's door is curt.

G. [Devin] Petrichor | Around Aifaran | Open

Devin is among those who take well to the near-constant drizzle over Aifaran. It reminds him more than a little of England. Though he claims nowhere as home, he has a certain fondness for the country that he belongs to whether he would want it or not. Trying to write notes about the city in this weather is nigh impossible unless he can find a different kind of paper, and so Devin wanders. It's nice, in it's own way, to just be in the city and the rain. Luthien occasionally joins him, but the inan usually ends up hiding in his coat to avoid the drizzle. He's not happy, exactly, but the pensive look he wears is less harassed than in previous months.

H. [Pepper] On kaa | Gene

Practicing with Shadow magic is something best done in open spaces, just in case, so a park on the edge of the city seems fitting. Pepper had previously assured Gene that his ka is still there and that they just need to work on getting him to this plane. She is not an expert by far, but at least she can provide advice and moral support and her own ka to give a little guidance.

OOC note: Let me know if you want a specific starter or feel free to make your own!

Comments

F-2: suffer devin

[iseeall]

Leo didn't have any clue as to why Devin was knocking at the door, but he figured it had probably something to do with something he'd either done, or did not do. Otherwise, the guy probably would've kept trying to avoid him.

Well, his eyes could see through the door so he could get his snark on a little early as he opened up the door. "So, who did you piss off this time?"

[annihilist]

The sass that greeted him did not improve Devin's mood. The annoyance on his face was joined by a sigh of the same caliber.

"No one, as it happens," he replied, his cheer dripping with sarcasm. "The exact opposite, in fact." Devin held up his yimo and an envelope. The device chimed helpfully: another notification. "One of the photos you took is attracting a great deal of unwanted attention. I'm getting letters, Leo, and I would very much like it to stop."

[iseeall]

Leo didn't even try very hard to hide the smile that was forming, because a second later he busted out laughing, pointing a finger at the yimo. "Oh my GOD, did that picture I take of you turn you into a celebrity?? I'm fucking dying, oh my god."

It really had just been a honest cute picture; Luthien was adorable as always, and Devin for once, didn't look like he'd had a stick shoved up his ass. He just forgot that social media here was apparently like on earth, and people went nuts.

However, that didn't mean he had much sympathy for Devin's situation. "You actually got FANMAIL? I didn't even know you had a Xa Xa account!!"

[annihilist]

Devin sighed with annoyance. "For the sole purpose of keeping an eye on people," he returned, aware that no amount of logic would keep Leo from thinking he was defensive and/or embarrassed, even if he sounded neutral.

"I wouldn't call it celebrity, but apparently it's given someone else ideas." He did not want to call it 'inspiration'. "The picture itself isn't the problem. I don't like people knowing how to find me."

It was the height of danger for someone like Devin, who had spent most of his life hunting and being hunted in turn.

C

[ilda]

“Hey, that hat looks good on you!”

Ilda walks up to Pepper, grinning. She doesn’t know her, but that’s never bothered her; she’s a merchant back in her world, after all, so she’s used to striking up conversations with strangers.

But it’s nice to be the one doing the shopping for a change. Especially since they’ve been given enough rhinn to do just that.

Well, the rhinn’s not exactly just for shopping. But she has a good feeling about today. Maybe she can score a really sweet deal!

[lasergrenades]

Pepper isn't averse to talking with strangers, either, and her smile is curious as she turns it on Ilda. She looks to be about the same age as Pepper, and evidently shares her outgoing nature.

"Thanks! I don't usually wear hats, but it seems like a good idea with all this rain," she replies, gesturing to the skies. "Umbrellas always seem to break, and this is cuter anyway." She has seen so, so many mangled ones in the trashcans of New York City. She offers a hand. "I'm Pepper. Are you new to Aifaran?"

[ilda]

Ilda hasn’t bothered shielding herself from the rain, so when Pepper brings it up, it occurs to her that it is a good idea. She steps up beside the other girl, looking at the other hats on display. “You’re right. Including the part about it being a good idea. I should get one, too!”

But first she shakes Pepper’s hand. “I’m Ilda. Nice to meet you, Pepper! Yes, I haven’t been in the city long. Just a couple of weeks. I’m from a tiny fishing village called Mellifera. I may have been washed ashore here in a storm, but I’m not really sure. How about you?”

[lasergrenades]

"A few months in this city," Pepper replies, looking at Ilda with mild curiosity. The Dreaming snatched people amid all sorts of circumstances, and she recalls that if Tony and Gene hadn't been there in Keeliai, she wouldn't have fully accepted the explanation she was given for a while. It's still weird to think about. "But about two years in a different one a really, really long time ago. Everything's new here, including the rainy season," she adds with a laugh.

Tu Vishan moved around a lot, so the seasons weren't terribly consistent. "This must be a huge change for you, if you're from somewhere small. How're you adjusting?"

E

[bestofthevein]

The fight breaks out over something fairly minor, all things considered, but one man's mole hill is another man's mountain, and so it really doesn't surprise Kit when his beer gets knocked over as the two hollering brawlers crash into him in their haste to punch each other up. He goes toppling from his bar stool and hits the sticky floor with a grunt and a grimace--and another grunt as a few pairs of shoes trek across him.

Just like a rowdy night ending in 'y' back in Dust Town, honestly.

He pushes himself up to his feet and does what he can to dodge swings and punches in order to pay his bar tab (because he's fucking done, all right), then turns around to start hauling these guys off each other before someone calls the Sentry. ...Someone has probably already called the Sentry.

When he spots Devin in the midst of everything, he almost snorts. What a show-off.

[annihilist]

He's just using the tools he has, Kit.

Devin hoists someone off the floor and deposits them in a far corner before returning to the knot of people swinging at each other. It's around then he properly notices Kit, who is doing much the same as him.

"Fancy meeting you here," he calls cheerfully over the yells and grunts of the brawlers. Dodging a fist that passes in front of his nose, Devin throws the offending party over his shoulder and trips another before they can break a chair against someone else. "I think perhaps we should find a less rowdy place of patronage after this."

B.

[denyamenti]

Bakura is presently draped across Pepper's bed on his back, flicking a rhinn coin into the air and catching it over and over. For a moment it's almost as though he hadn't heard her, before he eventually rolls over to prop his chin in one hand and regard her. "You say it as though that probably wouldn't work out better for all involved," he smiled.

[lasergrenades]

"Maybe," Pepper allowed, smiling back. "But I figure you should have right of first refusal or something. Or, you know, at least options. Usually when people move in together, there's all this combining that has to happen, and we mostly get to start from scratch." She stuck her tongue out at him. "I wouldn't want to pick stuff you totally hate."

For the moment, she can't go completely overboard with decorations anyway, so it's mostly the basics they'll have to decide on. "I can always go with 'essence of dojo' for nostalgia purposes," she proposed lightly. "Someone had a table that looked like it's cross pieces were swords."

[denyamenti]

The thief offered a noncommittal noise in response to that and followed it with, "Sheena mentioned the dojo to me as well, the other day. I suppose anyone from Keeliai would think of that first. Something different might not go amiss, biahbenat."

He rolls the rhinn coin around in his palm. His mind wasn't on household decorations, as Pepper was likely guessing. "Put your notes aside for a moment, there's something I should talk to you about."

For Yato

[lasergrenades]

After meeting the new resident god and learning some about both his world and his needs, Pepper had done a little research into the water supply systems in the city. It was fairly complex, but identifying direct sources was actually quite easy. The only way to find out if they would work was to go check them out with Yato; if they didn't, they'd have to search further afield.

She had a map with locations marked and some notes on the municipal systems, waiting for Yato to arrive.

[minorgod]

What he hadn't told Pepper was that he'd be arriving in a less than typical fashion (though quite normal for him), and with a slant of light he was suddenly standing next to her with a wide grin, one hand already raised in greeting. "Good morning!"

[lasergrenades]

At Yato's sudden arrival, Pepper yelped and jumped aside. In the same moment, Vee filled the space between them, swords in their scabbards but swinging her bracer at Yato's head.

"Wait!" The Knight stopped short of striking her new godly friend, the order as much mental as verbal. At her full height, Vee was quite imposing, and she scrutinized Yato for several seconds before dropping her arm. "Sorry, sorry, are you okay?" The redhead darted around her ka. When she saw Yato was unhurt, Pepper smacked him on the arm with the rolled up map. "You scared the crap out of me; where did you come from?"

set sometime shortly after the park 'party';

[afoolsgold]

The Fool is not certain when Fitz vanished from Aifaran--only that he has, and that the last words they exchanged together were hostile, unpleasant. A discreet visit to Fitz's former lodgings in the Dreaming Bridge only confirm the Fool's unhappy conclusion. When he takes his leave of it, he brings a small memento with him: a carved bit of memory stone he'd gifted to Fitz after their last parting. If Fitz would not be here to reclaim it, then the Fool could not bear to think of it falling into other hands.

He has placed it on one of the windowsills in his apartment, tucked neatly between two potted plants, and has not touched it since--at least, not until this particular morning. He stands by the window with a cup of tea in one hand and his numb, despondent gaze fixed somewhere beyond the limits of the city. For a time, he leaves two fingers silvered by Skill magic resting against the stone, until he apparently cannot bear to look upon what he sees anymore.

It's then that there is a knock upon his apartment door, and that in and of itself is enough of a rare occurrence for him to startle. "A moment," he calls out, gathering his composure, and detours by a mirror in his bedroom just to make sure he doesn't look as though he's been on the cusp of weeping. (Eh. Good enough.)

But any thoughts he has regarding his own appearance are firmly put to bed when he opens his door and sees--

"Devin..!" It's the dramatic bruising that demands his attention first, and he can't mask his dismay. Quickly, he takes a step back and motions his friend into his apartment.

they've given new meaning to 'party hard'

[annihilist]

Whether or not he should be moving around like nothing had happened (he probably shouldn't, but none of his daily activities were incredibly strenuous), Devin has carried on as though everything is normal. An impressive canvas of bruises covers most of his visible skin, especially on his head and torso. It's been enough time that black and blue and purple are just starting to fade, and in many places a tinge of yellow suggests healing is well underway.

"I'm fine," Devin insists as he walks past the Fool into the apartment. This is more or less the truth; he's not in critical condition by far, but his usual grace has been replaced by stiffness in the way he carries himself. "There was an incident at one of the parks. No one got hurt."

Well, except him, but details.

[afoolsgold]

The Fool waits for him to cross the threshold into the apartment before closing the door behind him. Smartly, he retorts, "Well, No One had better take a seat at the table while I fetch a cool cloth for his face." And he steps past Devin into his apartment's tiny kitchenette to do just that, with a firm look over his shoulder suggesting he'll tolerate no argument on this point.

(This was one way to redirect all of his pent up, nervous energy after Fitz's disappearance.)

He turns on the tap and places a clean cloth beneath the water, once it's cold enough for his liking. "What sort of incident left you looking like this?" he asks over his shoulder.

D

[upshore]

Thwack.

Before Miles can ask what happened, he's floating up, too. "No, no, no, Pennywise is a liar!" he shouts, scrabbling for a chair and halfway pulling it up with him. No dice. He practically slams up into the ceiling, the wind knocked out of him.

"Why?!"

[lasergrenades]

Pepper can't help but laugh at Miles' plight, even if she shares in it. The way he ends up on the ceiling is a little funny, and now she's not alone up here either. At least it doesn't feel like all the blood is rushing to her head - apparently the reversed gravity is extremely localized at the moment.

"Probably because the Dreaming likes to play games with us," she points out, resting her chin in her hand. "You okay? Who's Pennywise?"

[upshore]

Miles lies on the ceiling-ground for a moment, trying not to hork from the sudden reversal of gravity. Would it go to the ground? He decides that he doesn't particularly want to find out.

He pushes himself up into a sitting position. "He's the evil clown from It...his big thing is making people say 'we all float' and so on. It's been a while since I read it." And his life is a Stephen King novel, anyway.

H. maybe we dont blow up this park

[wrathfulkhan]

Gene stands with Pepper in the park, looking utterly unbothered - only someone who knows him as well as she does would be able to tell at all that he's a little bit nervous. After all he went through to do this, after coming to grips with everything he'd needed to and then going back and then returning to Konryu, was Tolui even still here?

Pepper had said that the ka was. He hopes she's right.

"Okay," he says. "Where do we start?"

but mom

[lasergrenades]

The nervousness is understandable, all things considered. Even when Pepper knew how to summon, she'd been nervous for a little while as she learned her limits. Gene's question is not an easy one to answer, since each of them will have a personal method for summoning and anchoring a ka here, and Pepper has the benefit of the dueling gauntlet.

"Well, I think probably the best thing would be to think back to your shadow test, and what it felt like the first time you could sense Tolui was there with you," she suggests. "Focus on that. He'll be there when you reach for him, at least to talk to, even if you can't summon him physically yet."

but nothing young missy

[wrathfulkhan]

Gene sighs, and thinks. His shadow test had been a rough one, and he'd nearly failed it.

But coming upon Tolui had been...interesting. He'd felt fear, and despair, and an urge to cry - of course my soul looks like a Makluan - but the ka was different, too, because that wasn't all there was to Gene. He looked like the Mandarin armor, too, and there was still something human to him. And after a moment, he'd felt peace.

"I don't know if I can do this," he admits.