September & October Catch-All

[spiritwalks]

Who: Vyng spiritwalks and YOU
What: Catch-All for September + October. See comments for prompts!
When: Various
Where: Various

Note: Style veers wildly between prose and brackets. Just choose whatever style feels good when responding, and I'll match it ♥

Content Warnings: Listed in subject lines when applicable

Comments

[queenking]

Yeah, my mom named me Cassiopeia. [Saxsice shakes her head, looking down at Slippers and rubbing slow, soothing circles behind the wolf's ears with her thumbs.] Ain't that awful? Too many goddang syllables, huh?

Ohhhhh, well, who am I to deny you that opportunity? [She grins toothily, then shakes her head.] Nope, no dreamin' here, just real life.

[spiritwalks]

Cassie O'Peiya? [That's what Vyng heard, anyway. Something like "Cassie" isn't so strange, but he could see how the whole thing might be tiresome.] ...What, you get in trouble with your mom a lot?

[No judgement there. God knows Vyng was a little shit too.]

Did it hurt, then? When, when you...fell down? And forgot you were in the Dream? [Wait, no, Vyng doesn't think he's even seen her before—] Did it hurt? When you knocked out all those Sleepers who washed up onto the shore? [That didn't come out right either.] ...You look like a dream.

[Okay, there we go. It took a second, but Vyng got there.]

[queenking]

Yeah, more or less. [She shrugs, waving a dismissive hand.] I did a lot as a kid, but we don't talk much anymore. Gave her all her gray hair before I was ten, so it makes sense.

[Saxsice patiently strokes along Slippers's back, waiting for the one-man pickup line workshop to conclude. Once he gets there, she grins widely, nodding.] There we go! Got some twists and turns there, knockin' folks out and all, but I'd give it a solid 7/10.

[spiritwalks]

Sometimes it's about the journey. But hey! Lucky number seven. I'll take it.

[WINK.]

So...where does a dream-lady like yourself hail from, then, if not the Dream?

[Slippers continues happily wagging her tail, torn between plopping her fluffy butt on the sand and staying standing for optimal pets.]

[queenking]

Los Angeles. [Saxsice plops down herself, cross-legged, so she's at eye level with Slippers and can reach out and give her all the pets she deserves. Sorry, Vyng, she has priorities.] Well, LA-adjacent. Closer to the water, kinda Malibu-y?

[Vague hand-wave.] I own a bar there. Are you also from the, uh...Far North?

[spiritwalks]

Hmm, Mali-Buoy. Sounds like a record label back home.

[Listen, he's not going to begrudge a woman with priorities. Especially if those priorities happen to involve fluffy animals. Slippers is very pleased with this arrangement, and she leans into Saxcise's hands.]

The Frozen North? Yeah. Haven't been there in a long time, though. [But he isn't too keen on talking about the past, so he quickly adds:] You had a bar? What was it called?

[queenking]

You got records back home? [No offense, Vyng, you kinda look like an Olde Timey Elven Guy from the woods.

Saxsice notes the quick subject change and wisely goes with it.] Called it "On The Rocks". Cause it was...on the rocks.

[spiritwalks]

Music bottles, actually. But people will still sign deals with producers. Somebody's gotta handle the actual recording and distributing, you know?

[He chuckles at the name.]

Very clever.

[With a half-lidded smile, he adds:]

You know, my buddy and I got a bar here. Maybe you and I could meet after closing time one night, eh? Mix some spirits, make a little magic. You seem like somebody who could show me a thing or two.

[queenking]

Oh yeah, for sure. Gotta have someone business-minded involved. [Despite literally running her own business, Saxsice knows jack-all about the inner workings.]

You do? Really? [Her whole face just lights up.] That'd be awesome! I was real worried I was gonna have to...get a job sellin' flowers or somethin'. Seems like the kinda thing they'd make women do here.

[spiritwalks]

[That makes two of them.

Vyng mostly made the connection because his childhood friend Danny Buoy became a famous music producer. Also, My Alchemical Romance has been on the brain ever since Trenchies started talking about the Black Parade, so that might explain why somebody (he hasn't seen in over half a century, no less) is at the forefront of his mind today. He hopes Danny's doing well for himself.

Saxcise's enthusiastic assertion catches Vyng off guard, though.]

Huh? Oh, uh. Wait. You mean...you actually want to work for us?

[queenking]

Yes. [A beat.] No. [Another beat.] Maybe?

[Saxsice finally frowns, raising and lowering her shoulders.] If that's what you want? I'm not really doin' anythin' else with my time. Unless this is like...a special secret bar-runnin' club, which I totally respect.

[spiritwalks]

No, the bar's open for anybody. You just have to get past our snappy gator-keeper.