deercountry | January Catch-All [Semi-Open]

A...aa... [he hesitates, clearing his throat.]

Um. That sort of thing...would be in the kitchen, you know.

...

[a beat passed. Perell rubbed his arm awkwardly while he pondered this.]

I'll be honest. I don't know a damn thing about coffee, except that it's good.

[r...right...

this guy...is very suspicious. and weird! but in a different way of Vyng, who is much more self-secure in his weird. this guy is almost apologetic for his weird? which...is about the most relatable thing any of the pack of weirdos in this house has been for a while, if Manabu's honest.

but relatable doesn't mean free of suspicion.]

Okay.

...So who are you?

[This was all way more awkward than it needed to be, and Perell was getting flustered from continuing to meet Vyng's housemates in the wild. Nodding, he offered out a hand.]

I am Perell. A... [wizard? That didn't feel right to say, not when the depths of his practice and skills were blocked from even touching the Thaumic Energies in Trench or back in their home. Instead:] A friend of Vyng, Tuck, and Billie's from home. I, Uh...

I owe them a great deal.

Perell.

[huh.

Manabu doesn't mean to leave an absent, awkward blank there, but it's there! and it's followed up by:] My name's Manabu. And... [he starts to turn away, jutting his thumb in the direction he's going.]

Coffee's this way, if you're looking. [if that's what he was really looking for!

either way, his omen's going to linger at Perell's feet, sniffing at his shoes. where you been, stranger?]

[.... and he's left hanging.

Awkward.

Perell glanced down at the Omen sniffing at his comfortable soft leather shoes and carefully stepped around the creature before following. He didn't know what proper etiquette regarding Omens were. His own, a spectral koi, swam around at the ceiling and watched them from above with a demeanor redolent of leaves bobbing in a stream.

The only scents that the Omen would pick up were the various shops, the library, the interior of the Forever Tent... and the overlay of salt that accompanied everyone who had spent recent days at sea.]

Uh. Thanks, Manabu.

[He called, following as briskly as he could manage with being sore.]

...I was just trying to find a way to get supplies into the tent without catching Billie's interest. He'd make it a grand game of some kind if he knew I was trying to find a way to make it myself.

[That is, if he didn't decide to tease Perell by making whatever he came up with taste like coffee despite not being coffee.]

You sure he's in there? [Manabu walks around the kitchen table and rolls up on his toes so he can reach the cupboard above the sink.] He's gotten partial with my dresser upstairs, unfortunately...

[Perell stayed back, watching and quietly respecting his status as Newbie in the House.]

Honestly, he could be anywhere. He likes to sleep wherever he can snuggle up like a rabbit in its den. He likes to sleep in the breadbox, too.

Edited 2022-01-13 01:29 (UTC)

[Magnet's toenails click-clack on the floor as he strolls past Perell and over to where his and Eleanor's dishes are, unbothered by the chatter or the atmosphere it's taking place in.]

Then there's hope I can have my drawer back, huh... [he doesn't sound super hopeful, but it's a nice thought. he sets the bag of coffee beans and mug he's procured down on the counter before turning around, pointing at it as he gives Perell a questioning look.]

You know how to make it how you like it already?

[He shook his head.]

I told you, I don't know anything about coffee. They didn't sell it in the Principalities, and I didn't travel far until... recently.

[In a strange way, this was the furthest he had ever been from his home.]

Oh...

[beat.]

I...I can show you how, if you want. How it works around here, at least. There's no machines for it or anything, so it's kind of a process...

You mean... it's different from making tea?

[Not that he was a wizard at tea, but there were only so many things that could go wrong by putting dried leaves in warm water.]

Aa, yeah...You usually don't want the grounds in your dink. [otherwise wouldn't the texture make it less a drink and more like...a bad soup?]

[Or mud.

Perell did like mud! But, it didn't satisfy the stomach in the least.]

Sheesh.

[He made a face.]

I didn't realize it was that complicated!

[Manabu shakes his head.] I-it's not as hard as it sounds, really. There's a strainer to catch all that, like tea. You just gotta grind all the beans first. You wanna see?

[Already he was pulling out a notebook-- like any scientist, truly.]

Yeah-- please. I-if it's no bother!

[Maybe coffee would be a good hobby when he needed a break from plumbing the depths of the archives.]

[if it's a bother, it doesn't seem to show. Manabu's more at-ease talking technical about something he knows rather than making generic small-talk, so he waves him over and gets to it.

editor puts in a montage of whatever passes for coffee-making in Trench, because i sure as shit don't know it, i don't drink coffee, theater of the mind, etc etc etc.]

...That's...really all there is to it, in the end. [said while pushing the brew over in his direction on the counter.] Cleaning up grounds is kind of annoying, but beyond that, not bad, right?

[Montages within the theater of the mind are wonderful, but Perell is both inclined to use his hands and a terrible person to have in the kitchen. There likely is a mess on the counter, but the man (once recently a wizard) is happy enough with their accomplishment.]

No, not that bad at all!

[And, like a bird huddling up against something warm, Perell gladly took the cup to try some.]

It tastes really good, too. I can't believe they don't have this in the Principalities-- this really is something else.

I-it's weird how many places people are from that are familiar with it, even when some have no idea what it is... Kind of like baseball, or trains, or things like that. [he shrugs, turning back to the counter to wipe off stray grounds into the sink.]

But there's lots of places that have it here, so even if you don't wanna make it yourself, you can find somewhere in Willful Machine to trade for.

That's a relief.

[Truly, he was grateful for that tidbit of info.]

But, thanks for showing me, anyway. Maybe it'll get easier with practice.

[He was reaching for another wet rag to help. Michael seemed rather fastidious, and Perell didn't want to upset any of his new associates.]

Maybe, these little similarities are a part of something bigger-- like, on a cosmological scale, maybe our worlds aren't as separated as we had believed.

[he makes an agreeable sound.] I think that, too. Calling something a coincidence seems too easy...and fate's kind of weird anyway, right?

That's right.

[Perell smile, glad to see a young person understanding that kind of concept.]

I've spent a long time studying these kind of things, and one part I'm fairly sure if is that there are no coincidences. If one part moves, another follows-- even if we can't see its effects right then.

[it's kind of nice to hear that confirmed outside of his head - even if it's from someone he doesn't really know at all.

...look. he's old. old people are supposed to be wise, okay?!]

Mn! So maybe you'll find more familiar things here besides coffee and tea, right? [he hopes so. because if the guy thought finding coffee was in a dresser, hoo...]

[Age and wisdom did not necessarily go together-- and Perell might not be exactly the age that Manabu was expecting. However, he liked to think that he had learned a few things from the world, and he was more than glad to share them with others.

Even if he sometimes wanted to try his luck with Hidden In The Cabinet Coffee.]

That's what I'm hoping for. Even if we're all squid... coffee is a nice start to figuring th is place out.

[his eyes wince at the squid reminder. gee, thanks.

recovering quickly enough, shrugging:] We all still are, so we're in the same boat.

January Catch-All [Semi-Open]

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I'm so sorry for not replying sooner. Some bug got me and I only just recovered my tag mojo

no worries

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