[ Semi-Open] In a sad way, darling, it's fate!

[gentilitea]

Who: Jakob & You!/Various
Where: Various
When: May 11–13
What: Catchall; Jakob copes with the loss of yet another master and fails to adjust accordingly.
Warnings: Jakob.

i. Cat Café: Calico
Any visitors to the Cat Café: Calico during Jakob’s shifts will be met with a somewhat frosty reception:

“Good afternoon. It appears that I have the pleasure of serving you today.” Not that he looks altogether pleased about it, but he’s keeping it cool and polite and professional, even for his own acquaintances and not!friends. Better to hide all those complicated emotions behind that veneer of professionalism, right?

But, after handing over the café’s menu, he adds, “May I take your order?”

ii. The Sakura Park
It’s hard to resist taking a shortcut through here—albeit a hasty one—every time he returns to his temple after a grocery run. While he’s well-aware of the dangers the flowers pose, so long as he can skirt the area where the flowers are the thickest, he feels confident that he can admire the scenery without compromising his own safety too much.

It appears too that he’s not the only one with the same idea. He takes one look at the person walking nearby before coolly turning away.

“Hmph. Out for a pleasant stroll, are we?”

iii. The Near Shore
At times the rigors of life in the Far Shore prove too much to bear, and he takes comfort in walking among the mortals and observing their own petty little problems. It sort of puts his own problems into perspective, and he might even pass by a store selling some quality tea leaves or some unique ingredients for the meals he prepares his new god.

After all, there’s no reason to shirk on his new master now, is there?

So Jakob’s strolling about, keeping to the more busy areas, such as the commercial districts or any schools at the hour of the final bell, watching people go about their daily lives and enjoying his own solitude in the midst of it—at least, until he notices someone not quite mortal enter his line of sight.

Are you here to perform some prayer? To play tricks on the mortals, maybe? Or perhaps there are rumors of ayakashi lurking about in the area?

Whichever the case, Jakob is quite blissfully unaware of the particulars, and only offers you a wry smile. “And here I thought I might spend my leisure hours with some peace.”

[ OOC: Action tags are fine! Also, all prompts on this post are open. Stuff I got planned with CR have their own threads below. ]

Comments

[ Closed to Roxas/Artemis ]

[gentilitea]

It’s hard not to feel nostalgic as he enters the moonlit glade, similar as it is to the former Chang’e’s temple. But though he is here to find some measure of peace for himself he does not care to intrude upon this Lord Roxas, who is no doubt still coping with the loss of his clone.

At least, Jakob imagines as much. And he’s brought some desserts, of course, the chief of those being a homemade strawberry shortcake, heaving with late-season strawberries heaped upon fluffy clouds of whipped cream, placed in an otherwise austere cream-colored box with a bow on top. He presents this confection to Roxas with a bow.

“Milord, it is good to see that you are well.”

[missingache]

Jakob could not be more wrong in Roxas being sad about the other leaving. It was almost a relief. So seeing Jakob here was confusing, as was being handed a box. Seeing as Add was a god according to the BBS was this poor guy his shink Okay, try not to feel sorry for Jakob... He takes the box and nods.

"I'm on vacation so I've been getting lots of rest... Uhm... Do you want to come in? I'd have to get you a pendant real fast."

[gentilitea]

“Oh, but I mustn’t impose…” It’s okay—Jakob’s sorry enough for the both of them. But then he can’t feel that way for long, when already Roxas is showing a great deal more hospitality than Add on his first day as a god. You will go far, Lord Roxas…

“However, I would like to have a word with you, if it is not too much trouble, Milord.” And he would want Roxas to be nice and comfortable as he delivers both his thanks and his condolences, however unnecessary those might be.

[missingache]

"I don't mind." Roxas walks inside and a few moments later comes out and hands Jakob a pendant shaped like a deer. "As long as you wear it, you can come inside."

And he's going to motion for Jakob to follow him in now. He can make them some tea to go to with the cake. "So what do you want to talk about?"

[gentilitea]

For a moment Jakob’s looking a little teary-eyed as he accepts that pendant, though he manages to compose himself as they make their way inside the temple, and look properly dignified when Roxas finally prompts him.

With that pendant still cradled in his hands, he replies, “Why, my Lord Roxas, of course.” Although he’ll need to be a lot more specific than that—“That is, I came here to thank you. For your part in…” Cringing, “the incident.”

Add will never be an easy subject to talk about.

The Sakura Park

[oathkeeper]

[Sora is returning from his own shopping trip when he runs into Jakob. He's got a giant bag of cat toys, treats, ribbons and more for a certain new guest he has at his home.

...May, Ludger's cat. Once a part of the Chang'e household.]

Jakob?

[He hasn't met the shinki aside from brief talks on the BBS before.]

Yeah, pleasant stroll. How are you?

[gentilitea]

[ He never did figure out where May had gone… ]

Do I know you? [ But a quick glance does get him to shift gears a little. There’s a bit of family resemblance there, after all—like that guileless look in his eyes and those horrid inclinations towards…friendship.

Cue the smile. Never ever trust that smile. ]

Oh, my apologies then. You are the young troublemaker on the BBS, if I’m not mistaken.

[oathkeeper]

[W-Wow. He's still a troublemaker................... Jakob, please. He's a nice boy.

He's smiles right back, a sweet genuine smile. Guess he'll just keep trying to convince Jakob otherwise of this troublemaker title.]

Yeah, I guess that's me? But I really wasn't trying to make any trouble, you know.

[gentilitea]

[ Oh no, that smile. It almost makes him melt and feel all sappy and gooey inside and he has to drop his own smile and give Sora a very hard look for it.

You’re not going to win him over that easily, Mr. Disney Anime Hero. ]

Of course not. Foolish young men like you must eventually learn… [ At least it’s an improvement? ]

Kitty Cafe

[noli_oblivisci]

Psyche wasn't used to being seen. Baristas were more likely to notice the cat that currently sat on her lap (a certain fluffy grey somali, which purred and flicked his tail this way and that as she stroked it ears) before then. As such, she blinked as she was addressed, before a smile crossed her face.

"Oh-hey. It's been a while."

However, as she took in the rest of Jakob's demeanor, her smile gave way to a pause. It seemed...cooler than usual. But maybe it was just because he was working right now?

After a beat, she took the menu from him and replied, "Um, I guess I was mostly looking at the earl grey milk tea. Still trying to decide if I can afford to swing some cake."

As long as said cake wasn't mousse.

[gentilitea]

In some weird way he actually felt the urge to apologize to her for acting like himself—but he’s quick to squash that feeling down as she took the menu off of his hands. It wouldn’t do for him to get all nice and sappy now when he needed to keep up appearances in light of recent tragedies, after all.

“A fine choice, Psyche.” There. Acknowledgement. He even tried to smile a little, although it didn’t help that he was glancing toward the cat than making any eye contact with her. “You might enjoy it paired with our lavender-infused cupcakes, or perhaps with a chocolate tart.”

[noli_oblivisci]

Though Jakob wasn't staring at her, Psyche was staring at him. She glanced between him and Snuffles (the somali opened a lazy, critical eye - as though remembering which person had tromped on his tail in the past - and then turned to groom himself) before replying,

"Both sound really good, actually. Do you have a recommendation?"

As she talked, she continued to watch Jakob's face carefully.

[gentilitea]

Ugh, Snuffles was looking way too comfy for Jakob’s liking, although ultimately the cat didn’t bother him as much—today, at any rate. Somalis were not quite the puffy Siamese-ish Himalayan-ish species of whatever that had been the pet cat of his fellow shinki, now currently disappeared but still lingering in Jakob’s thoughts.

Absently, he replied, “It depends on your…” Was the cat giving him the stink-eye? It was, wasn’t it? With a huff, Jakob finally managed some eye contact with her. “Well, on your mood, really. The tart will no doubt be heavier, but both go quite excellently with Earl Grey nevertheless.”

III

[shockshot]

"Huh?"

Masaki hadn't been looking for groceries, or to go to work for once; she had been looking at the high school. She wasn't very interested in the students. Another time, she might have been, and felt the sting of loneliness, of a life she might have had once.

But no, she had heard that one of the high schools had been subject to a weird jello ayakashi. She'd been mostly watching, curious as to how it all went down, when Jakob's voice tipped her out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, am I in the way?"

She was getting used to people kind of moving around her on the Near Shore, like a stone in water. Still, seeing someone of the Far Shore like herself, she offered him a smile, and a shrug.

"I didn't mean to do that. Or did you...want some help with something...?"

[gentilitea]

“In a manner of speaking, yes.” He wasn’t the friendliest of shinki—and even way back when he’d had to play substitute teacher at the high school he’d done a lot more to traumatize the students and get himself horribly injured than not.

Education had been fun.

“Though I suppose you must be here on duty, perhaps. Or…” He thought for a moment. “Hmph. Yes. You would be at that age where you’d need to attend this facility, would you not?”

[shockshot]

Not the friendliest in the least. But she really couldn't picture him as a teacher; he looked a little too stiff for that. Then again...she didn't know about brittle teachers.

Mostly. Education. What a trip.

"Need...I guess so? I haven't really talked to my god about taking classes. How could I when there might not be any seats or...a way to have my work checked?"

She would be forgotten more likely then not she thought. No way to get decent help either, when it came to tutors, unless there were shinki or gods willing to correct and teach.

"But yeah. I would be around that age, I think."

[gentilitea]

“Would such things really matter?” He’d read up on the Japanese educational system a while back, thanks to the former god Athena. “Those…grades and the like. Surely the best way to gauge your own skills would be to see them in practice.”

He didn’t exactly come from a world where schools were a thing, after all. Tutors, maybe, and apprenticeships, but schools? He could see a few scholars and mages gathering together to found their own obscure academies here and there, but if kids wanted to learn some proper life skills that didn’t involve magic or civil administration, well…

The very concept of the educational system today was, at least, still somewhat alien to him.

[ Closed to Raichi ]

[gentilitea]

Once pleasantries with Roxas were duly exchange, Jakob had begged leave to personally give his thanks to their other savior that fateful day. Sure, he’d been invited to partake of some ice cream afterward, but that had been Data-Roxas’s idea of thanks, and not his.

And despite having a new god to serve under Jakob is not one to simply neglect his duties to his former liege. So off he goes searching in and about the grounds of Artemis’s temple, that deer pendant of his allowing him easy access around the area. He holds a simple beribboned box in hand, containing what appears to be the inverse of his gift to Roxas—a red velvet cake, expertly dolled up in a thick layer of cream cheese frosting.

“You there!” he calls out once he spots Raichi. “Might I have a word?”

crashes in here

[battered]

Raichi doesn't really make a habit out of sticking around the temple itself, but the grounds are nice, expansive enough, and honestly a good place to kill a ton of time doing some busy work. When Jakob manages to come across him, he's keeping himself occupied with hauling some larger fallen branches into a pile. A task assigned by his god, or just something to do to burn up restless energy? Who knows?

When he's called out to, he looks pretty startled, like he didn't even hear Jakob approaching. But, if it's someone who's safely on the grounds, then it's probably someone who's supposed to be here, and therefore not a huge cause for concern, he figures. He then takes a second to look to the left, then right, and then... points slightly to himself, clearly baffled. 'You mean me?', the gesture seems to say.

[gentilitea]

“Why, of course I mean you,” he calls out cheerfully. Yeah. It u all right. “That X-shaped scar is quite distinctive, after all.” And he’d be a real dick to forget the person who’d helped the one he’s genuinely nice to.

Although, in Raichi’s case, he doesn’t mind dropping his guard a little. The kid’s probably seen his embarrassingly puffy and tear-stained face at the time… This may or may not be a bribe to shut him up too

“Young master Raichi, is it? Do not be alarmed. It will only take a moment; I promise you that.”

[battered]

What better bribe is there than food honestly

"Ah, yeah, it's Raichi!" You got it! But oh boy does that 'young master' bit feel really, really out of place. Does he approach that topic and tell him that it's super weird? That sounds difficult. Better live with how weird and uncomfortable it is forever. "Kahaha!" Yeah, that'll do.

"What is it?"

Something to do with that box, maybe?

[ Closed to Ruri/Omoikane ]

[gentilitea]

Grocery shopping is suddenly a much more vital proposition with the near-maddening revelation that his raging asshole of a god is, in fact, capable of making friends. Very loud, boisterous friends.

He may or may not in fact be stalling for time by taking a more circuitous route to his god’s abode, with his arms laden with bags of baking supplies. And maybe it’s the sting of having met said “friend” that he’s even bothered to stop by Omoikane’s temple, watching with some interest at the cleaning that is clearly going on in the premises.

Shaking his head, he ventures some very unsolicited feedback on Ruri’s efforts: “How disgraceful.”

[hontobakabaka]

Ruri peers at the pile of books she has removed, there wasn't much organization to it, and it was turning less and less from an ordered scattering of texts on theology, alchemy, scientology, magic and other things she found to be absurdly stupid and more into a pile that she had to get on a step ladder to put things on top of it. Hypothetically, if she ever designated a room the "garage" of her temple, all of these would be stored in boxes marked "idiot books" but clearly she wasn't that far yet.

"Indeed. There were 48 books on how to make tea and not a single one could produce anything but tepid leaf drippings. Once I get all of the stupid ones isolated, I can get to boxing and storing them somewhere. I guess along the outer walls to help with heating and cooling. Do you want some tea? I made some the right way."

With that she points to a kettle resting on a nearby hot plate, sitting on a step into the temple.

[gentilitea]

His expression goes from irritated to baffled when she doesn’t react as expected—even outright offering him hospitality on top of it all. He has to force that mounting sense of guilt down in favor of zeroing in on her chatter about tea—and indeed, upon a quick inspection of the books she’d set out for storage, he can’t help but agree.

“I…” Congrats on taking him by surprise, Ruri. “I suppose…the aroma of it is…” Groping for a word, “satisfactory. But I don’t believe I have made your acquaintance, Milady…?”

[hontobakabaka]

Ruri climbs off her ladder and bows politely, "I'm Ruri. Hoshino Ruri. Currently I am filling in for the god Omoikane, though I think that may just be because they didn't want to organize their books."

With that she walks over and pours a cup of tea before offering it, "Here. You would think god of knowledge meant only god of good knowledge, not all knowledge so, I have some organizing work I am doing that I have to do on my own. It wouldn't be right to ask spirits to go through everything and find just what is completely idiotic."