aionlogs | (open) i'm steppin' out

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(open) i'm steppin' out

WHO: Ciel, Pleromas who have to deal with more Kenomas on their turf for a few days, various
WHAT: Foodventures ft. a girl who needs her fix, also general July catch-all
WHERE: Godsblood, Achamoth
WHEN: First half of/early Soviseri
WARNINGS: N/A

I. GODSBLOOD; MAY I OFFER YOU A~~N EGG~~ BITE IN THESE TRYING TIMES?
[It’s a nice day in Godsblood, and there is loud arguing coming from the central marketplace. Between two joints selling street food, to be exact.]

All your dingy little booth does is slather everything in sauce with no respect to the ingredients, just close shop and save yourself the embarrassment!”

[On one side, a brown-haired middle-aged woman in a worn and greasy apron, manning a stall that seems to specialize in grilled seafood behind her.]

Hah! You're one to talk, old hag! Your prices are highway robbery, and your seasoning is as bland as plain rice! The only way you make a profit is con customers who don’t know any better!

[On the other, a young man of average build on the thin side is starting to go a little red in the face, his stall seemingly specializing in skewers instead.]

Watch your mouth, you little whippersnapper! My husband and I have run this business for generations, inherited from my great-great-great grandmother! Our recipe isn’t just tradition, it’s history, we didn’t establish this by bootlicking our way through the culinary guild and begging for handouts to set up our own shop!

[Oh, this is getting heated… They’re staring to attract a crowd, not a sizable one but people are stopping by. The general sentiment seems to be of… entertainment, for better or worse; some locals are even snacking as they watch on?! They seem used to this, for better or worse…]

That is NOT what happened, I worked my butt off at the guild fair and square! You’re just jealous I was a better student – AND a better cook than your daughter, who doesn’t even WANT to take over your tasteless grilling anyway! You ever think about why she never comes around here when you’re “open”? You should’ve retired a decade ago!

[THAT earns a few gasps among the audience; dragging the daughter in? Oh my.]

Sir! Ma’am! Please, a moment!

[Interrupting them both to the surprise of everyone present, is a young woman with short dark blue hair certain Pleroma Aions may recognize. Especially those from the initial group of awakened, she did do a bad thing™ back inside the Suffer Caves and had a bad thing™ done to her in turn. There’s not the faintest hint of that now, she’s actively stepping in between them with a pacifying smile.]

I didn’t mean to start an argument, I apologize. But both your stalls just smelled so good, I’d honestly love to try out anything you would recommend! I wouldn’t mind everything too, to be completely honest, so would that be okay? Just let me know the price, I’ll be happy to pay and wait while you prepare!

[Oh… Business. Business means jools. That DOES seem to get the vendors’ attention, so they both move on to eyeing the girl with a different flavor of skepticism instead of glaring at each other like before.]

With all due respect, miss, you don’t look like much. I don’t mind making a bigger sale, but I can’t condone wasting food.

Our grilled squid is a Godsblood staple, ask anyone here! [The woman haughtily glances at the gathered spectators, who don’t seem bothered at all by the callout.] I can get you one of everything and prove to you QUALITY is why we’ve lasted so long, girlie, long as you tell this upstart exactly how my food tastes better.

—Huh?! You can’t do that, that’s NOT how it works! Miss, you have to judge by yourself, there’s no way I’d lose to sensible tastebuds! [The man looks to be a mixture of indignant and flustered, gesturing at his client who is somehow still managing to keep her smile through it all.]

Ahaha. I’m no gourmet, but I can tell you if I think it’s tasty or not. If you’d like feedback, I’ll do my best! How much will one of everything be?

[The talk of payment once again appears to effectively deescalate the situation further, and it’s at that moment that the girl turns her gaze towards you, a Pleroma Aion. Were you passing by? Or have you been watching for a while? It makes no difference: she’s addressing YOU in particular, holding out a hand invitingly towards your specific direction as she makes her offer loud and clear.]

Can I get that person over there to help me taste-test and eat everything too? I promise we won’t let any food go to waste, it’s fairer to have more than one person judge anyway. How about it? I already said I’d pay, so you don’t have to worry about how much it costs. Will you please help us out?

[That prompts some murmurs of interest and agreement among the audience, it’s indeed a fair and open proposition. Tier 1 Pleromas, don’t think too hard about how you were singled out specifically when it could have been anyone else. As for tier 2, figures that someone on the same level from the Kenoma side would have been able to spot you out, as the reverse is equally true. The woman whose dark energies also reflect the Martyr’s Legacy is still smiling warmly and waiting patiently. Well? It’s free food, and everyone’s attention is already on them both. Come on?]

II. GODSBLOOD; SNACKS DON’T SUBSTITUTE FOR PROPER MEALS
[The food stall vendors didn’t get to find out the hard way, but local restaurants sure will! Over the next few days, a head of blue will be dropping by various restaurants in town during lunch or dinner doing the following:

A. Inquiring about their dish with the biggest kick,
B. Clapping her hands together reverently in front of enough food for two~three people, yet is by herself at the table,
C. Looking various degrees of satisfied depending on how good the food was, with an empty stack of several plates in front of her.

Fattydingdong… Approach? She’s quite open to recommendations, there may or may not be mild rumors brewing of some random girl not from around suddenly showing up and eating her way across Godsblood. It seems funny and harmless, plus it does fuel local businesses, so the citizens are largely fine with writing her off as some eccentric too willing to spend jool on food than most others. This Kenoma definitely isn’t here on official business or trying particularly hard to lay low. After all, she’s here for her own reason:]

III. GODSBLOOD; Y’ALL GOT ANY MORE OF THAT… SPICE?
[And no, NOT the one as defined by Urban Dictionary. To anyone observant who is familiar with a certain spice stand in Godsblood, they may be able to note that a blue-haired woman is often found in the general vicinity of that specific Pleroma funding point. She makes sure to never be in sight of the seller, so it may not be obvious right away, but she doesn’t stray far, occasionally glancing towards the spice stall’s general direction in a not-so-subtle way. These are still all public areas, though. Let her be weird on her own, or confront?

Don’t mind her sometimes making light and quiet conversation difficult to eavesdrop with local children, too. She may also be caught slipping a young boy or girl of elementary age a piece of paper and a small pouch, closer to an alleyway a bit more isolated from the main streets where the bulk of the foot traffic is. Nothing suspicious; move along?]

IV. ACHAMOTH; PRIORITIES
[One day during Soviseri, an unusual smell is wafting from the kitchen. Any Kenomie in its general vicinity may be able to catch the scent of something pungent and savory, those familiar with the dish may also recognize it right away for what it plainly is: curry. Even if they don’t, it’s not something the citadel’s kitchen staff normally makes, and if they do choose to look into it, they will effectively find Ciel by herself in front of a large iron pot at the stove.

Holding in one hand a ladle with a yellow/brown-ish sauce coating over chunks of meat, vegetables, and potatoes, she looks like she’s blissfully floating on cloud nine and completely phased out of touch with reality.

This is understandably at least a little weird, so feel free to 180 right back out into the hallway. Unless…?]

V. WILDCARD
[Godsblood, Achamoth, maybe elsewhere, Pleromies or Kenomies, if you’d like something different or a closed starter, hit me up via PM or in the game Discord! o/]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ M-maybe it's better to leave it at that. He's not sure if he wants to know, now that he takes a moment to think about it.

Hm, alright. With how much information about him that gets spread around, he's suspicious about an angle potentially being at play here. Or could it be that she's really in the dark? But this is Ciel, and should she not hear it from him, she'll find a way to hear it from someone else. ]

I don't know how much you actually know and if this is just a ploy to hear it from me, but...

[ He trails off, hesitation brief before he carries on while weariness sits heavy on his shoulders. ]

I was outed as an Aion. Specifically, a Kenoma Aion.

Isn't it better to hear it from you? That would minimize misunderstandings, messages also get twisted if the game of telephone goes on for too long.

[She states calmly while continuing to sport a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. Whether she already knows or not is truly trivial, for it does not change what happened and has no bearing over how Dokja himself may choose to handle his own situation.

...]

You got into trouble with Minegishi again.

[It's not an accusation, but a plain (and objective) statement. The obvious said out loud, she crosses her arms over her chest and adopts a more serious expression.]

What kind of outcome are you hoping for, Dokja?

[ Minegishi? That must be the rest of Gen's name.

He falls silent at her statement and the quiet stretches on even after she's asked her question. Isn't it obvious? His gaze seems to ask. There's really only one direction this unfolding story is heading into.

And they both know it.

So he allows the silence, the tired look in his eyes, to answer for him. ]

[The silence settles, and they are left to simply stare at each other. Brown into blue, neither flinching or giving any ground.

...]

[And then, stepping into his personal space and bending her torso forward slightly with a hand resting at her hip, she raises her other arm to flick her index finger smack onto the middle of his forehead.

It doesn't hurt at all, there's about as much force as there may be from getting pelted by a lightly tossed pingpong ball. But it sure is a thing that's happened, whether or not he sees it coming.

She doesn't say anything. There's just the forehead flick, and a very disapproving frown. What's there even to say, after the look he just gave her? He can't fault her for this treatment as a result, now can he?]

[ Hello??

He's not sure what to expect when she steps forward and raises her arm, but he doesn't think to block her until it's too late and he gets a flick to his forehead. It feels like the barest of touches, but even so, he immediately lifts a hand to rub at the spot. ]

Why did you do that?

[ He knows why, but still. ]

Why do you think?

[She's got both hands hooked at her hips, now. She already had to deal with Abel's obnoxious ass on her Godsblood excursion, she's well warmed up to stupid games and their stupid prizes by now. Does Dokja really want to do a round of rhetorical questions? Then two can play at that!]

[ A stupid prize is still a prize.

There's a delay in his reaction, still too baffled by the assault to his forehead to respond in a timely manner. Like he hadn't just quietly admitted to wanting to Die. ]

I didn't do anything.

[ He says like a petulant child. ]

Is that what you told yourself too, after getting declared a Kenoma Aion by Minegishi?

[She leans closer again with a deepening scowl, the very picture of a ~~mother~~ figure of authority chastising a lil shit who knows they done hecked up. DOKJA...]

[ A-ah...

He quickly looks away, unable to meet her gaze. No, that's not what he had told himself. He had definitely fucked up then, and had expected to rightfully hear an earful about how absolutely stupid he'd been, but...

What the hell? All he'd gotten was concern. Completely devastating and undeserved concern. ]

No. That... that was my fault.

[That admission does get a lightly raised eyebrow out of her. So he admits it, for what it's worth.

And yet, she can see it all too clearly in her mind's eye. It's the same compulsion that had him put himself in front of her back in that cave, isn't it? Or something very similar, she thinks. He just can't help himself, but he's also pushed forth by his own shameless agenda. Is there really only one way this can end...?

Pulling back to stand straight, she heaves a sigh. Not much point grilling him further, he's already even more miserable than he normally is.]

What are you going to do now?

[ Great question. Dokja's been mulling over the same for quite some time now. ]

I'll leave Godsblood. It isn't safe for the others if they're seen around me.

[ Does he have a destination in mind? Not really, but he's been given some helpful suggestions. ]

[it's tempting, pressing him harder with "what next". Or ask him where, but Ciel isn't so deaf to their circumstances to indulge in such ridiculous questions out loud. They're still enemies, that she's taken some vested interest in a Pleroma doesn't change where they fundamentally stand across the sect divide. She's not that indiscreet anyway, she knows how to be a decent human being unlike some people.]

You do need to get out more, someone like you clearly doesn't get enough sun. I was planning to take you outside, but since you can't be seen around Godsblood...

[Crossing her arms, she tilts her head slighting with a pensive look.]

What about wearing a disguise? Leaving the city entirely may be a little extreme, you already have a place here too. [A beat.] Are you renting?

[ It does sound extreme, doesn't it? But Dokja doesn't do well when crowds of eyes are drawn to him. His plain features occasionally help, as do the mask and hood, but the uncomfortable feeling of being watched remains ever-present as his own mind betrays and plays tricks on him.

He can't do this again. Not when he's without a wall to protect him. ]

I am. From someone who's away for now, but once they get back, they'll probably want me to leave.

[ Which honestly works for him. ]

[Not humoring her over the other points, huh? Then again, he IS a downer.]

So much for "making do with what you have", hm.

[...]

Did you like Godsblood?

[ Okay, he's never really stopped to think about that... He'd picked Godsblood because he didn't have any interest in teaming up with the resistance over at Greentruth, so. ]

It's fine.

[ It's a place to stay. ]

I'm not attached to it or anything.

I see.

[So, no.

Nodding to herself, she moves away from him and begins surveying his cope cave. Not just turning around and looking, but actively walking to and fro to check the entire place out, almost as if canvasing it. It doesn't take her long to stop in front of the closet doors. She's got a hand on the handle before he can protest, but does turn around to look at him before she yanks it open:]

May I open this?

[She's not a COMPLETE savage, after all.]

[ ??? It's just his closet?? Filled with clothes?

He supposes he has his sword tucked away in there, but it's not like he's expecting her to reach in there and grab it to stab him with. And if she does, then okay. ]

Sure?

[ It comes out sounding like a question because he's confused. Maybe she's just really into scoping out places. ]

Excuse me.

[Nodding at his permission, she opens it and looks down. Is this lowkey pitiful closet filled with more or less generic clothing (ft. a sword somewhere) clean on the ground level? No pile of stuff obstructing the floor, and has enough space that someone could feasibly sit inside? Checking for (portal making) reasons,]

...

[ It's relatively organized inside! ... Mostly because Dokja doesn't change all that much since he's stuck in this room wearing the same clothes, and whatever he does need to change into is already out, draped over his chair or tossed on his bed somewhere.

Yeah, the closet doesn't really see much action. ]

... Did you need something?

[Okay, so you CAN cram a portal in here. It's a little... How to say it... Crass? Basing it inside his closet? But it's pretty inconspicuous and easy to keep out of sight, so it should be a good enough space to put down a working one. Not that Ciel can imagine many people would want to swing by Dokja's dank depression den anyway, but eh.]

Yes, actually. Something to make a circle with. Do you have strips of cloth you're not using, maybe?

[While saying that, she materializes a Black Key in her hand. It's the same kind of sword he saw her use in Venera, except the handle this time is dark red and doesn't feel ominous in the least. Holding it downward, she casually

stabs the floor of the closet in his direct line of sight, while still looking at him questioningly as she's waiting for an answer to her question. Well, does he have something to fashion a nice lil circle with?]

[ OKAY? Bye, security deposit. That's not gonna buff out.

There's so much happening all at once that it's taking a moment for Dokja to process everything. The request, the sword suddenly in her hand, the FLOOR? What the fuck. ]

Ciel... Why did you stab my floor?

[ Please elaborate on that first because he's just standing there, still by the kitchen, with the most dumbfounded look on his face. ]

[just ask your mommy to cover for you it's fine? it's fine,]

I need to reach the ground beneath the floor tiles. This can't be done without contact with the natural earth.

[Simply, plainly, seriously. What? Why is he making that face? 🤔]

[ Imagine Dokja asking anyone for anything...

It's so weird how he gets an answer to his question but that it doesn't answer anything at all. Is this what his companions had felt when Dokja had done everything on his own without explaining a single thing? Because he's realizing it's not great.

... While also realizing he's probably not going to get a straight answer out of Ciel. ]

Right... [ Tired acceptance. ] I guess any of the clothes in there work if you want to use them for a circle.

[ He'll be making his way over now to get a better look at what she's up to. ]

[Who knew a Kenomie on the opposing sect is what it takes to give him a taste of his own ~~bullshit~~ medicine... Ciel actually has no idea, but she admittedly wouldn't apologize either if she knew.]

You don't have a favorite or important shirt in here? [Is she joking or serious. It is a mystery.] Okay.

[Random shirts it is! She'll set aside two that look plain, and Dokja will be moseying over just in time to watch her pull up the sword buried in earth and bring it to her neck--

--so that she may casually cut off a small chunk of her hair, that's all. In front of her is a displaced (but NOT damaged on the surface!) floor tile showing earth underneath, she's getting everything ready. What does it look like to him? :|a]

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