051.3 Coda

[Corwin]

[20:18] <Kotono> It is a windswept, sunny winter day in Balmuria. Whimsical Sweets is open as everyone trickles, heading upstairs. Josa awaits as everyone from Arachiel to Veserya gets comfortable, pacing back and forth. "Ah, excellent! Excellent indeed," Josa greets, "Welcome one and welcome all! I have an announcement!"
[20:19] <Kotono> "Like sure," Yuria chirps, going to take a seat near the fire.
[20:20] <Veserya> "Do tell?" Veserya invites amiably, claiming one of the table seats for herself and turning it to face Josa as she makes herself comfortable.
[20:20] <Arachiel> "I do too! You first!" Arachiel says.
[20:20] * Aaeru looks quite curious as to what said announcements might be!
[20:20] * Whurric waits quietly for Josa's announcement.
[20:23] <Kotono> "Circumstances conspire to draw me away from Balmuria for a time," Josa grandly announces, gesturing wide, "For the fair hand of Lady Tymora has blessed me with her ever bountiful and yet elusive fortunes; I have received an offer to further train my candymancy arts under a true patron and sire of the fine culinary arts, one that gives me an amazing chance to advance the fair craft of candymancy
[20:23] <Kotono> to new and unseen limits; these limits will allow me to shatter all previous bounds and achieve transcendant works and even spur an apothesis of candymaking!"
[20:23] <Kotono> "Uh huh," Yuria nods along, "So, like, you're going to take a vacation or something?"
[20:24] <Veserya> "Oh, how delightful!" Veserya claps her hands. "I do hope you'll have fun and come back to us with exciting stories to tell. How long do you expect your apprenticeship to last?"
[20:25] * Arachiel blinks. "You're leaving too?"
[20:25] <Kotono> "You too?" Neveril shoots a look at Arachiel at that.
[20:25] <Kotono> "Congratulations," Marianne nods, "A feather in your cap, as it were."
[20:26] * Aaeru blinks. "But hey, I thought Josa was, like, the only Candymancer."
[20:26] * Arachiel nods. "I got a message from my old bosses! They need me to head out and look for someone they want defeated! He looks pretty evil, so it's prpobably really important!"
[20:26] <Kotono> "Of that I am not certain," Josa confesses, "It is in Pallanth, so in human reckonings it may be some time. Ah, nonsense! Do you remember that gorgeous cotton candy robe I wear on occasion? My teacher gifted it to me!"
[20:27] <Aaeru> "I honestly don't!" Aaeru responds, although that might be due to a conscious effort on her part to forget.
[20:28] * Veserya is an elf! She doesn't know much about human reckonings but with Josa unwilling to commit to any figure at all she's left sadly stumped and unsure how to respond, so she instead focuses on Arachiel. "It sounds like we have a new quest, then? Or... are you going to do this alone as well?"
[20:28] <Kotono> "Hm." Lyris gives Arachiel a look at that, "You're like a child. There's no way you're going alone."
[20:29] <Kotono> Josa snaps his fingers, "I'll have to show you one! Hold on!" Josa scurries downstairs and away in the meanwhile!
[20:29] <Arachiel> "Well, they didn't say I had to do it alone...I don't think. It was raining. That storm the other night, remember?"
[20:30] <Aaeru> "So wait, are you leaving too?" Aaeru asks Silver.
[20:30] <Arachiel> "Anyway, I have to find some Balphus guy and stop him from doing whatever it is he's doing. He's a bad guy!"
[20:31] <Kotono> Silver makes a mighty fey shrug, "I'm stuck with fatass, like the way pastry crumbs are stuck in his folds."
[20:31] <Aaeru> "So, like, I wanted to tell you before you go! I found out why you're so nasty all the time!"
[20:32] <Kotono> "So like...if Josa's going off, and if Arachiel's going off and other people go with her, is the group totally breaking up?" Yuria says, glancing over at Whurric.
[20:32] * Whurric frowns. "I'm not sure...are we?" he asks of the others who hadn't mentioned leaving so far. "At the very least, I'm not skilled in making candy for that part of the business..."
[20:32] <Arachiel> "Not forever! I'll be back, I hope!"
[20:32] <Kotono> "So did I!" Silver says, the picture of sweetness, "His date with Ms Palms was a smashing success last night, he kept dating her and dating her."
[20:33] <Veserya> "Silver, really," Veserya gives the fairy a chastising look, her tone sweetly disapproving. "Nobody has any need to hear of what Josa does in the privacy of his own home."
[20:34] <Kotono> "It truly is horrible," Silver shudders, "Which is why you should sacrifice greatly for the sake of everyone and Pallanth and...date him." Silver shudders again, going and taking a glass of water and scrubbing herself clean.
[20:34] <Aaeru> "So anyways," Aaeru proceeds, ignoring Silver's pretend sweetness. "Turns out you were, like, this really strong Unseelie fey and then you got reincarnated and it got messed up and really messed with your head and now it's how you are. I'll do my best to figure out how to fix you while you're gone, I promise!"
[20:35] * Veserya blinks and looks between Aaeru and Silver, trying to reconcile the image with the words.
[20:36] <Arachiel> "Really?" Arachiel asks, looking at Silver.
[20:36] <Kotono> Midwash Silver looks up and shrugs, "Really?"
[20:36] <Kotono> "Really?" Marianne adds as well, Lyris echoing her.
[20:36] <Aaeru> "Really," Aaeru asserts. "You used to, like, have a horse and everything! A ghost horse!"
[20:36] * Aaeru shrugs. "Now you just fly around. I think it's probably more fun?"
[20:36] <Whurric> "...I can't picture it," Whurric says with a shake of his head, looking from Aaeru to Silver then back to Aaeru.
[20:37] <Kotono> "I couldn't picture myself as a mountain sized instrument of destruction at first, either," Marianne says, giving Silver a critical look, "If that's true, I find this to be...queer." With a distinct frown, "Is Veserya a succubus reincarnation, Whurric a forgotten dragon?"
[20:38] <Aaeru> "I only checked about Silver because I was, like, totally worried about her." Aaeru shrugs again. "I could look into the rest of us some time!"
[20:38] * Arachiel falls out of her chair and scrambles across the room. "Succubus!?"
[20:39] <Kotono> "Ahem!" Josa's voice carries from downstairs, as he rises up seconds later! He wears a yellow-cake colored outfit, silk strawberries stitched in all over without any pattern. He wears a two foot tall hat, looking like a whipped cream topping to his strawberry short cake. "As I was saying, I have been gifted many nique outfits befitting a candymancer."
[20:39] * Arachiel completely stops and stares at Josa.
[20:39] <Kotono> "Like, what's wrong with a succubus?!" Yuria gives Arachiel an extremely evil eye, "They sound totally fun, aside from sucking your soul out through your butt!"
[20:39] <Veserya> "I'm quite familiar with my heritage, thank you," Veserya retorts, drawing herself up. "There are no fiends either physically or metaphysi... cally..." she trails off as Josa reappears, quickly putting on her perky facade hopefully before anyone notices. "Oh, you look entirely dashing in it, dear!"
[20:40] <Kotono> Marianne starts to say something and just stares.
[20:40] * Aaeru winces, and awkwardly pats Silver on her shoulder as lightly as she can. "It will be scary but try to hold on! Just think about how I'll save you one day!"
[20:40] <Kotono> Lyris blink-blinks, twitching twice, before dissolving into gales of laughter! She falls back against the wall, holding her side and pointing at Josa.
[20:41] <Whurric> "I have no words..." Whurric mutters as he looks away from the candymancer.
[20:42] <Arachiel> "Josa...I haven't worn clothes for very long, so I don't really know fashion all that well. At the same time, I'm really going to suggest you not wear that in public." Arachiel says, as diplomatically as possible.
[20:42] <Arachiel> "Ever."
[20:42] <Kotono> "Ah Josa," Shaking her head and sighing, "Well, whatever. You know, if you really want to save me..." With a smile, "Josa could have an accident with a knife or a spoon or even just a dull stick going through his eye. Or he could fall asleep in the bathtub or accidentally light himself on fire, or..."
[20:43] <Aaeru> "I kinda want to save you without murdering people."
[20:43] <Kotono> Josa crosses his arms and blushes red as a strawberry! "Nonsense! It is absolutely dashing, as said. In fact, I have taken the liberty to use a small portion of our earnings to commission matching ones for everyone here! A gift from me, something for you to wear proudly and often!"
[20:43] * Aaeru raises her hand. "I quit!"
[20:43] <Kotono> "Boooring," Silver rolls her eyes, "Why try when a few casual murders will solve something?"
[20:44] <Aaeru> "I'll just tell myself you can't help being born, you know, wrong. Whenever you talk."
[20:44] <Kotono> "Aaeru!" Neveril stares with a slack jaw at Josa first, then at Aaeru, "It's not that bad...we just won't wear it, that's all."
[20:44] <Kotono> After a moment and a steely glare at Josa, "Ever."
[20:45] <Aaeru> "My religion so totally forbids me from owning that!" Aaeru insists, taking Neve's hands. "I swear! Please believe me!"
[20:46] <Kotono> "Well then, in Aaeru's case I'll just give the extra to Veserya, since she appreciates fine candymancy fashion," Josa declares, "'twould be boorish of me to ignore your religion."
[20:46] <Whurric> "...hey, Aaeru. Do your orphans need clothing? I'd be -happy- to donate Josa's...'gift' to a good cause."
[20:46] <Aaeru> "Why do you hate the orphans?!"
[20:47] <Kotono> "Why don't you?" Silver asks Aaeru back, giving her a level look.
[20:47] <Whurric> "I don't, but better they hate me and have clothes on their back, than have the clothes on my back, and them shiverin' in the cold! It's a fair trade!" the former dwarf insists.
[20:47] <Veserya> "Now, now," Veserya tries to intercede as peacemaker, "People shouldn't make fun of others for their appearances. But Josa, you shouldn't spend money on such frivolous clothing, either - what suits you doesn't suit others, and I think we're all quite capable of establishing our own fashionable tastes."
[20:47] <Kotono> "I don't know," Yuria rubs her chin and smiles, "Like, I bet you'd all be cute in them, though! Plus if Whurric wears them, I can totally have strawberry shortcake for dessert!"
[20:48] * Arachiel points at the maybe-succubus. "Yeah! Listen to her! She sees reason!"
[20:49] <Kotono> Composing herself only with great, heaving difficulty, Lyris at last manages to sit. She wipes her eyes, "Yes. This strange digression aside," Looking back to Arachiel, "You shouldn't go alone, you know."
[20:49] <Arachiel> "Well, anyone who wants to come with is welcome! I need to leave soon, though!"
[20:50] <Kotono> "Go, Lyris. I'm going to stay in Balmuria," Marianne says, "Besides, Balyss need someone to drink with and that dear baby Emily needs another influence in her life."
[20:50] <Aaeru> "I think I should, like, stay here?" Aaeru voices. "I've got lots of things to do, and I can keep things open! I guess maybe we'll even find someone who can make candy since Josa's not the only one who can like I thought?"
[20:52] <Veserya> Much as staying to drink with Balyss and Marianne appeals, Veserya is a woman of action, who came here for a specific reason. "You'll want a healer while tracking such a menace, I'm certain," she offers graciously.
[20:53] <Kotono> "I can give you pointers to a...fill in," Josa says at last, nodding, "Then Whimsical Sweets will continue! In light of this, how about a celebration this evening?"
[20:54] * Arachiel nods at Veserya. Succubi are probably not healers. "That sounds good!"
[20:57] <Kotono> "Then a celebration for the future!" Marianne says, "If you're leaving soon, we need to make this one count for the next good while! I can get us a tavern - let's go out and have ourselves a party!"
[20:59] <Arachiel> "Yay wine!"
[20:59] <Aaeru> "I'm good for one!" Aaeru agrees, glancing at Neve. "We can't stay, like, through the night, but until then!"
[21:00] <Veserya> "I'm sure we won't be gone long. The other jobs we've had here seemed to be over quickly," Veserya notes with sanguine acceptance, blessed with the elven sense of time. "But that doesn't make it any less a cause for celebration. I'll even play the ballad of the phantom horesman for our dear reincaranted unseelie."
[21:01] * Aaeru laughs. "There is one? Like, really? You should play it, yeah!"
[21:01] <Arachiel> "I'm going to miss all of you!" She says, turning abruptly and glomping the little pixie. "Even you, you adorable meanie!"
[21:02] * Whurric starts laughing as Arachiel manhandles Silver.
[21:03] <Kotono> "Ack!" Silver shruggles to get out, as Josa nods, "Let us go, then!" he declares, "To celebrations and what lies ahead!" From there another adventure begins, for another day.