Mallside 9: Waaagh!

[Morty]

[Dana's Place]

Iknika grins, with her full set of teeth.

"Well, not a sword. I've been practising with an axe. But I've got armour, sure. It's here in my bag. Want to take a look?"

[Gullara]

[Dana's Place]

Claire sits up straight and leans toward Iknika. "Yeah, totally. Let's see." This is pretty exciting. She's never seen armour close up.

[Morty]

[Dana's Place]

Iknika leans down, unzips the bag and takes out two items - a breastplate and a long shirt of mail.

"This is what I wear on my chest. Well, that, and a lot of padding."

[Gullara]

[Dana's Place]

"Wow, how heavy is all that?" She reaches out to lift a portion of the mail. That's all metal. She takes another look at Iknika herself. She's so small, too.

[Morty]

[Dana's Place]

The mail is surprisingly light, if she lifts just a fragment. But it still has some weight to it.

"Not as heavy as people think," Iknika says. "They say you can hardly move in metal armour. But it's not so hard. You just need to practice."

[Gullara]

[Dana's Place]

"Huh, cool. I never knew that. Oh, can I see the axe?" Too bad it's not a sword. Claire loooves drawing people with swords. An axe is pretty cool too, though.

[Morty]

[Dana's Place]

Iknika's ears dip slightly, and she deflates a bit.

"It's, uh, not a real axe just yet. Just a practice one."

She reaches into the bag and produces an axe-shaped wooden practice weapon, with the edges covered in soft fabric.

[Gullara]

[Dana's Place]

"Oh, okay. So're you just starting out or something? When can you use a real one?" Claire asks.

[Morty]

[Dana's Place]

"I don't know," Iknika says. He bluster seems to have disappeared, but she's doing her best to still sound confident and assured. "I did just start training. I met Lady Eschelle when I was in the city with my cousin, and she talked about what being a knight is. It felt like something I didn't know I wanted."

[Gullara]

[Dana's Place]

Claire is silent for a moment as she musters a bit of confidence herself. "You know what'd be cool? If I drew you. Like, with all your armour and a real axe, you know?" She's been kind of thinking about it since the topic came up, but it's kind of awkward asking if someone you just met wants to model for you.

[Morty]

[Dana's Place]

Hmm. Isaac has already drawn her in armour, but two drawings would be better than one!

"That would be pretty cool. I'm sure I could get my teacher to give me a real axe for that. Have you ever drawn armour before?"

[Gullara]

[Dana's Place]

"That'd be cool, but not everything's gotta be perfect. I can fill in details myself." Claire perks up, the motion almost comical when accented by her ears standing straight up. "I've drawn some armour before. not exactly like that, but it shouldn't be too tough."

[Morty]

[Dana's Place]

Iknika can't help but notice Claire's ears move. Of course, goblin ears are also expressive, so it's not as weird to her.

"Maybe you could draw me on my knightly mount, too. But I don't have one yet. Do you think a wolf or a beetle would be cooler?"

[Gullara]

[Dana's Place]

"Ooh, a wolf would be super cool." Much more so than a beetle, she thinks. "Uh, I guess I'd need to get references for that. I don't draw many animals." Claire admits. But it'd just be a challenge!

[Morty]

[Dana's Place]

"You could drop by the colony," Iknika says. "They've got a lot of wolves and beetles there. My cousin's friends have a pet wolf, too. But they're away at the moment."

[Bistro]

Sophie is sitting there, evidently waiting on someone. Probably not Trick, though, because she seems fidgety and clearly uneasy about something. She hasn't ordered anything beyond water yet.

[Slii Arhem]

Bistro

She won't be waiting long, though. Or not much longer. Striding out of the deadtime of wedded bliss and raising two fine, young, mildly eldritch and incredibly precocious twin daughters, Julie took the bare minimum allowable time getting ready and wound up picking out a knee-length black pencil skirt with silver pinstripes, a light pink blouse with an embroidered flower on its superfluous breast pocket, and a leather half-jacket she currently has folded over one arm along with her clutch purse. She saunters into the bistro on a pair of casual black heels as if she owns the place, but her confident swagger is replaced with girlish delight when she sees Sophie already seated and brushes past the host to go sit with her friend.

"Sophie! Thank you for inviting me out here! You have no idea how hard it is to find the time these days to get a moment away from the kids. And that's including all the time I get using extradimensional temporal compression. That's just barely enough to get my laundry done." Unsurprising, given her love of fashion and incredibly extension wardrobe.

Snapping open her purse, the succubus takes out a ball of yarn and a crochet hook, of all things, at the end of which is an already started crocheted bikini top in vibrant yellow. Clearly just something to keep her hands busy. Julie waves her fingers at an approaching waiter, not even looking up as she closes her purse, "A bottle of wine, something light, bubbly, and sweet with two glasses. And your house salad in a large bowl with two plates, but add bacon crumbled in a bowl on the side. Whatever dressing she wants, I'm not picky." Then she waves the man off before he's even really gotten to the table, ignoring the confusion on his face.

"So, what's on your mind?" And all of a sudden Julie's attention is fully back to Sophie, her fingers idly whipping up something entirely inappropriate to the medium of yarn.

[Morty]

[Bistro]

Sophie, to her credit, takes it all in stride. Part of it is having known Julie for a long time, and knowing what to expect. Another part is being hard to phase by anything, having served as a therapist to people of all sorts of background. But it's clearly also due to her being distracted.

"Never change, Julie. As for what's on my mind... well, weighty matters. My own, this time," she says. "You know I've been with Trick for a while now, right? I mean... you're the one who pushed me in that direction. And I'm... kind of thinking about what happens next. But I'm not sure if I'm going to make the right decisions."

[Slii Arhem]

Bistro

Julie nods silently, waiting for the refreshments to arrive before saying anything and pouring Sophie a glass of fizzy, fruity wine as she responds, "Are you thinking of taking the next step with her? She seems like a lovely woman from everything you've said, and if you're feeling it's time then maybe you're trying to tell yourself something."

[Morty]

[Bistro]

"More like wondering if I'm not rushing into something," Sophie says. "I don't know if she's ready to... be a family. And my last go at it didn't really end well. Although I guess this time I don't have a double life that might bring it all down. And... I really feel like I belong with her."

[Slii Arhem]

Bistro

Julie loads up her plate with salad, generously applying bacon to the top of it and carefully considering what to say. Her immediate reaction to find it adorable is quickly cast aside, as she can tell this is not the time to seem patronizing to her good friend over her real concerns But then...

"Have either of you two discussed moving in together? That's usually the next logical step to find out if you're more long-term compatible, and it's something you would do after you've committed to each other anyway, usually." Except in extreme circumstances anyway. And from what Sophie's related about Trick's living situation, there's very little chance that Trick would move in with Sophie, which would mean the Hunter would have to commute to her job or Sophie would have to find other work in Inside. Either way, it's a stepping stone they have to face sooner or later.

[Gullara]

[Dana's Place]

"You could drop by the colony," Iknika says. "They've got a lot of wolves and beetles there. My cousin's friends have a pet wolf, too. But they're away at the moment."

[Dana's Place]

"The colony? Is that where you live? Is that outside the city?" Claire would probably have to tell her parents if it was. "I thought wolves were always pretty wild." She's still not sure what she thinks of the beetle thing.

[Morty]

[Bistro]

Sophie stares into her drink for a while.

"Trick has brought it up, yes. I sort of... avoided the question. It felt like a big step, and I was gnawed by the same doubts I brought up just now. Besides..." She sighs. "My religion forbids sex before marriage. It just felt... inappropriate? But maybe you're right. It would help, and we can... live together without sleeping together."

[Dana's Place]

"It's where I live, yeah. It's..." Iknika's ears dip in thought. "It's not quite like a city. It's more like a lot of underground cities, linked by tunnels. I live in one of the smaller ones. Wolves are usually wild, but goblins tame them, for riding. They don't usually let kids near, though... tame wolves are still wolves."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Arcane Threads]

Electra saunters back into the store, looking pleased with herself, but this time, two others are ostensibly following her. She looks to her companions.

"Now, where shall we start?"

[Slii Arhem]

[Bistro]

Sophie stares into her drink for a while.

"Trick has brought it up, yes. I sort of... avoided the question. It felt like a big step, and I was gnawed by the same doubts I brought up just now. Besides..." She sighs. "My religion forbids sex before marriage. It just felt... inappropriate? But maybe you're right. It would help, and we can... live together without sleeping together."

Bistro

Julie scoffs into her glass, flipping a hand dismissively, "Sophie if it were anyone else but you, I would worry about your oath, but you're about as chaste as a thousand feet of bedrock. If you think you're ready for a full commitment but you're worried that Trick might not be then it's time to take a smaller step. Ask her if she feels the same way as you, and if she's looking to move forwards. And above everything be honest. Say that you think that this relationship could go to the next level in the future, but you want to make sure she's comfortable with everything first. If she doesn't feel the same way, it's better that you know now instead of you both having different goals in mind." The succubus picks at her salad, mostly eating bacon and the other veggies and avoiding the leafy greens.

"So, what do you want to eat? This is my lunch, since the girls get home from school by the time I'll get back to GLoG."

[Morty]

[Arcane Threads]

"Maybe we could start by selecting a suit for me," Fayyaad suggests. "I've never worn one, so it's pretty new to me. Then I can repay you for your kindness by helping you with your fashion choices."

[Bistro]

Sophie looks like she's not sure if she should be offended or not by being called chaste... like a thousand feet of bedrock?

"Chaste like a... I'm not sure if I should consider it a good thing. It's been getting harder, though. That vow was easy to make when I thought I was going to be single for the rest of my life. Being around Trick now... well. But I'll endure," she resolves. "Trick's worth it. What you're saying makes sense. I think she hasn't brought it up again because I got evasive about it. So I'll have to broach the subject again. As for lunch... I think I'll go for some pancakes." She smiles. "You know, if Trick and I really stick together for good, she'll be officially 'auntie Trick' for your two terrors."

[Shadowcaller]

[Arcane Threads]

"A suit? Why a suit specifically? I happen to know a guy who wears a guy twenty-four-seven, and it does get a little bit old honestly. So, I'd like to hear your motivation for, why a suit?" Dena asks.

The nerubian shopkeepers are, as usual, wandering around the store, helping customers. One just need to raise their voice to call their attention.

[Slii Arhem]

[Bistro]

Sophie looks like she's not sure if she should be offended or not by being called chaste... like a thousand feet of bedrock?

"Chaste like a... I'm not sure if I should consider it a good thing. It's been getting harder, though. That vow was easy to make when I thought I was going to be single for the rest of my life. Being around Trick now... well. But I'll endure," she resolves. "Trick's worth it. What you're saying makes sense. I think she hasn't brought it up again because I got evasive about it. So I'll have to broach the subject again. As for lunch... I think I'll go for some pancakes." She smiles. "You know, if Trick and I really stick together for good, she'll be officially 'auntie Trick' for your two terrors."

Bistro

Julie orders a western omelet and a stack of pancakes when the waiter gets back then, letting Sophie pick her poison for syrups or jams.

"That won't be much of a change. Scylla is convinced that you'll wind up a spinster with another twenty seven cats, though. I'm sure Prism will be overjoyed when you prove her wrong." The succubus smiles a soft, motherly smile at the reminder of her two childrens' antics.

"And what about kids? Should I be telling my girls to start expecting cousins in the not-so-distant future?"

[Gullara]

[Dana's Place]

"And you say I can visit sometime? That'd be pretty cool. I'd be game." Claire says.

[Morty]

[Bistro]

Sophie folds her arms across her chest in mock offence.

"I will prove her wrong. In fact, who's to say I can't have twenty seven cats as a married woman? Trick's already got a collection of exotic monsters." She turns more serious when children are brought up. "I've always wanted children. Trick hasn't really said, one way or the other. Unless she objects, I would like to raise children. Probably give adoption another shot."

[Dana's Place]

"Of course. Anyone can visit. Especially with a goblin," Iknika says. She rests her chin on her hands. "I've got to say, I've never met a... person with rabbit ears."

[Slii Arhem]

[Bistro]

Sophie folds her arms across her chest in mock offence.

"I will prove her wrong. In fact, who's to say I can't have twenty seven cats as a married woman? Trick's already got a collection of exotic monsters." She turns more serious when children are brought up. "I've always wanted children. Trick hasn't really said, one way or the other. Unless she objects, I would like to raise children. Probably give adoption another shot."

Bistro

Julie twirls a hand and a small candle's worth of emerald green fire sprouts from her fingertips before vanishing and leaving a lingering scent of citrus in the air, "You know, once you are married if you want a natural kid, just say the word. It's a quick job, reshaping someone to the other half, and after that it's even more easily undone. Provided one of you was willing to carry it to term, or you had a surrogate mother in mind." Julie says it like she believes there's no chance of the alternative. Sophie and Trick just worked together in her mind, and she had every confidence they'd tie the knot.