Dancing Fox Inn XIII- Luck Costs Extra

[billtodamax]

After work drinks

Nigel is sitting here perusing a menu, and frowning. This isn't that unusual for him when he's in a bar he's rarely happy with the extent of their supplies. Eventually he decides to go with what he came he for, a gin and tonic.

It's fine.

[Earl of Purple]

"You might also age faster. And if you lose too much weight it'll start cannibalising your muscles for energy, and that's not pleasant. Enhancing metabolism to lose weight is a bad idea. And... Well, I don't think you need to lose any weight." Messing about with bodies is tricky and can backfire in so many different ways, and Prumathe doesn't trust his ability to do something like that safely. Plus he already thinks Sekhmet's very attractive and doesn't need changing.

[bc56]

Sekhmet smiles at Prumathe's last comment. "Aww, thanks." She subtly glances down at herself. Maybe she doesn't need to lose weight after all. She continues eating, and sips the pineapple juice.

[Recaiden]

After work drinks

Nigel is sitting here perusing a menu, and frowning. This isn't that unusual for him when he's in a bar he's rarely happy with the extent of their supplies. Eventually he decides to go with what he came he for, a gin and tonic.

It's fine.

Honeysuckle saunters into the Inn, tails wagging, and spins into a seat near Nigel.
"He~llo, everyone."
Hmm, is that? Yes, very clearly.
"I told you about the tonic, right? It's good."

She orders a phillips screwdriver and a roast pheasant, and possibly she'll be told there are no pheasants being cooked at the moment, which will dampen her mood a little. But not much.

[Earl of Purple]

"I'm... Honestly, I'm a little surprised you agreed to come here with me." He slices meat off his ribs and stabs a bit of salad before taking the pork and cucumber to his mouth. "I thought, um, that maybe you'd already had a boyfriend or something, because a girl as pretty as you... Um, well, most of the ones I've met already had boyfriends, and the ones that didn't, didn't think I was good enough for them." But he figured the worst that could happen was Sekhmet would say no, as it turns out she didn't.

[bc56]

Sekhmet is stunned. She blurts out, "I was going to ask you why you wanted to go out with me! Surely a good-looking guy like you knows other girls, prettier girls. I thought you were too good for me!"She takes a deep breath. "I do not, uh, have a boyfriend, and, uh, I'd be honored to have you, Prumathe."

[Earl of Purple]

Prumathe "Yes, I know girls. Girls from the orphanage, who are either already dating or see me as a brother- or both. Girls from work, most of whom are either not interested or have a boyfriend already. Girls I meet when I go out and about, whom I don't know, and... I've not really figured out how to ask them. Even assuming they're free. But... I don't think many are prettier than you, Sekhmet. Truly." She's a tiefling, which is a little exotic, but even without that he thinks she's pretty. The horns and the tail are interesting, but not the whole reason he asked her out.

[bc56]

"I... I..." Sekhmet gets up and awkwardly shuffles around to where Prumathe is sitting in order to try to catch him in a hug. "That's so kind of you! Oh, thank you so much!"

[Earl of Purple]

Prumathe hugs back, rather surprised at the vehemence of it. He grew up in the Nexus, where just about everyone is accepted, and before that he lived in a world where non-humans didn't exist, so he's got no idea that in some places, tieflings are hated, feared and discriminated against.

[bc56]

Sekhmet just stays there for now. She's so happy, she doesn't want to move. The idea that Prumathe thinks she's pretty despite her nonhuman features is so wonderful, but also a lot to take in.

[Earl of Purple]

Prumathe's happy to keep hugging, though it does make eating a little trickier. Which he'll point out. "This... Is very nice, Sekhmet, but, um, your food is getting cold. And it's nicer hot, believe me." He's very happy to keep hugging if Sekhmet decides the food is less important, however.

[bc56]

"Oh, uh," Sekhmet releases Prumathe and pulls her food over the table to her new location. She starts eating again, but she keeps glancing at Prumathe, unsure what to think of his suggestion.

[Earl of Purple]

Unaware of her doubts, Prumathe goes back to eating, though he'll glance over and smile from time to time. He's also eating quite quickly, as he would like to hug Sekhmet again once he's finished.

[bc56]

When Sekhmet finally catches Prumathe smiling at her, she smiles back, relieved. She eats much more enthusiastically now, not worried about how Prumathe had reacted to her affection.

[Earl of Purple]

Prumathe feels a little awkward with the silence as they eat, but really doesn't know what to say, so doesn't manage to break the silence. He's blushing a little, though it's hard to tell with his dark skin.

[bc56]

Sekhmet feels awkward too, but continues eating. When she finishes, she finally speaks, saying, "That was delicious!"

[Earl of Purple]

When he's finished, he'll hold his arm out to resume the hug, if Sekhmet's willing. "It was, yes. Much nicer hot, wasn't it?" He'd be a little disappointed if she doesn't, but he's really not sure on the etiquette so it's maybe not appropriate.

[bc56]

Sekhmet returns the hug, much more briefly this time, but no less affectionately. "Yes, it was. Thank you."

[Earl of Purple]

"Do you want pudding? Ice cream maybe? Ooh, have you had ice cream before? You should really try some, if not." He's happy he got a hug, and really curious about the ice-cream.

[billtodamax]

After work drinks

It's... pretty good. Nigel says, not willing to admit it's good without qualifying it. He's still in the same clothes he was wearing in the lab, although he's lost the gloves. Gin's not dry enough for my tastes but I'm picking hairs. How was the power plant? He asks, setting down his drink.

[bc56]

"I, uh, I've heard of it." Sekhmet never got out much, and she lived somewhere where refrigeration didn't exist yet. Ice cream existed, but was rare and expensive. She's never had any, but she's curious.

[Earl of Purple]

"Well, we'll definitely get some then. Vanilla to start with, I think. There's other flavours, but vanilla's always available so it's a good place to start." And vanilla's an exotic spice that Sekhmet probably hasn't heard from, given its Mesoamerican origins.

[bc56]

Sekhmet just nods along, saying, "Uh, okay." She has no clue what Prumathe is talking about, and she's still trying to process how he can afford ice cream on an apprentice's income.

[Earl of Purple]

"So, uh, right. There's this technology, called 'refrigeration', which keeps things cold. Everyone has one where I come from, and they're really popular devices in Nexus. They keep food cold, and therefore fresh, for longer. And if you get one and turn the temperature lower, it can freeze things, and keep things at or below the point water becomes ice. It makes stuff like ice cream, and chilled drinks, really popular." And had I thought of it sooner, Sekhmet would have had ice cubes in her water, before she had pineapple juice. Prumathe asked for no ice with his juice, since ice melts and dilutes the juice, and there's nothing worse than thinking you've got a mouth of juice left and finding it's mostly melted ice.

[bc56]

Sekhmet nods, "So because you can keep it cold longer, it's cheaper?" Sekhmet thinks she understands. She's definitely excited to try it.

[Earl of Purple]

"Oh, much cheaper. And you can make it pretty much anywhere, too. Since you can lower the temperatures in a room to make it easier, too." And it should arrive next post, too.

[Recaiden]

After work drinks

It's... pretty good. Nigel says, not willing to admit it's good without qualifying it. He's still in the same clothes he was wearing in the lab, although he's lost the gloves. Gin's not dry enough for my tastes but I'm picking hairs. How was the power plant? He asks, setting down his drink.

Honeysuckle snickers at that. Can't he just admit that the drink is good? Oh.
Apparently he pretty much can.
"Standard boring job, but short shift. 've had a lot of trouble with the plague, actually, so they're running more of the reserve turbines."

She surveys the other bar patrons for a moment. Yep, those sure are some living beings, aren't they?

[bc56]

"Wow." Sekhmet is impressed. Technology can do all that, without magic? She awaits the ice cream with eager anticipation.

[Earl of Purple]

"Sometimes, though, people prefer to use magic. Most of the stuff that technology provides, magic can too. There's usually some slight differences- magic's slightly more expensive at the start, but technology needs a power source, which is usually electricity, so some people save money by spending a little more originally and then not needing to pay a monthly power bill. And I don't think there's a way to watch television with magic, as such, and I have a mobile phone that can't communicate to magical devices that serve the same purpose." The differences are slight, but if there weren't some differences in price then everyone would have magic freezers and lights and so on and not need technology at all. And that can't be right, because so often it's technological devices that are expressly referred to.

And here the ice cream is now! Three large, globular scoops of white ice-cream in each bowl, with a spoon provided. Prumathe thanks the fox-tailed waiter and digs in, a bit slowly. "Oh, try not to eat it too fast- you can get brain freeze, which is basically a headache caused by too much cold in your sinuses, I think." He doesn't want brain freeze to ruin Sekhmet's first taste of ice cream!

[bc56]

Sekhmet takes her ice cream and gingerly spoons some into her mouth. Her eyes widen in surprise. It's so sweet and cold. She quickly takes another bite, and another. Her head starts to sting, and she lowers the spoon and grasps her forehead. This must've been what Prumathe was talking about, why hadn't she listened?