isleofavalon | open: your time with an ornery elf / july catch-all

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open: your time with an ornery elf / july catch-all

🧙 WHO: alisaie leveilleur & you fine folks!
⚔️️ WHAT: july catch-all: bakery job, carnival, and summer fever!
🕒 WHEN: all month
🗺️ WHERE: mostly in avalon proper, though wildcards can place her elsewhere
⚠️ WARNINGS: none as of yet, will update if necessary

summer fever: a terrible patient

[ since time immemorial (her childhood) alisaie has ever been a terrible patient. she cannot stand being in one place, and not moving much for any period of time. as a child her parents and attendants had an absolutely miserable time keeping her in bed whenever she took sick, which was blessedly rare, to the great relief of both herself and everyone around her. she had the constitution of an ox, even when she was very small, and that same steel disposition remains to this day.

but even alisaie's robust immune system is not without flaw, and really, it is entirely her own fault for working herself sleepless these past few days. always keen for something to do, she had leapt on the chance to help those suffering from the summer fever; while she is no healer, there is still no end of work to be done, and while she is a terrible patient herself, her bedside manner is not too shabby. most of the time. maybe she even helped to take care of you when you were ill! she was rather a kind caretaker, and very hardworking, but any ornery patients were met with her steely resolve, because she is nothing if not an enormous hypocrite.

and so, naturally, now that she herself has taken ill, even wild chocobos could not drag her to bed. alisaie has climbed from beneath the blankets nearly every chance she could get, insisting that she is quite fine, she can recover at home, but her bouts of dizziness and high temperatures were not fooling the healers. there's a stack of books beside her bed, but they can keep her busy only for so long - alisaie loves to read, but she would much prefer to do it in a library, or outside in the sun, or anywhere but stuck in a bed, so she has sneaked away to the far side of her room to sit curled in the windowsill with a book open across her knees. her head is pounding and it is difficult to concentrate for how fuzzy her head feels, but there is little else to keep her occupied in this godsforsaken room.. ]

cool carnival, bruh;

[ a carnival is far more interesting than being sick in bed!!

alisaie cannot remember the last time she attended a fair, and this one is like no celebration she has ever seen. some things are familiar - like the food, and the games, of course - but others are entirely foreign and, honestly, downright intimidating. there are noisy.. machines that remind her of magitek, carrying loads of screaming passengers. it looks fun, but also.. terrifying?? and some of those bolts sure do look very rusty.. but surely it must be safe, right? people wouldn't be riding them otherwise, right?

.. right??

anyway, alisaie is no coward. she is intrigued, standing before a monstrous looking thing revolving before her, an enormous cone of cotton candy in her hands. she is tearing pieces off and stuffing them in her mouth, though her eyes never leave this thing called.. the zipper. ]

This hardly seems safe, but..

bakery: the temptation is real;

[ unfortunately for alisaie, life is not all quests and adventures, and there is a good amount of downtime between tasks in avalon. thankfully, she is quite used to this, for there were often slower periods of time back home as well, times spent waiting, researching, planning (you know, all that time between patches), so she is not too stir-crazy when nothing suitable comes up on the questboard.

and so she must work. working for the bakery is not so terrible a job, even if it is a real struggle not to eat her entire paycheck every time she comes in for a shift; alisaie's sweet tooth is legendary. she's even decent at customer service! .. when people are polite, at least. some customers have tried her patience quite thoroughly, but thankfully she is not the manager, so she has not needed to control her temper too often. dealing with problem customers isn't her job, twelve be praised. the hardest part is not bringing home four hundred cupcakes at the end of every shift. it can be a monotonous job, but they pay her well, and with alphinaud gone now.. well, she has no one to help her split the bill for their flat, and she has to pay the bills somehow!

and so, here she is, dressed for the job and near the end of her shift, smiling at the next client to approach the display. ]

Aye, what can I get for you?

wildcard; choose your own adventure

[ if none of these prompts interest you, or you'd like to tweak one of them or throw something completely new at me, feel free! for plotting you can pm me or reach me on plurk or discord (redmage#4848). alisaie can be found most anywhere easily enough!! ]

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[Marianne doesn't have a sweet tooth, per se, but she does have a friend in desperate need of company. The Fódlan solution to the problem of 'needs the soothing touch of friendship,' especially among nobles, is tea. And tea requires something to go with it.

Which is how she finds herself in the bakery, peering down at a case of cakes and pastries.]

Um, what would you recommend to pair with tea? I'm hosting someone who's known to be a bit... fussy.

[Wait, she knows that voice.]

Oh, Alisaie! I didn't realize you worked here. How have you been?

[ marianne might not be looking at her initially, but alisaie certainly sees her, so she is already smiling even before marianne lifts her eyes. this happens every once in awhile. camelot is a large, bustling city, but occasionally the people she knows stumble by without preamble; it's always a nice surprise. ]

Oh, you know, I have been carrying on.

[ it hasn't necessarily been easy, losing her brother here, but she's not about to make a scene about it in public either, and at work. ]

And I might suggest the lemon scones, they pair well with most teas. Or a simple croissant.

[Seeing familiar faces around the city is an equally nice surprise to Marianne. It makes her feel more at home, like there's a place for her here rather than this being some sort of liminal existence.

Which... well, it still is. But it doesn't have to feel that way.]

I've been doing much of the same.

[There's a lot of strangeness that she's had to work through lately, but it's not the time or place for it.]

Hmmm. I think the scones would be a better choice. If I offered something as simple as a croissant, I'm sure I'd never hear the end of it.

[Look, she loves Lorenz. She really does. But he's Lorenz.]

Are they especially sweet?

Well, I think croissants are just lovely!

[ lorenz can SUCK IT tbh, croissants may be plain, but they are delicious, especially with a little chocolate.. mmm.. alisaie is smiling, however, even as she shakes her head. clearly marianne has some finicky friends! ]

As for the scones, I think they are just sweet enough. Not so much to be cloying, but enough to satisfy, especially with a nice, fresh tea.

[ you can tell she loves the lemon scones.. but she loves like everything here. ]

[Just the one finicky friend!]

The scones sound perfect. Can I please have four of them?

[Marianne pauses, tapping her chin as she considers.]

Oh, and one croissant. That sounds like it will be a nice change of pace for breakfast tomorrow.

[There are only so many continental breakfasts a girl can eat before tiring of them, especially someone who generally doesn't eat especially heavy foods.]

( While Yuki's been poking around about healing here and there, more importantly, the healers have noticed he has a penchant for keeping his hands busy — and so they'd asked him if he could, possibly, maybe, give one of their worst patients something to do that wouldn't involve her getting up and making herself even more sick.

He'd expected "worst" to be "worst off," as in, she's sick, but Alisaie is up and around, and he figures she can't be that bad. He knocks twice on the door he's already opened, a box in his hands and some fabric folded carefully over one of his arms; she'd be forgiven for thinking he's a girl at first glance, given his cute skirt and blouse combo, but his voice isn't that feminine at all when he opens his mouth. )

Shouldn't you be in bed.

( ...not that Yuki is one to talk, granted. He'd sit up in bed and do just about anything outside of resting too, unless it was really bad. Still. )

...The healers asked me nicely to keep you company. ( And they said they'd get him some nice cloth, which is the real reason he's doing this. ) Got any experience with sewing?

[ alisaie's immediate response is a deep and petulant scowl from over the top of her book, and she hmphs, huffing through her nose. ]

I am near the bed and not exerting myself, that is close enough.

[ and honestly, it is far more than she even wants to give. alisaie would much rather be going about her daily life, were she not so concerned about spreading a contagious disease to others. that is more than likely the only reason she hasn't entirely fucked off form this place.

she sets her book down onto her knees. ]

.. a small amount, but I was never very good at it.

( hm... well, can't be worse than the guys he usually works with, so he'll set the cloth down on her book and take a seat on the ground beside her; there's plenty of sewing supplies in the box once he opens it. three guesses as to what they're doing this hour and the first two don't count. )

You'll do. I want to make Shiro — that's my familiar, he's a brat — some cute neckerchiefs. The nurses told me you won't stay in bed, and I figured this'd be more interesting than whatever it is they're letting you do. ( and company is appreciated when you're sick, usually. usually. ) Even the dumb dog can do something like this, so you oughta be fine.

( ...and he isn't a half-bad instructor, if certain people's growth in sewing is anything to go by. yuki's confident enough for it, anyway. )

Pick whatever color stands out to you. ( yuki carefully double-threads a needle, tying it and tugging lightly to make sure it's secure before he sticks it back into a red pincushion and does the same thing with another needle, albeit with a different colored thread - white for the first, black for the second. basics. ) My options are a little limited right now, but I'm working on it. Not like I have to listen to that yakuza's budget restrictions while I'm here.

( The One Good Thing. )

[ There's good news and bad news. The good news is that Monika did successfully complete that absolutely ludicrous Margarita challenge and won the recipe to cure hangovers. The bad news is that she managed to sneak away and escape before her partner could feed her said recipe. And so as she strides gleefully towards her next adventure, she stumbles upon an Elezen staring apprehensively at the zipper ride. ]

It's because it's unsafe that it's so fun! [A pause.] Besides, nobody's died yet, right?

[ Monika has most certainly never seen that young woman before, yet she's talking to her as if she'd known her since forever. To be fair, right now she's doing that to anyone. ]

Or could it be that you're.... Scaaaaared?

[ years ago mayhaps alisaie would have been taken aback at the idea of being so addressed by a random stranger; she had never been a particularly sociable girl for the majority of her life. thankfully for monika that has very much changed, and while she may not be the social butterfly that her brother is, she's grown quite used to talking with people she does not know.

still, wow, this girl sure is friendly.. alisaie hasn't quite picked up on the fact that she's chock full of margarita yet. ]

Scared? Please!

[ she scoffs at the very idea!! ]

I could run circles around this monstrous thing.

[ Monika will be absolutely horrified and mortified once she gets better and remembers all the things she's done. She'll totally apologize to Alisaie— By mail and while avoiding her for the remainder of her life, probably.

Still! Monika beams and nearly leaps from joy when, as expected, Alisaie is about as easily baited into risking her life on a ridiculous ride. ]

Then let's gooooooooo! It's better with a partner, ahaha~!

[ Dying with someone is always better. She immediately grabs Alisaie by the arm and proceeds to pull her towards the ride. Monika isn't exactly physical so Alisaie could probably get rid of her pretty easily. Unfortunately, the alcohol still running in her system means what she lacks in strength, she makes up for in sheer pestering power. ]

[ alisaie at least isn't entirely unused to such.. exuberant company, even if it is more than a little obvious that this girl is in her cups, but hey, who is she to judge? she'll feel it in the morning..

still, she flushes pink when monika snags her arm; she's not used to being touched!! though she doesn't fight it either. far be it for alisaie to give any impression that she is afraid of this thing!! she doesn't have enough of a survival instinct to keep away. ]

A-all right, all right, I'm coming!

[ her and her cotton candy both. ]

Two!

[ Monika gets them tickets at the counter. That's the perfect moment for Alisaie to get away, should any remnants of her survival instincts surface. But if not...

Then Monika drags her to the thing! Thankfully, a ride just ended and it's in downtime, so they can get in right away. Monika seats herself in and sets the security down. She's drunk, but not so drunk that she'd forget that. ]

So it's verrrrrry important you put the safety on! [She rose a very dramatic finger.] That's the difference between an enjoyable ride and eternal rest!!

[ getting into the cart is a little awkward, for it's one of those half-sitting half-standing sort of contraptions, and the metal door is slammed shut by the attendant soon after, rattling ominously. they're essentially trapped in a rusty cage.. ]

Safety?

[ alisaie tilts her head. ]

I have never ridden anything like this before.

Well duh.

[ It feels so obvious. ]

Normally it's done automatically so you don't need to worry about it... [A dramatic pause.] But if it fails, that's gaaaaaaaaaame over for the two of us! What a way to go, huh?

[ She appears to be totally unconcerned about the fact they may be both dead within seconds. ]

[ Emet doesn't realise Alisaie is serving at the counter at first, engrossed in his device as he is. He has written his shopping list on it - amongst other things - and amongst the more urgent purchases are some tarts for Hythlodaeus. Emet himself doesn't care too much for sweet foods, but the prospect of sharing them with his partner does make the experience more tolerable.

As he nears the counter, he lifts his head to the display and starts scanning the options. Her voice is but one amongst many lively threads of conversation, so it isn't until he's called up that he realises who he's staring at. ]

...Oh. It's you.

[ ah yes, just the face that alisaie was hoping to see today..

anyway, alisaie's smile melts, but it does not give way to her usual customary scowl for him - rather, something like disappointment flits across her features. mayhaps she was a fool for thinking that things, now, might be even a little bit different. ]

Alisaie. My name is Alisaie.

[ she stiffens. ]

What can I get for you?

[ He looks away first, mouth pressed into a thin line. Eventually he points to several baked goods. The tarts, and other sweet things he thinks Hythlodaeus will enjoy. ]

Those, please.

[ He's being polite at least...? ]

[ and thank the gods for that. given their.. track record of knock-down drag-out public arguments, alisaie must content herself, for she doesn't need to get herself fired today thank you.

stiffly, she goes about her work, carefully plucking up the fruit tarts, scones, and cakes, boxing them up neatly. she has a lot of respect for baked goods. ]

I had not expected you would have a sweet tooth.

[ but she might not have expected a lot about him. ]

They aren't for me.

[ Spoken tersely as he prepares payment on his device. Awfully convenient this...digital technology. No need to carry sacks of coin on one's belt. No need to worry about mixing up currencies. ]

If I had known you were a worker here-- [ he starts to mutter before cutting himself off. ] Nevermind. How much are they all together?

You would have avoided me, yes.

[ she fills in for him tersely, her expression tight and her lips a firm line, her gaze turned down and away from him while she carefully tapes all of the boxes closed and stacks them into a paper bag, before she leans to calculate the price.

.. which she tells him, because i have no idea how currency works in this place whoops. ]

[ He silently holds his device near the machine they use to complete transactions. ]

...They're for Hythlodaeus, [ he says suddenly, tightly, as though expecting her to mock him. ]

[The next customer to approach is a familiar face— and a smiling one, at that, as Jade finds herself quite impressed by all of the different pastries and baked goods on display. The first question that comes to mind, knowing that Alisaie's sweet tooth rivals her own, is how she can work here and not stuff herself full by the end of every shift?

Well, maybe she does. What does she know?]

I'm tempted to say 'one of everything,' to be perfectly honest.

[Hi Alisaie!]

[ jade's assumption is right on point tbh, alisaie definitely spends a good portion of her paycheck on sweets here, but the upside is that she also gets many sweets for free for working here as well. at the end of the night, she can take whatever leftovers she wants.. it's pretty great. except for the fact that she has to work out and train much more often than she used to, since beginning this job..

thank the gods for that elezen metabolism.

anyroad, alisaie's smile brightens the moment her eyes settle on jade's face. ]

I would not begrudge you if you asked.

I thought you of all people might understand.

[Their bonding over a shared love of cheesecake has not been forgotten!]

For now, perhaps two of those chocolate croissants and a couple of those little cakes?

[She points at a platter of petit fours with one gloved hand. There's no telling exactly what's in them at a glance, but they certainly look delicious.]

I didn't realize you'd started working here— I thought you would be up to your ears in adventuring odd jobs, but I suppose those don't always cover the bills. I had to take something more steady, as well.

[ fellow sweet-tooth havers must stick together!! ]

Oh believe me, I spend more than most of my time on the quest boards.

[ she says, while dipping to carefully scoop the two freshest, chocolatiest of the croissants into a bag. ]

But you are correct. Unfortunately with my brother gone, it has become twice as hard to make ends meet. At first I thought steady work might bore me, but I do enjoy my time here.

I hadn't considered how that might impact things financially, but it makes sense.

[She would likely be in a similar position if she and Eleven weren't sharing their place at the edge of the residential district, and being no stranger to loss, she knows the situation could easily change at any moment. Fortunately, she does have a steady job of her own, though she would likely have to shift her hours around to make her own ends meet if something did change.]

It helps that you have some variety, I'm sure, and considering your surroundings...

[She smiles, gesturing with an open palm. There are worse places to work!]

I've been cooking over at Shining Star, if you've ever been.

[It's that exact same noisy machinery that has gotten Balthier's attention, as well— he's always been curious about such things, though he admits he's more interested in seeing how these things work than he is riding them. Still, these things may well be the closest he'll get to flying for awhile yet. There's certainly something to be said for that.

He invites himself to join Alisaie without preamble, a brightly-colored drink of some kind in one hand as he looks up at the revolving contraption.]

I imagine they wouldn't allow people on if it weren't, but isn't the sense of danger all part of the fun of it? 'Safe' is hardly thrilling.

I should think it would be thrilling regardless of the rusted bolts and worn hinges. Look at the thing!

[ it's like, straight flinging people around!! alisaie's pretty sure it is plenty thrilling without the added terror that it might fall apart at any moment. not that she's afraid. alisaie doesn't really have the survival instinct one requires to be afraid.

she smiles to see him, however, despite how.. unsavory their last few meetings may have been. ]

Are you interested?

I'll admit, I may be just a touch jaded thanks to all the time spent airborne before being robbed of my wings.

[Who's bitter that his ship hadn't come along to Avalon? Certainly not him. He'd just gone through all the trouble of stealing it back, too.

Still, jaded or otherwise, his smile pulls wider as he cants his head towards the structure.]

I think I could be persuaded, especially with the right company. We'd regret it if we didn't give it a try, don't you think?

[ that sounds like a conversation that needs to happen, given the curious arch of alisaie's brow - but it can wait a moment, at least as long as it takes to get in line. ]

I could not agree more.

[ she says through a broad smile, already trotting toward the ride's queue, cotton candy still in hand. ]

Come on, then!

[ She's been helping out as well- tirelessly, even, but she's so used to working this way from back home that it comes as a second nature.

At least, because of that, she herself has a better understanding of what not to do, and when she sees the pretty little elezen grumping by the window (as well as being alerted by the others who know her that she's been a bit troublesome), she approaches, tray in hand-

There's some milk chocolate biscuits and warm tea, and some medication that Alisaie may even find familiar in essence, and she sets them to a side table before smiling up at her with a wiggle of her ears. ]

Hear you've been restless, lass. You're not doing too badly, what's a little more rest going to hurt, aye?

[ They haven't met here, but she has a recognition of Alisaie from her world-hopping. ]

[ restless is certainly one word for it. alisaie supposes that she should not be surprised that word about her has.. spread amongst the staff and volunteers; her reputation precedes her, apparently, and not necessarily in a positive way. oops.

well, there's little enough to be done. alisaie has not been unkind to those helping her, of course, but she has certainly done her very best to attempt to wriggle free of their care. being stuck in this room is miserable for a girl who is always on the go, but she has never taken well to being taken care of. ]

I have had enough rest to last me several moons.

[ she says, mildly petulant, before she's setting her book down onto her knees, craning her neck to peer curiously at the tray.. those look like chocolate biscuits!! ]

I'm sure you have. Can't keep indoors for very long either, myself.

[ She takes note of her attention, though, and very smoothly takes a napkin to bring her one of the biscuits, handing it to her with one in it. ]

Mind if I join you, then? Been a while since I've seen a face that looks like one from home. Mine own memories aren't quite as reliable on it, but- is your name Alisaie?

[ The names were in her journal, but her memories of the previous worlds are all but diminishing- at the very least, she's had Thancred to refer back to with him here, but it's still better to confirm. ]

Edited 2021-07-18 11:50 (UTC)

[ the biscuit is very much welcome, and alisaie sits up a little straighter, shifting the book off of her lap and onto the window-seat beside her so she can take the treat into both hands. ]

Aye, I am Alisaie.

[ she says, while breaking off a large hunk of the biscuit. ]

I take it they told you I was being troublesome?

[ They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? Not that Caspar is even the least bit worried about his safety. If one of these things crashes, he could definitely just walk it off. And if he can't, it'd be a good story at least, right?

Anyway, Caspar brushes right past her, before turning to wave a hand, indicating for her to follow. ]

Well, c'mon! You're going on it, aren't you? I'm sure it's fiiiine!

[ His guarantee should mean absolutely nothing in this regard, but if she needs any encouragement, he'll be happy to provide. ]

[ ah and here is caspar.. making bad choices.

alisaie is also making bad choices, because she isn't about to turn him down. ]

I did not say I wouldn't!

[ just that it looks, you know, janky as hell, but she's already hurrying to catch up!! cotton candy still in hand. ]

[ Better to make questionable choices with company, right???

(They are definitely going to die.)

Anyway, Caspar charges up to the line in front of the ride, which fortunately isn't very long. Even so, he's already tapping his foot, turning around to face Alisaie and her...food?? Is that food? ]

What is that? Looks like it came out of the inside of an armored bear stuffy.

Armored bear stuffy?

[ that's so very specific, there is only one type of stuffed animal in fodlan. alisaie charges right up behind caspar. ]

It is candy floss. Spun sugar. Would you like to try it?

[ she tears off a generous piece, and stuffs it into her mouth. ]

[Bennett has attended carnivals and festivals before, his fair city of Mondstadt being quite fond of celebrations whenever the mood struck. But, he's never seen anything quite like the one that's taking place here. These metal moving contraptions are out of this world, and it took quite a bit of convincing him that they weren't some variation of Ruin Guard.

But once he's assured they're safe (at least in regard to them not being dangerous automaton), he's all too eager about them now.]

They seem awesome, you mean! C'mon, we should check it out!

[He's beaming with enthusiasm like a little kid.]

[ bennett please donut curse the terrifying ride..

good thing alisaie doesn't believe in luck curses!! and bennett's exuberance is positively infectious. her smile broadens. ]

All right, all right, I shall try it if you insist!

[ as if she weren't planning to try it anyway. quickly, alisaie trots up toward the line, tugging off another mouthful of her cotton candy. ]

[No promises.

Bennett gets in line with Alisaie, waiting for their turn to board the machine. It was a fairly long line, it was a popular ride after all.

...but after several minutes of waiting, the line didn't seem to be moving at all.]

Huh... What do you think the holdup is?

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open: your time with an ornery elf / july catch-all

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summer fever

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cool carnival

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bakery

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bakery!

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cool carnival

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summer fever: time to escape

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carnival time...

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carnival

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