[ Susato's shoulders visibly relax, and she tries not to look too relieved. She hands over the plate with a grin, then glances at her notebook where she's been jotting down orders. ]
Mizuki, correct? It's yours.
Chocolate with a caramel drizzle. I hope you like it.
[ From her spot by the pond, Mizuki pushes herself back up on her feet before accepting the plate, but just as she's about to grab a spot on the wooden bench next to her...
She turns on a wet spot in just the right way to slip, fumble, and lose her grip on the plate. With a yelp, the glassware and dessert crash to the stone walkway. ]
[ Susato watches it happen. With her arms free, she's able to reach forward. Perhaps she meant to save Mizuki as she fumbles, but it's too late. The plate crashes to the ground with a loud shattering sound, and with it, the bun cake, who is now a deformed monstrosity.
Susato swallows her disappointment. ]
Are you alright?! [ Susato offers her hand to at least help her up, eying the shards of plate. ] Careful... N, Not to worry, I'll bring another.
[ Mizuki neither accepts her hand or gets herself back up right away. There's a sort of... resignation in her demeanor, mixed in with the air of someone who's about to McFreakin' Lose it as she stares into the middle distance.
Okay, she's not actually about to snap or anything, but there's a sort of dead look to Mizuki's face that implies... it's Been A Day. ]
Mrrgh...
[ After her moment, she does finally accept Susato's hand, pulling herself back up. ]
Sorry. I can... clean it up.
[ Which may be odd to offer as a patron in a business, but when no one's really using any money, this feels so, so rude. ]
[ Susato pulls her up, but otherwise doesn't seem put off by her demeanor. Perhaps she is used to rowdy customers by now, ones far worse than Mizuki would be, even at her angriest. As it is now, Susato just feels sympathy for the young girl, and immediately she shakes her head. ]
Don't worry, that's not necessary at all. These things happen.
[ She frowns though, thinking that it might have been happening a touch more often lately (in general), but not enough for her to question it until now.
Shyly, a few snakes poke their heads out of the greenery where they'd been hiding to investigate the commotion. Susato is so used to them that she doesn't notice. ]
[ Mizuki looks a lot like she wants to protest, but she bites back on her tongue. Perhaps the sudden presence of snakes distracts her enough from doing so. ]
[ Susato gives her one last sympathetic look, but decides not to prolong things. She will swiftly disappear into the restaurant, and luckily for Mizuki, while the hissing persists, no snakes appear. She might catch a glint of their yellow eyes if she peeks into the bushes, but instead, a pink ball of fluff appears to curiously circle overhead.
Susato appears then, oblivious at first, picking up where they off as she makes a beeline for the bunny mess. ]
Um... Has this been happening to you a lot lately?
[ It's probably a good thing the local (very local) wildlife is there to distract her, lest Mizuki actually attempt to begin cleaning up the mess herself. And with her luck today...
Instead, she's curiously squinting at the fluttering feline; it's... very cute, but she can't helped but be awed by the oddity of it. The animals around these parts sure are something.
Susato returns while she's debating on luring it down. Mizuki blinks, then averts her gaze toward her. ]
That obvious, huh.
[ Her response is in part dry, and in another resigned. Exasperated, Mizuki shoves her hands into the pockets of her coat. ]
Ah, Blossom—! Don't eat that! [ Before she can respond to Mizuki, the feline lands, and moves to sniff the remnants of the cake. Susato holds out a hand in protest, which helpfully distracts her at the same time.
......Susato keeps a watchful eye as Blossom rubs her hand, though she's still eyeing the cake in way she doesn't like. Blossom steps back when Susato hurriedly moves to clean it all up, scooping up the worst of it with some heavy-duty napkins.
Anyway... ]
I don't think you're the only one. I have seen a few customers this week complaining of the same. Then I remembered the request on the Dream board...
[ ... Aww. It's even cuter up close. As tempting as it is to pet the peculiar looking cat, Mizuki opts for waiting until Susato is finished cleaning as she attempts to shoo the cat out of the way. ]
The dream board...?
[ Mizuki trails off in thought, brow furrowing. ]
But I didn't do anything on it. Didn't really look at it, either.
[ When Mizuki shoos Blossom, she will get the feeling that Blossom is saddened by this for a moment. She sticks her nose forward a bit, almost like she wants to sniff Mizuki's hand, but she evidently changes her mind and decides to fly away towards the wall of colorful jars that sections off where 76 usually sleeps.
Cherry blossoms are left in its wake, but honestly do not look out of place in the garden. ]
There was one about good luck charms. There are some fakes being sold around town, apparently... Did you recently purchase one?
[ Mizuki pauses, nose wrinkling before she responds: ]
Like one of these?
[ From her pocket, she pulls out something flat—a charm. Pressed upon it is a black, four-leaf clover shape, devoid of any green it would typically have. ]
They were really pushy about it, but I thought it was just junk, so... I took it so they'd leave me alone.
[ Susato had only caught a glimpse of the clover charms being sold. She makes her own charms, so she didn't have much of an interest, and luckily, looking like she's in a rush all the time seems to keep the salesmen at bay well enough. As such, she doesn't really know at a glance if that charm is fake or not.
Nothing is amiss at first. The blackened color is as unsettling as it is suspicious, but it's not until a dark, wispy smoke starts to rise from the trinket that there's any indication that something is wrong. ]
[ The smoke starts to seep through Mizuki's fingers. Perhaps it would have been best if she had dropped it, but either way, it's an easy fix. That is, so long as Mizuki doesn't have any attachment to it. ]
It's been tainted. It is probably best if we destroy it...
[ Her eyes grow wide, shifting the malicious charm in her hand to hold it up by its string between two fingers—tentatively, of course, as if the thing might attempt to bite at her. At the rate things are going, it may as well. ]
—Eugh. Go ahead and set it on fire for all I care.
[ Oh... The look Susato gives her next seems to ask, "how did you know?"
But soon as it is offered, she takes the charm gingerly, treating it like it's delicate, despite everything. She closes her eyes, and Mizuki is free to enjoy the show as her fire dreamotion kicks in, the blackened charm now a ball of flame within her hand. ]
The moment comes and goes in a matter of seconds, but Mizuki is left staring in awe after the fact. Though it's been a few months since her arrival in this world by now, such seemingly magical displays are still as captivating as they were the first time. ]
Ugh... I feel kind of lame that I didn't think about it before.
[ She did kind of stick it in her pocket and forgot about it. Still, it hadn't been obvious to her; Mizuki has held on to charms in the past, but beyond their sentimental value, she did typically have a pragmatic approach to whether or not they really did bring fortune or otherwise. ]
Are you sure? I still feel bad I ruined the first one.
[ Susato shakes her head. She'll take a look around the area to see that she's gotten the worst of it, then ties off the bag and prepares to leave to toss it out. ]
You may have to wait is all! I should have a fresh batch soon.
Allow me to check the kitchen and I will come right back.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
PUNCHES BACK
[ Snapped out of her thoughts, Mizuki lifts her head away from where she had been gazing into a pond. ]
No, it's okay, it wasn't that long. [ Or maybe she just lost track of time. ] I did. That looks really good...
no subject
Mizuki, correct? It's yours.
Chocolate with a caramel drizzle. I hope you like it.
no subject
[ From her spot by the pond, Mizuki pushes herself back up on her feet before accepting the plate, but just as she's about to grab a spot on the wooden bench next to her...
She turns on a wet spot in just the right way to slip, fumble, and lose her grip on the plate. With a yelp, the glassware and dessert crash to the stone walkway. ]
no subject
[ Susato watches it happen. With her arms free, she's able to reach forward. Perhaps she meant to save Mizuki as she fumbles, but it's too late. The plate crashes to the ground with a loud shattering sound, and with it, the bun cake, who is now a deformed monstrosity.
Susato swallows her disappointment. ]
Are you alright?! [ Susato offers her hand to at least help her up, eying the shards of plate. ] Careful... N, Not to worry, I'll bring another.
[ After she cleans this up, at least... ]
no subject
Okay, she's not actually about to snap or anything, but there's a sort of dead look to Mizuki's face that implies... it's Been A Day. ]
Mrrgh...
[ After her moment, she does finally accept Susato's hand, pulling herself back up. ]
Sorry. I can... clean it up.
[ Which may be odd to offer as a patron in a business, but when no one's really using any money, this feels so, so rude. ]
no subject
Don't worry, that's not necessary at all. These things happen.
[ She frowns though, thinking that it might have been happening a touch more often lately (in general), but not enough for her to question it until now.
Shyly, a few snakes poke their heads out of the greenery where they'd been hiding to investigate the commotion. Susato is so used to them that she doesn't notice. ]
I will take care of it in a jiff. Just wait here.
no subject
[ Mizuki looks a lot like she wants to protest, but she bites back on her tongue. Perhaps the sudden presence of snakes distracts her enough from doing so. ]
Okay... Sorry again.
no subject
Susato appears then, oblivious at first, picking up where they off as she makes a beeline for the bunny mess. ]
Um... Has this been happening to you a lot lately?
no subject
Instead, she's curiously squinting at the fluttering feline; it's... very cute, but she can't helped but be awed by the oddity of it. The animals around these parts sure are something.
Susato returns while she's debating on luring it down. Mizuki blinks, then averts her gaze toward her. ]
That obvious, huh.
[ Her response is in part dry, and in another resigned. Exasperated, Mizuki shoves her hands into the pockets of her coat. ]
It's been a weirdly stupid day.
no subject
......Susato keeps a watchful eye as Blossom rubs her hand, though she's still eyeing the cake in way she doesn't like. Blossom steps back when Susato hurriedly moves to clean it all up, scooping up the worst of it with some heavy-duty napkins.
Anyway... ]
I don't think you're the only one. I have seen a few customers this week complaining of the same. Then I remembered the request on the Dream board...
no subject
The dream board...?
[ Mizuki trails off in thought, brow furrowing. ]
But I didn't do anything on it. Didn't really look at it, either.
no subject
Cherry blossoms are left in its wake, but honestly do not look out of place in the garden. ]
There was one about good luck charms. There are some fakes being sold around town, apparently... Did you recently purchase one?
no subject
Like one of these?
[ From her pocket, she pulls out something flat—a charm. Pressed upon it is a black, four-leaf clover shape, devoid of any green it would typically have. ]
They were really pushy about it, but I thought it was just junk, so... I took it so they'd leave me alone.
no subject
Nothing is amiss at first. The blackened color is as unsettling as it is suspicious, but it's not until a dark, wispy smoke starts to rise from the trinket that there's any indication that something is wrong. ]
...!
no subject
[ She has half a mind to drop the thing, but manages to keep it within the palm of her hand. ]
I, er... haven't seen it do that before.
no subject
It's been tainted. It is probably best if we destroy it...
[ Though she won't do so without permission. ]
May I?
no subject
—Eugh. Go ahead and set it on fire for all I care.
[ For as miserable as it's made her already... ]
no subject
But soon as it is offered, she takes the charm gingerly, treating it like it's delicate, despite everything. She closes her eyes, and Mizuki is free to enjoy the show as her fire dreamotion kicks in, the blackened charm now a ball of flame within her hand. ]
no subject
The moment comes and goes in a matter of seconds, but Mizuki is left staring in awe after the fact. Though it's been a few months since her arrival in this world by now, such seemingly magical displays are still as captivating as they were the first time. ]
... Well. I guess it is the quickest way...
no subject
Her dreamotion manifesting in fire shouldn't be anything new, and truly it isn't, but perhaps in some ways, it is still feels alien to her. ]
I should make you a real one. Perhaps after I get you your cake proper. It should be fine now that we've nipped the misfortune following you.
no subject
[ She did kind of stick it in her pocket and forgot about it. Still, it hadn't been obvious to her; Mizuki has held on to charms in the past, but beyond their sentimental value, she did typically have a pragmatic approach to whether or not they really did bring fortune or otherwise. ]
Are you sure? I still feel bad I ruined the first one.
no subject
You may have to wait is all! I should have a fresh batch soon.
Allow me to check the kitchen and I will come right back.