RP:Muffins, Coffee and Bad Jobs

Part of the Hungry Like The Wolf Arc

Summary: Meri and Khitti discuss the work that Meri has taken on for Josleen, as well as plans for a future guild hunt for a lost artifact.

Cenril Ginger Snapped Bakery and Sweetshop

Sometimes Meri just shows up at the bakery without notice, springing a visit up on Khitti. The times that there is something more important to talk about though? Meri tends to send word in advance, just to make sure that Khitti is not swamped with something here....Or maybe she's not even here at all! Khitti is a woman of many talents, there are guilds to lead, things to hunt, children to raise. Today is one of those times that Meri actually sends word ahead of time...but that does not mean Meri herself is actually on time. She tries, very hard. But ever since having Fleur the woman struggles to make it anywhere on time. Her ability to make it anywhere on time is at the mercy of her daughter, and sometimes the babysitter. Today she is only running a few minutes past the time the time she said she'd show up. And when she does she it is not a child that she has tucked beneath her arm, but a couple of books. They're not Meri's books, she does not own too many of those things herself. She borrowed them from the Adverturer's Guild Library.

Khitti knew exactly what Meri was going through. Despite having all of those other responsibilities outside of the Tranquility, there was one within the ship--or the apartment depending on where KhittiBrand was staying at the time--that took a hell of a lot more time than most: getting Dominic dressed for the days. “Chiiiiccckkkeeeeennnn!” Dominic was screaming at the top of his lungs as Khitti scrubbed furiously at his favorite chicken shirt, “Oi! Quit your damn screaming! I’m working on it!” She was working on it. She really was. She was until the scrub brush scrubbed just a bit too hard and the well-worn shirt ripped. There was silence. Silence… and utter dread. Dominic knew what the sound of ripping meant, he made it happen when he was upset with his crayon drawings. Khitti would peek over her shoulder at her child, whose eyes were filling with tears like water in a basin, and would follow it up with the most pathetic crying noises you’ve ever heard in your life. “Ohgodohgodohgod!” The kid was picked up, as well as a shirt he definitely didn’t want to wear, and he was carried at full speed to his father. Brand can deal with it. Wherever Brand was at the time, he’d find himself with a child in his arms and a Khitti running off into another direction to exit the ship while yelling in one breath, “I’mlateI’msorryIloveyouI’llfixitlaterPleasedon’tkillmeBye!” All color had drained from her face as she left the dock, Dominic’s screams echoing throughout the wharf and into the great beyond. Khitti would finally make it to her bakery, a look of frightened guilt written upon her features. But, that would soon be mixed with confusion once she spied Meri with books, “What the frak. Also, hi. This may be the last time you see me. I think Dominic -and- Brand are going to kill me when I go home.” She coughed innocently, then waved a hand at Victoria, the head waitress. “The usual please, Victoria!” Khitti’s usual was a blueberry muffin with those huge sugar crystals on top and a much needed coffee, while Meri’s was… well… whatever her writer decided.

Yes, the struggle was indeed real for all mom's out there in the world. Out of the two mom's present right, Khitti was evidently taking the 'rough mom day' cup. The red head came in looking frazzled, and that was enough to keep Meri from getting straight down to he business of why Meri was here with books. Khitti placed her order, Meri did too. All Meri wanted today was coffee, maybe the werewolf would change her mind later and decide to snack. Who knows. She was prone to quiet the appetite ever since being bitten. "What the frak? That's a question that I feel like I should be asking of you. So what the frak, Khitti? Why are you coming in here looking like you accidentally killed the family spider? Is that what happened? Is that why Dominic and Brand might kill you later when you come home?" Victoria was on it when it came to their orders, but Khitti named her head waitress for a reason, didn't she? Soon Khitti had her muffin and coffee, and Meri her coffee...what neither of them had were answers to any of their 'what the frak' question. Meri's answer will come soon, Khitti's potential death is seeming slightly more important at this point in time.

Khitti shrugged and sipped her coffee, “No, I didn’t kill Francis. I -did- rip Dominic’s only chicken shirt which is also his favorite which must be worn every single day until the end of time. I’ll, uh, just have to make a stop to get him like fifty before I go home and we’ll be good.” The redhead stopped, stared at nothing in particular as the gears in her head turned, “And get Brand a strawberry cheesecake and shove it in his mouth before he can yell at me. And maybe the biggest bottle of expensive whiskey I can find.” Her attention finally settled on her sister again, as well as the books, “You, on the other hand, I’m not sure you’re even you. I don’t think I’ve seen you with this many books ever.” Khitti tried to hide a smirk behind her coffee cup, but it didn’t work. “If you mean to take my job as resident bookworm in this family, you must know that I’m prepared to fight for that title.” She was joking, of course. Mostly. Maybe.

Meri makes a cross-eyed expression while also wrinkling up her nose when she hears that all the trouble is being caused because Khitti is a HORRIBLE MOM who ripped her son's favorite shirt. That poor kid. "You just need to get a stockpile going of all things chicken...Just in case x breaks you can try and distract him with y. I think getting like fifty of the chicken shirts is a good stock pile." After taking a couple of big gulps from her coffee, Meri takes one of the books of the pile of two and slides it toward Khitti. "I am not trying to compete at all. One of these books is actually for you to go through. Because you're better at it than I am. The whole reading thing." I mean, Meri knew how to read, she was not dumb! Khitti was just a faster reader. "One of these books...is related to a project that I have been trying to research. The other is related to a job that I just took on...That I would like to keep between us. I don't think most people in the guild would approve of who hired me for this job..."

Khitti would definitely do this stockpiling thing--it’s a wonder she made it this far without destroying one of Dominic’s most beloved possessions. The idea is filed away for later, the redhead much more focused on the prospect of doing research, something she’d not done in quite awhile! “What sort of project?” She’d eye the cover of the book, before flipping it open to glance over things while the blonde spoke. “Well, whomever this person is can’t be any worse than the people I’ve done things for.” You know, Facilier… Amarrah… Gevurah… Gabriel. There was a list. A list that may indeed get longer in the future depending on things go for Khitti. “Who is it?”

The book that was presented to Khitti, the one that she is now flipping through? It's an encyclopedia of known wands, at least the ones that are worth writing about. Some of the information may be dated, like who the current holder of the wand is? This book was published years ago, so perhaps some of the information is not accurate. "Josleen. I thought about turning it down...all things considered. But it seems like a good way to get a sense of just what that monarchy is up to these days...Plus her job will be taking me directly into the area that I think may contain an item that I am curious about." Meri taps on the second book that she brought, the one that is placed in front of her. It's an encyclopedia on amulets. Imagine that. "It'll give me access to expensive resources for my project...at the expense of the monarchy." Meri says this part in a hushed voice, just in case. Not that those who reside in Cenril have a high opinion of anything Larket related still. "Anyway. She has hired me and a couple other blocs to take her down into the area below enchantment? She is convinced that there is a wand down there. A yew wand. Which is where you come in...She's not going to tell me why she wants this want, what's so special about it, what it does...and I am hoping that you can help me to figure out just what the hell she is up to with this request. Like...I don't know crap about wands or yew..other than yew is probably some type of tree. Pretty much, I want to make sure I am not giving the Wicked Witch of Larket any more tools to go burning people at stakes...or maybe she decides she wants to start turning people into newts..." Maybe this encyclopedia would reveal to Khitti what want in specific Josleen was after. Or maybe Khitti already had sufficient knowledge of yew wands and what purposes they could serve, she was a bookworm after all.

Khitti ’s eyes bugged out of her head a bit as Josleen’s name was mentioned. Khitti wasn’t judging Meri, of course, but there was a hint of surprise, and maybe even a slight eye twitch because of the name. She’d nod as Meri continued, a frown immediately lining her lips and those red brows of hers furrowed in concern, “Meri… yew is used in necromancy. But--” She shut the book and pulled it closer to her, studying the table before looking to her sister again, a hand moving from the book to her muffin to pick it at idly, “--there may be other uses for it. I’ll look for them.” Muffin was shoved in her mouth as the gears turned in her head, “Back before we went to the Shadow Plane at all, I went with Brand to Vailkrin to practice raising the dead. It was in the book I was looking in for ingredients. I wanted something temporary; the yew was for something long term.” Khitti paused and frowned again, “Did you ever hear those rumors about Macon working for Vakmathras…? I really hope it’s not connected.” The templar shook her head and sighed, “We’ll figure it out, whatever it is, and hopefully keep her from doing whatever the hell it is she plans on doing with it. What’s this item you’re looking for anyway?”

/was still slightly judging herself for this decision. It felt dirty, gross, and wrong to even take this job and she was still trying to convince herself that the justifications for taking it were actually worth it. There was plenty of doubt if this was something she should be doing and Meri did not bother and try and mask her concern over this. It's written in her expression, and that expression deepens when Khitti explains that yew is often used in necromancy. "I had heard that rumors..that at least one person residing in Larket is connected with Vakmathras. I was not sure how accurate these rumors were or how influential this person may or may not be in anything...Maybe there is more truth to that than we want..." Meri's gut was telling her that she was not entirely sure that she wanted Josleen to actually obtain this yew wand...All of those thoughts are pushed to the back of her mind. It's with a sip of her coffee that Meri continues. "I found mention of an amulet that has some sort of connection to lycanthropy." Meri opens her book now, she already knows what page she is flipping too..and no it is not because she has that page dogearred. She just remembers the page number.The information on this amulet is very vague. Pretty much what Meri has summarized is all that is written. It's not the most detailed logging in this particular book. The only information that is written that Meri has not verbally explained is that the amulet is guarded and that the key to finding this treasure is kept close in hand in lands accessed by water and guarded by dragons.

Khitti was right there with Meri on the not wanting to let Josleen get this wand--hell, Khitti somewhat wanted it for herself at this point. BUT! Not to do awful terrible no-good things with it. Something something ‘it belongs in a museum’. Or in Khitti’s case, a room at the Devout’s Guild Vailkrin HQ that was filled with magic items of all kinds; all were minor objects (that is to say, they weren’t on the same level as Khitti’s katana), and some were related to the gods while others weren’t. Okay, so there was maybe the small want to keep it to herself entirely. It had been made known to Khitti that this current Onyx was not -their- Onyx and she wondered now if she might be able to bring the other one back with bringing back Facilier as well. It was a thought… a bad thought… one that Khitti quickly did away with. Two Onyxes would not be preferable. “Well, I’m assuming you know way more about Faeryland than I do--” Meri does indeed. Khitti’s never been there before. She always imagined it as something bright and entirely too wholesome, though she knew that fae folk were anything but. “--so if you think you’ll find something out there, then I think you should definitely go for it. But, I’m concerned about the dragons… It took an entire team of Brand, Lionel, Pilar, Esche, and a bunch of Catalian dwarves to kill a dragon and rescue me from her cave. -That one- was very old. A millennia, I think? There’s no telling how old these ones might be… could be even moreso than the Blue was.”

Meri would not boast to be an expert of Faeryland, but she has been there a few times. She knows enough, enough that she can only bob her head in agreement with all that Khitti is saying on the dragons. They could be old, harder to fight than anything they might encounter in Rynvale. There was nothing Meri could say to dispel this concern. "Yeah, well...if things go wrong...I will just push Josleen in their direction. They can eat her while I run the other way...Banking hard on the whole 'I can run faster scared than you can pissed.' Especially with the team she decided to assemble...But you know...if things went south and I had to go that route? That might make all of our lives easier...there will be no chance of her getting that wand if she's not alive..." Needless to say all this talk about plotting to kill the Queen is also a conversation that Meri has in a hushed voice. Meri is not in the know of all things Onyx related. The two women have not had a chance to sit down and talk about that situation yet. Meri might have addressed it earlier, but they already had plenty of 'What the Frak' questions for one another. Now seems like a great window, "So...have you and Onyx talked since...?" Well since he reappeared.

“I don’t want to know who else she roped into this. But yeah, you do that. You frakking run. You don’t even know -what type- of dragons you might run into, so that you can prepare. I got lucky with Raiez because she was an idiot that liked to show off.” Frustration was written on Khitti’s features when Onyx was brought up, beyond what Khitti was thinking about in the back of her head. “It’s… complicated. About as complicated as the stuff they told you forever ago. It’s Onyx, but it’s not our Onyx. When I questioned them about the secret-keeping that the first one did, this one just basically said “I don’t know why that Onyx did what they did because that one’s not me.” She pushed her barely touched muffin aside, a hand used to rub her eyes in irritation, “There’s no connection whatsoever between this one and me, so I’m right back to where we were in the beginning, where Onyx is cold and aloof and doesn’t care.”

The look on Meri's face probably says it all. She is almost just as confused as Khitti, only almost because Khitti has all of those complicated emotions and feeling to process upon learning that Onyx is not her Onyx. Meri opens her mouth to voice her confusion, if he was not her Onyx then why did he and Brand seem so familiar with one another still? Maybe they weren't....Meri was only in the know on so many things...but based on what she saw? With Onyx escorting her to this meeting? Lurking like a shadow? Joining up with the crew? The fact that he was not the same Onyx was just perplexing to Meri. And if he was not the same Onyx...who were they? And what was bringing them back to the Tranquility? As much as Meri wants to ask all of these things, she has a gut feeling that Khitti probably does not even know the answer to most of these questions. "Okay..." Meri says, the tone of her voice laden with the confusion she is feeling.

Khitti nodded at Meri’s confusion, “I wish I could tell you more, but they won’t even tell Brand and I.” She paused, trying to think of an easy way of explaining the situation, “You know when a trap is set, someone will put in a failsafe, just in case the initial trap doesn’t work? That’s… basically what this Onyx is. I’m trying not to think much about what this might mean. They didn’t show up for all that hell in Venturil, so… why now?” It was clear that Meri’s concerns were also Khitti’s concerns. “I’m… sure they’ll tell us when they’re ready. Or when something bad’s going to happen. Hopefully.” She was a little -too- hopeful here, considering this Onyx’s predecessor told them nothing whatsoever.

Meri frowns as a result of Khitti's description. A failsafe. Meri equally did not want to think about what that might mean. Why now indeed. "I don't know if I would go counting those chickens before they hatch..." Meri says in response to how hopeful Khitti is that maybe Onyx will share some information. Meri does not share this hope. "Speaking of chickens....I believe you need to run around Cenril to find a way to diffuse you left with Brand....And I should probably head home and put some chicken in the oven for Fleur and I to have for dinner, relieve the babysitter of her duties...yada yada..." Meri stands, taking her big book on amulets and leaving Khitti with the one on wands.

Whatever little bit of hope that Khitti had scrounged up for All Things Onyx dissipated when Meri gave her warning. It really wasn’t Meri’s fault--Khitti’s hope had been held together by imaginary string and bubblegum, after all. She’d think on her sister’s words briefly before the blonde mentioned her leaving and Khitti’s impending quest to find anything chicken-related that might subdue Dominic while she waited to get as many shirts as possible custom-made for the kid. “Yeah. You be careful on this whole frakked up mission of yours.” As Meri left, Khitti’d go over and take care of their mugs and Khitti’s muffin, wrapping the not even half-eaten baked good up and leaving it upstairs in the apartment before she too made her way out into Cenril.