[semi-closed] 🔶 the soap opera of his life begins

[noblegarnet]

Who: Ferran Gallagher & CR
When: Deceuer
Where: Karen's Patisserie, the Light/Karin/Rikku house, and around town.
What: Catch-all! Closed threads and a wildcard for any new cr (hit me up below!)
Warnings: nothin

A. 2nd | Closed to Lightning

[Between Rikku's injuries and his own emergent problems, Ferran is certainly having a time of things as he tries to keep himself occupied. Between small jobs, working with his magic, learning about this world, and obsessing over any potential future changes, physical or otherwise... ugh, maybe he should look for some kind of steady employment. It would take out some of the anxiety, at least.

He's not thinking of the place as an option when he steps inside, but the thought occurs to him as he walks up to the counter, intending to order something nice for himself so he can try to relax and stop thinking (and thus worrying) so much. His fur-lined cape is drawn closely enough around him to hide the still-fragile flaps that could technically be called wings, in an attempt to keep them from being touched by the cold. It's only mostly successful.]

B. 4th | Closed to Leanne

When Rikku is finally allowed to go home to rest, Ferran's hovering takes him that way as well—and although he hadn't sought out the naga who was responsible for the situation, he finds himself sharing the space with her more often than he was anticipating. Even though she seems to have their mutual bond's well being in mind, their proximity in relative privacy draws up his defenses significantly.

And, well, the best defense is a good offense.

A day or two after they meet, he pulls her aside for a moment with a light touch on her shoulder, a serious but carefully neutral expression on his face.

"Can we speak outside for a moment?"

Wildcard.

[OOC: Check out Ferran's info over here, and hit me up over pm or at lumieresdedragon and we can figure something else out! This month, Ferran can be found buying a few art and baking supplies and small Modranicht decorations, as well as studying illusions and enchantments in the Coven library. He could also be roped into the Written in the Stars or Personal Shopping quests!]

Comments

[sparkstrikes]

[Lightning had heard about Rikku's injuries, but that's as far as her knowledge goes. She has no idea how or why, and all she's been able to do in the meantime is prepare her room for when she returns home, trying to make it as comfortable as possible all while rehearsing her speech about how important it is to be careful in her own head.

Boy, is that girl gonna get a lecture when she's feeling better!

In the meantime, she's keeping herself as busy as always, working at the Patisserie in between bigger jobs with the higher payouts. This is just to keep the girls afloat, and to put food on the table... It's not like she likes working here or anything!

Especially when Karen decides to put her out front, instead of in the back where she initially asked to work. So when Ferran wanders up to the counter, his face not striking any familiarity with her, Lightning is absolutely thrilled to be the one to greet him.]

Welcome to Karen's Patisserie, [she says in a low, droning voice, straightening her stupid happy-face croissant apron.] What do you want?

[That should be "what can I get for you?"]

[noblegarnet]

[Well, then. She sounds about as tired as he is, and his eyebrows raise at the curt greeting. Eh, well, not every cashier is a winner...]

An earl grey tea and a honey croissant, please. [As he's pulling out his wallet from somewhere between five layers of clothing, a thought occurs to him. Damn, he really needs to get to know Rikku better, but...] Ah, what's in season right now? I'm thinking of getting something to take to someone when I'm done...

[sparkstrikes]

[Lightning rings him in, walks away in the middle of his sentence, still listening, and slides a honey croissant into a bag before handing it over the counter, the initial hardness in her expression softening when he asks for a suggestion.

This part she can do.]

Ignore the in season stuff. What does this person like?

[noblegarnet]

[With a sigh, he places the cunes down and takes the bag, creasing the edge of it between his fingers.]

That's the problem... I haven't known her long enough to know what she likes yet. [And with the situation, it wasn't like favorite flavors was at the top of his list of concerns.] I was just hoping something fresh would distract her from boredom, since she's stuck in bed right now.

[sparkstrikes]

[Huh. Funny, Lightning knows someone stuck in bed right now, too...]

If it were me, I wouldn't mind something with fruit. Like a piece of shortcake, or lemon cakes.

[As she motions to the cakes on display as she mentions them, a brow lifts.]

Your friend alright?

[noblegarnet]

[He follows her gesture with his eyes, considering.]

Shortcake. Yeah, that might be nice.

[At the question, though, he pauses. That plus the slight furrow in his brow might be enough to tell Lightning he'd been asking that question himself recently.]

She will be... as long as she actually stays in bed.

[At this point, he has to wonder if he's anxious purely because of his own worries, or if some of Rikku's impatience has managed to make its way through their bond.]

so sorry for the wait! 😣

[sparkstrikes]

I've got someone who's stuck in bed for a while, too.

[Lightning's otherwise dull tone is coloured with some worry beneath it, and she starts to cut smaller sample size pieces of both the strawberry shortcake and the lemon cake for him to taste. Not that he asked, but it's better to know what you're buying, right?]

She's stubborn about it... [First, she hands Ferran the shortcake.] She's probably snuck her way outta the house by now, if Karin's not home.

:> np

[noblegarnet]

[Wait, what?

The realization happens very quickly—connecting Karin to Rikku and their third roommate hardly takes an instant after the former's name is mentioned, and the relevant parts of his talk with the harpy also fall into place. ... however, that doesn't mean he's prepared for the conversation, and he ends up staring for a little longer than might be polite.

Okay, play it cool. Maybe relating over it is a good approach. He tries to give her a mild smile as he accepts the piece of shortcake, some exasperation over his bonded's mentioned stubbornness.]

I wouldn't put it past her... Rikku doesn't seem like she knows the meaning of downtime.

[sparkstrikes]

[Lightning's eyes dart immediately to his face, and they narrow as she observes him further, as if suddenly sizing him up. The piece of lemon cake she was prepared to offer is set down, away from his reach.]

You know her?

[And he seems to know her well, judging by the way he talks about her. She really doesn't know the meaning of downtime or taking it easy, much to her housemates' dismay.]

[song_princess]

[Leanne hardly left Rikku's side once she was brought out of her feral state. Guilt, she felt so much guilt that she almost killed the youth. She felt especially guilty over the sheer amount of venom that was injected into her.

The heron turned naga was clearing away dishes from a recent tea and snack break, she felt that light touch on her shoulder. She would have normally blinked but these eyes don't seem to have the ability to. Another change to her that she hated. Gold eyes goes to look towards Ferran and she frowns a little.]

Of... Of course, my lord.

[She just speaks softly, her wings drooping a little behind her. This man... It was Rikku's first and other bond. He... He was going to kick her out or maybe something worse. But, she deserved it. Any punishment given, she deserves for what she has done.]

[noblegarnet]

Ferran's lips thin at the address, but neither his gaze nor his tone get any harsher, simply exasperated. Perhaps he would have mostly let it go as a personal quirk if they had met under better circumstances, but being called something so archaic in his mind isn't something he can take seriously.

"It's just 'Ferran,' please."

He moves to step outside the cottage at his normal pace, expecting her to follow, and his own still-fragile wings are restless and fluttering faintly under the cape that mostly hides them from view. The burst of cold air on his face isn't entirely pleasant, but it helps to sharpen his focus a little.

Once they're both a few feet away from the door, he turns to her properly, gloved hands folded together.

"How long have you been in Aefenglom?"

[song_princess]

"Are you sure, my lord Ferran?"

Yup, it was a personal quirk, a very well drilled into her type of personal quirk. She sighs as she starts fearing what he was going to say to her. How he was going to punish her for this sin.

She goes to follow him a few feet away, keeping both her wings drooped and head lowered. Only stopping because A.) VERY COLD AIR AND COLD BLOODED NOW! and B.) He stopped and turned to face her.

".... Since July, my lord Ferran..."

Oh goddess, here is comes.

[noblegarnet]

"I'm sure."

He brings a hand to his forehead, briefly rubbing it to keep himself from letting out a long sigh. Five months is a long time to be stuck on a different planet without learning about the essential parts of being here. If they were all new to this, he'd get it—if nobody knew how the Mirrorbound functioned, of course he couldn't have blamed her.

He'll give her the benefit of the doubt. For a moment. He's not as informed about the entire process as he'd like to be, even if he feels relatively confident in his educated guesses.

"And when you arrived, what did they tell you about bonds, if anything?

[song_princess]

"Okay...."

She didn't want to argue. The guilt going through her was eating her alive and also awaiting punishment was almost just as bad.

Leanne watches as he cycles through his reactions before looking down and away.

"Very little, but that I needed to find one as soon as possible. I... I tried finding one, offering to do a temporary bond but... I guess that I was overlooked. I learned more of it from fellow monsters and I thought that I had more time. More time to find someone..."

She still spoke in a quiet tone and also refusing to look at him in the eyes.

[noblegarnet]

Ferran folds his arms, watching her intently for a moment before turning his gaze to a distant spot on the ground. In a sense, it sounds as if she had given it a decent amount of effort, but her only failure had been an optimism regarding how long she could hold out that Ferran had entirely lacked.

He considers the possibilities that could have led to this, tapping his heel against the ground. Perhaps she had merely been unlucky—people willing to bond with her may have left back through their mirrors, and those who spoke with her either failed to mention any time restraints or didn't know themselves. After all, even Rikku had seemed surprised by something she'd heard from the owner of that cafe, regarding bonds. They're at the mercy of the information they have access to, especially as monsters, which is why Ferran had frantically acquired every scrap he could in the past month and a half, and he still feels woefully unprepared. But he'd taken the search for a bond to something of an extreme, even if it's worked out in his favor.

He hates not having a solid person or group to blame for a misfortune like this. Now he can only be upset at this damned world and whatever forces have caused them to change this way. His hands tense, gripping the fabric of his sleeves as he returns his gaze to the laguz.

"I'd recommend you keep looking for witches to bond with, just in case," he finally says after a long moment of silent thought. "If Rikku goes home, then you'll want to make sure you're not going to lose control again."

[song_princess]

Leanne hated being like this. All of his scolding was just a painful reminder of the crime she committed. Especially towards one who bonded with her so quickly after recovering.

She continues to look down, fidgeting with the helm of her dress as she waits in silence to hear more of his chastising and lectures.

"... I know. But right now... I just want to focus on Rikku... I finally got a bond. She was still willing to bond with me even though I lost control.... I want to make sure that she is alright."

[noblegarnet]

Well, of course she'd want to make up for what she did. After losing control and attacking someone who'd been kind to her... he'd probably react the same way. He'd beg for forgiveness, and do everything in his power to make the path to recovery an easy one if he wasn't simply driven away. If there's one thing he can say for Leanne, though, it's that she's facing all of this head-on despite seeming like she expects the worst to come her way. If it were him, he'd probably be too much of a coward not to run, at some point...

The fear of not being in control of his own actions, though—it still sends a chill down his spine even now, and his wings flutter with a brief shudder under his cloak. Even if there are things he still wonders about regarding that sort of thing back home, that's in the past right now. It doesn't matter what he might have been made to do, or what plans that man had in place for his future.

What matters right now is his bonded and his life here, however difficult the situation may be. His response is distant, reflecting his far-off thoughts.

"Right..."

As Karin said, and as he experienced himself, Rikku was a generous person, possibly to her own detriment... and although he was already going to come over and do his part to help the girl's recovery along anyway, now he has someone else to check up on while he's here. After all, they're all connected now, and if Leanne suffers, that's going to affect Rikku as well.

"Don't wear yourself out over it," he says, his tone not entirely friendly, but not without sympathy. "I'll be watching over her as well, and I'm sure Karin and Lightning won't want to leave her on her own, either. Just keep what I said in mind, okay?"

12/22

[chefalier]

[The last thing Sanji expected to get was a present, especially one from Ferran. Not that he thinks they're on bad terms or anything like that, but he sure was surprised to see a gift addressed to him. Who allowed the kid to be nice to him??? And well, Sanji just simply couldn't let that go.

So one call later, which involved asking Ferran if he will be home at this time, Sanji finds himself in front of the Fae's house, carrying a small bag of ingredients as he waits for him to open the door. Sure, he could've kicked the door in and started cooking that way, but... for some reason, the thought makes him cringe. He blames his stupid vampire senses. He's a pirate, breaking into places never bothered him before.

Tch.

Nonetheless, once Ferran opens the door, he'll be greeted by the cook waiting in a slightly restless position, his trademark cigarette lit in his mouth.]

Hey.

[noblegarnet]

[Thankfully, the prior notification allowed Ferran to prepare for the visit, which mostly just means that he wasn't busy with anything else when the pirate arrived, and it's only a few seconds after the knock that the Fae opens the door.

Of note since the last time they met, Ferran is wearing a backless shirt and coat to let his relatively new wings through, still thin and useless three weeks later. If they were meeting somewhere else, he'd have them covered up by his usual cape, but there's really no point while he's at home unless he gets especially cold.]

Good evening.

[He's being a little facetious—maybe in part because the man has been kind of vulgar in their previous meetings, the contrast is amusing to him. But speaking of the cold—whatever Sanji wants, he didn't say, but Ferran assumes he wants to come in, which is better for the both of them anyway. He steps to the side from the door, gesturing with his head for the man to head inside in a wordless invitation.

If he tries to step in with that stupid cigarette still in his mouth, though, he'll get an arm across the doorway, blocking him from entering. Don't even think about bringing that garbage in here.]

[chefalier]

[There's a pause as Sanji takes a look at Ferran, mostly, the wings that's spreading from his back. It's a reaffirmation that the kid is a Fae, but seeing it firsthand... he almost feels entranced. It lasts only a second, his eyes sharpening on his appearance, before the cook snaps out of it. It's fine. He's fine.

Nothing to do with his own growing vampire instincts.

He can control himself, shit, he's here to make something nice for Ferran after the gift he received. Sanji is a lot of things, but he's not ungrateful for people's kindness. So he begins to step inside, only stopping when Ferran blocks his entry with an arm.

Okay, what the hell.]

...What?

[Was it the staring from earlier? Maybe he doesn't like vampires and just figured him out?]

[noblegarnet]

[Ferran points an accusatory finger at the cigarette that Sanji apparently hasn't realized is a problem. He's starting to vaguely recall that he got kicked out of the clinic he'd brought the Fae to for the same thing. You'd think he'd learn... but maybe not enough people have pointed it out.]

No smoking in my house.

[He's too fixated on that to have noticed any staring, perhaps for the best.]

[chefalier]

[Sanji's eyes drift from the accusatory finger, following its path to land on his-- oh. His cigarette. Of all the things that Ferran could be upset about, he didn't think that would be the thing to set him off. So, it's not because he's a vampire?? Maybe he hasn't noticed yet. Could be a thing to mention soon anyway.

He'll do so eventually.

He lets out a large exhale, before the cook finally takes the cigarette out of his mouth, grinding the bud into the sole of his shoe to put it out. Well, he can respect other people's rules, sometimes.]

All good?

[noblegarnet]

Thank you.

[He relaxes again, stepping back to let the chef in properly this time. He closes the door behind them to keep any more cold from getting in—his new wings can only take so much.]

So, are you going to tell me what this is about?

[chefalier]

[Sanji steps inside once he's allowed to, taking a small glance around at the interior of Ferran's home. Fancy, almost rich, which isn't surprising given the exterior of it. He's still surprised that the kid willingly chose to live in a place like this by himself, but whatever. Sanji's not here to bitch about something like that.

Maybe it's a dream of his to live in a big fancy house.]

Yeah. [He starts heading off towards the direction of Ferran's kitchen, not really explaining himself until he's already walking from the Fae.]

Gonna cook for you.

[noblegarnet]

[Ferran follows after him towards the kitchen—the brief glimpse he got at the items in that bag gave him a vague impression, but he's still not entirely sure he understands. Is this a cultural thing? Sanji's pride as a chef? He laughs a little helplessly as he replies; he's not going to turn the man down, of course, but...]

What's the occasion?

[A few different sets of skittering footsteps can be heard as they head in, although only the squirrel with broccoli for a tail is visible, peeking down from the top of a cabinet at the visitor.]