2017-12-17: Metal Dinner

• Log: Metal Dinner
• Cast: Jacqueline Barber, Shalune Amira, Lunata Croze, Catenna, Kourin, Carina Wynne, Noeline, Matilda Whitehead, Yarobeleedt
• Where: The CaraKin
• Date: December 17, 2017
• Summary: The CaraKin has Carina and her family over for dinner.

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=======================<* November City - Market Street *>========================

November City is the greatest and the largest of the Seed Cities. When it appeared after the Night of Falling Stars, it was already a large settlement, built by the survivors of that day quickly. It has since grown enormously, appealing to people in the Badlands in search of some security and the refugees from failed and lost Seed Cities. Market Street, its main thoroughfare, demonstrates this. On the outskirts of the city, shantytowns and shacks pop up along the street, gradually becoming the larger buildings in the heart of November.

The street is named for the huge market that has sprung up across it, occupying the three and four story brick buildings along each side. It's a wide, paved road (a rare thing in the Badlands) and connected to Central Station, where all of the railways come. Here, one can find anything they want. The laissez-faire nature of November City's government makes the black market an open one, and this is one of the few places where ARMs and stolen goods from Aveh and Kislev can be bought with ease.

There are also saloons, taverns, restaurants, and hotels to be found. November City is a true melting pot, where Drifters from across Filgaia mix with foreign merchants and locals of every class. Men wearing suits brush by peasants in homespun, while Drifters and knights bump into each other. The police force usually prevents outright gunfights in the streets, but November City's officials are infamously easy to bribe.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFi2pwQRRzQ

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

After the attack on the Wynne Chester store a few days ago, the Caravan Kinship had made a deal with Carina...and, to help smooth things over, had offered to invite her and her parents to dinner.

It probably wasn't necessary, but who could say no to a free delicious meal?

It was decided, to help give Carina's parents a better idea of who they were and how they did their business, that it would take place at the Carakin - and so, the past few hours had been spent making sure the place was neat, orderly, and presentable.

The Carakin has been parked in a safe location not too far out of the way. For a large wheeled vehicle, it was actually pretty cozy. Just inside the door is the living area with comfortable sofas set up for people to sit in. There's also a board on the wall, on which are placed various notices and messages to and from individual members. Beyond that are sections containing the member's rooms, the cockpit, and the kitchen/dining area. All in all, there was a very homey feel to it.

When the Wynnes arrive, Jacqueline will be waiting for them outside the door. She'd dressed up a little for their sake, wanting to make a good impression, and when she sees them, she'll give them a friendly smile.

"Ah, welcome! Please, come in and have a seat." She says, motioning them inside.

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

... ... standing 'guard' by the Caravan Kinship's vehicle is a twelve-foot golem, its metal rusted and pitted but its form rounded and friendly. It looks up as the family approach, and carefully adjusts the big -- piece of cardboard hanging from its next, coloured and drawn-in as if to represent a tuxedo and bow tie. With creaking motions, it leans down and extends a patchwork fist towards the door in a welcoming bow.

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

Lunata's been working hard over the last couple of hours -- working with Catenna to prepare a feast for the Wynnes. Contrasting the Zortroan's more well-defined specialty of curries and exotic Ellurian foods, she had to think about what she had to prepare...

... and ultimately always came back to her specialty: soup.

There's a large share bowl of piping-hot white bean, tomatillo and chicken soup, creamy and rich with garnishes of coriander and a bowl of sour cream and chives. Garlic and rosemary croutons are placed at the side, along with several loaves of dinner baps that she's baked fresh for the dinner event in a nicely decorated bread bowl.

"... whew..." Lunata rubs at her forehead as she finishes up, stretching just for a moment. "That was a lot of kneading, but I think it went well."

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Today is Curry Day.

The smells which have been wafting from the kitchen in the lead-up to the meal prove it; Carina and her family will be able to smell it wafting through the door when they arrive.

This is, perhaps, why Catenna is not waiting outside with the welcome wagon. One can find her in the kitchen, carefully lifting the lid on a massive pot of rice, stirring, then tasting delicately. She checks another pot, bubbling with something crimson and aromatic.

Catenna's got a couple of options to pair with the rice and the soup. The main course is a pot of beef rogan josh, a delicious combination of meltingly tender brisket and luxurious spices, the spice coming from its complex aromas rather than from heat; the spice of it is actually quite approachable. A touch of saffron both adds to its richness and lends it a fiery crimson colour. For those less inclined towards meat, there's a pot of vegan potato curry, spicy and laden with chickpeas, peas and tomatoes.

She takes another careful taste of the brisket curry, tilting her head, then nodding to Lunata with a gentle smile. "It really did," she says as she wipes her forehead with a white cloth. "You did wonderfully. I'm sure Carina and her family will be very pleased."

Moving the rice pot, she ducks to one side of the kitchen to de-apron. Beneath it, she put on one of her nicer dresses. It's moon-grey, with a pattern of golden rings and crisscrossing violet sashes across the waist and bold geometric patterns in black, silver, violet and yellow.

<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

Kourin, she is here, and dressed quite nicely, being quiet and silent and stuff. She's shy, even though she's less upset than she has been recently.

<Pose Tracker> Carina Wynne has posed.

EARLIER TODAY

The Wynnes are sharing a friend's guest room for the time being. Carina is alone inside, wearing the Metal Digger armor and striking poses in front of a full-length mirror. She switches to kicking the air, whiplike, with more strength and skill than it would make any sense for her to have. She nearly knocks a shelf over.

"Aw jeez," she says, propping a precariously-wobbling vase back up. The door's handle turns.

"Daaaaad, I'm changing!" Carina blurts out.

"Oh, sorry." The handle comes to a stop.

Carina takes off the belt. The armor vanishes, piece by piece. The young woman sighs. She should really tell them, shouldn't she?

AND NOW

"Yeah, so this is the place!" Carina gestures to the vehicle, looking a little nervous but otherwise all smiles as usual. She's wearing her hair down today, along with a star-patterned blue sundress and sandals. She's carrying a heavy-looking bag that likely contains her gunsmoke ARM, at the very least. She waves enthusiastically. "Hey, Miss Jay!"

The mother is a dark-skinned woman of amazonian proportions, wearing silky white hair in a waist-length braid. She doesn't seem like she dressed up for the occasion, wearing only a simple sleeveless top and denim shorts.

"Lavender Wynne," she introduces herself to Jay, offering a confident handshake. She looks up at the golem with an amused smile and makes her way into the CaraKin.

The father is a slightly shorter, fair-skinned man with a tuft of brown hair and a Hulk Hogan mustache that would be unfortunate if it weren't currently in style. He, on the other hand, is wearing a tuxedo.

"Maurice Wynne," he handshakes as well. "My daughter has been tellin' me you saved her life from a real nogoodnik. We can't thank you enough."

Carina, meanwhile, is already inside. "OH MY GAAAAAAAAH," she practically screams, fists clenched, as she stares at the table. "You guys are amazing!! Mom, look, they made Josh Rogen!"

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Shalune has kind of done her part, Big Shal's new 'look' aside - she's spent some time decorating and laying out the table nicely, as was always her task back at the Starfall Saloon when she was working there. Her cooking might be far from restaurant-level, unlike Lunata or Catenna, but she's always excelled at the 'bright and cheery' part of the waitress job, and she begins helping bus the plates and dishes out to the table with a smile and just a little of her tongue stuck out the corner of her mouth in concentration.

"Ah, hi Ma'am, Sir!" she greets as the parents enter, easily picking up the thread of the situation as she sets one of the pots down as a centrepiece. "We're just pullin' everything out the kitchen now - I hope you're hungry, because we did kinda go a little overboard," she snickers brightly, turning back towards the kitchen door to poke her head inside. "Lunie, was that everything? Didja wanna go wash your face or anything?"

She's at least been coaxed into taking off her coat, though the pale yellow sweater she wears underneath is not exactly dressed 'nicely' so much as 'comfortably', and her bobble hat is still on. ... someone could really use an Act 3 Cool Upgrade, but for the moment her bright smile kind of powers through any questions or concerns.

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

Matilda is... not feeling very well today, truthfully. But she's here! And because she has the ability to cook well, she's been working on food. Not the main dish, of course -- she's never quite had the knack for savory. But sweet? Sweet Matilda does very, very well.

So she's been working on muffins. She's got many of them, of course -- blueberry, poppyseed, lemon crumb... truly, if she hadn't gone to college, she probably would've ended up a baker! The whole exercise seems to be one of near-total contentment for her -- though she hasn't been very talkative with the other chefs in the kitchen.

By the time their guests arrive, Matilda's gotten together enough muffins to feed a small army. Wiping some sweat from her brow, the compounder murmurs, "I'm glad I woke up for this... the curry smells lovely."

<Pose Tracker> Yarobeleedt has posed.

Ethius has had a bit of a time lately, and it's been difficult to think of a way to make the man presentable when - a) he basically refuses to show his face, b) he doesn't clean up all that well, c) the staring, d) his stiff, scripted-sounding way of talking that never makes anyone all that comfortable to be around him.

Right now the plan is to stop him from going through his usual act by throwing a complex-looking piece of machinery scrap someone got somewhere and ensuring he's too busy doing whatever it is he does when a piece of maybe lost technology has his interest. Since he's in his assigned quarters and is perfectly quiet, this plan seems to be working.

...For now.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"Jacqueline Barber...though it seems you've already heard my name." Jacqueline replies with a smile, shaking hands with Lavender and Maurice in turn before nodding to Maurice. "I'm just glad I was able to react in time..."

With that out of the way Jacqueline leads Carina's parents inside, their daughter having already invited herself in.

"Please, take a seat wherever you like." She says, gesturing to the table. She lets them seat themselves first before seating herself, which gives her plenty of time to look over today's meal.

She had to say, it looked like everyone had outdone themselves today...Lunata's soup, Catenna's curry, and Matilda's muffins...

She finds herself infinitely glad in her choice of friends.

"Ah, let's see...introductions..." Jacqueline murmurs, taking a seat. She introduces everyone in turn, assuming they don't get ahead of her and do it for her.

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

"I feel like I could start really focusing on baking..." Lunata muses, as she nods and takes a whiff of Catenna's curry and ans it towards her. "Mm. I think Aunt Hilda would balk if I didn't take after her, though."

She looks like she wants to pluck out one of Matilda's muffins, like, immediately, but refrains from doing just that. "Oh, totally set me a lemon one aside later, Atida..."

Uh oh, the nickname's spread!

"Hi, I'm Lunata Croze! Um-- I guess some people might've heard of me from Lacour..." she sounds a little uncertain. "But please, help yourselves!"

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Catenna has come to consider Shalune's sweaters to qualify as 'nicely' at this point, to tell the god-honest truth.

"Thank you, Shalune," she says with a soft smile as the girl sets to work serving up dinner.

With a blush, she tilts her head to flash Matilda a smile. "So do your muffins. And, well. Sometimes, all you need to feel better is a good meal." Her blush deepens as she touches a hand to her cheek, smiling gently back at Lunata in turn. "It is alright to find your own path... you are certainly going to be a better baker than I am...!"

Soon enough, they're being introduced. Stepping out from the kitchen behind Lunata and Matilda, Catenna - who took a moment to fix her hair just a little - clasps her hands together and bows her head to Carina and her parents.

"Hello," she greets; her accent remains pronounced, though her enunciation has become much better over the past nine months, mostly thanks to the CaraKin. "I am Catenna. Thank you very much for joining us."

<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

"I...I am Kourin." Kourin keeps it simple. "This is Spirit." She indicates the dog, sitting smartly at her side. The puppies are inside the CaraKin itself right now, sleeping--tired out from earlier.

<Pose Tracker> Carina Wynne has posed.

"I was gonna say," Carina agrees with Shalune, on the matter of going overboard. "You guys are crazy. Welp, hey, not gonna complain. --Oh dang, muffins!"

The Wynnes seat themselves. Carina ends up sitting between her parents. She makes grabbyhand motions at the muffins, but restrains herself in an ultimate act of self-control. The rest looking and smelling delicious helps a lot.

"Oh, you competed there?" Lavender asks Lunata, looking amused. "She's tough, mom," Carina chimes in. "She's some kinda sword-broom witch! All, woosh, and so forth."

"She was one of those who helped protect the store," she explains further. "Well, actually, most of 'em were there too, except you and you." She points to Matilda and Kourin in turn, perhaps rudely. "Aw, who's a good boyyy," she tells Spirit.

"So, Carina told us you had proposed a temporary arrangement while we were renovating," Lavender begins, while she begins working on the soup.

"Yeah, their deal is they travel around and sell stuff, and so I could sell stuff with 'em for a bit?" Carina adds. Perhaps the others can explain better what the CaraKin's 'deal' is.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Shalune has already had to be smacked on the wrist to prevent her from just snaffling a freshly-baked muffin before they have a chance to cool, her eyes momentarily starbursts at the time; of course, she defaults towards one of the sweeter-looking ones, and just kind of gently moves... several... over a little to one side of the tray as if that would help her. "Ehehe..." she chimes as she does it, desperately trying to act innocent.

She meets the compounder's eye for the first time, because at least she's got a sense of when to steer clear of people, and grins. "Right? I should learn, but I never seem to get the presentation down. I just sorta hack stuff up and toss it in a pot, really. It still tastes good, but you can't really serve it at somethin' like this," she grumbles. Well, it probably works for camping, at least...

Lunata's comment gets her thinking, but only while she's in the process of taking off her apron and folding it up properly to set on the counter. "Mm... it's not like she's gonna balk too hard, right? Besides, you can't just copy her all the time. Isn't it all about experimentin', finding your own thing? I got tired of blowin' up our alchemy table, after all," she adds with a bright grin.

Emerging back into the dining section, she immediately slides into a seat, then waves lightly. "Ah, I'm Shal, Lunie number two! I guess I tend to fix up anythin' that needs fixing up? ARMs, Gears, ovens and sinks, you can pretty much name it."

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

"Ah -- certainly," Matilda replies to Lunata, with a smile. "I think I made enough for everyone to have one of each -- please don't go for seconds until everyone's had at least one of each muffin, so everyone who wants one of each type can have one... though, ah, you're welcome to trade if you have favorites!"

Once she's introduced, she gives a small wave with a black-gloved hand. "Dr. Matilda Whitehead, Academy of Linga College of Compounding and Pharmacy," she adds to her introduction, for the benefit of the Wynnes. "I specialize in anesthetics and analgesics, which are usually more of a Drifter good, so I went into merchantry."

Shalune gets a little smile, as Matilda adds, "Presentation is important! Around the campfire people only care about getting fed, of course, but a meal should have some..." She pauses, before saying, "... charm, I suppose."

<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

Kourin flinches. It's not her fault she wasn't there!

Spirit wags his tail.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline doesn't grab any food just yet. She makes sure the Wynnes have their food before taking anything for herself. It isn't long before things go toward her proposal...

Though Jacqueline does take a moment to reassure Kourin, spotting the flinch.

"It's alright, Kourin, I'm sure she didn't mean it in a bad way." She says with a smile, before returning her attention to the Wynnes.

"Yes, that's right. We travel from place to place, setting up shop and selling our wares, as well as generally providing food and medicine to those in need." Jacqueline explains. And other do-gooder type things, but that wasn't something she really advertised...

"I was thinking that, with your permission, Carina could travel with us for a time, selling your wares with us. This would ensure that you can continue selling your wares while your store is renovating, while spreading awareness of it...and, of course, giving Carina some traveling experience." Jacqueline says. "What do you think? You don't have to give your answer right away, of course...and please, don't feel compelled to agree just because we're feeding you."

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

"Yeah, exactly!" Lunata chimes into Matilda. "Aunt Hilda's a genius when it comes to cooking in a lot of ways, but the one thing she's never shown me is-- like-- desserts. Really fancy, pretty desserts... I'd love to be -- like -- a patisserie, making artsy whipped cream puffs around a cake..."

Cue flashback to the Saucery Globe Tourmanet Ver., in which Lunata is momentarily incapacitated by dessert...

She looks to Lavender with a bit of a blush, then a bigger one at Carina. "I-it's not that big a deal, really! I got all kinds of weird nicknames like 'Death Waitress' from it..."

Speaking of, where is Ge Ramda?

Having worked out ahead of time that they don't want to risk freaking Carina's parents out on the off chance that they might be resonant, the Very Astute (TM) may be able to recognise that the coaster for the large soup bowl is suspiciously matte and black today...

...

Alas, Ge Ramda...

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

When Catenna does sit down, the first thing she does is pick up a blueberry muffin. She's tried her own cooking often enough that trying Matilda and Lunata's delicacies is at the top of her list.

Taking a delicate bite of the muffin, Catenna closes her eyes, her cheeks colouring a little at the taste of it.

Delicious...!!

"These are very nice, Matilda," Catenna compliments, ever one to be understated, though the smile she shares with the compounder is quite genuine and warm.

Eyes darting towards Carina and her parents, the priestess sets her muffin down for a moment. "As one who joined with the CaraKin myself, I can vouch for Jacqueline's good character and trustworthiness. I was a stranger in these parts when Jacqueline asked me to travel with her, and she has always stood by me, and all of her companions. I know she would treat Carina with the same faith."

<Pose Tracker> Carina Wynne has posed.

Carina's eyes briefly glaze over at the mention of compounding, anesthetics and analgesics. She makes a note to look these words up later.

"Well, this sure is a charmin' meal," Maurice tells Shalune and Matilda, already a good way into his soup, with an eye towards destroying that curry offering.

"I was thinkin' she could take a look at that weird belt," Carina tells her parents, after Shalune introduces herself. "They've got symbologists, too, so they could also do that." Maurice strokes his mustache. "That's not a half-bad idea."

Of course, Carina thinks, if they did, they might figure out her secret identity... But that's a risk worth taking, better than not having no idea what that thing is, right?

She doesn't immediately notice she made Kourin flinch, but Jay brings it up. Carina's eyes widen. "Oh? Yeah, I didn't, sorry."

"Wow, that one's kinda mean. You didn't kill anybody, didja?" Carina asks Lunata, while her parents listen to Jay's more detailed offer.

Lavender nods and smiles to Jacqueline and Catenna. "You do all seem like truthworthy people, this offer seems reasonable, and it's very kind of you," Lavender says, "but..." Oh no, there's a but. "Travel is full of hazards, these days. Is it going to be dangerous?"

"Moooooooooooom," Carina lets out.

Maurice shakes his head, looking downcast. "Don't get us wrong, all of you, it's just... We've got another daughter, Driftin' out there, and... We worry, you know? We got this letter, and jus'..." He turns his attention to the curry instead, which at least seems to cheer him up.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaad, I swear I'll stay out of trouble!"

But really, IS it dangerous?

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Shalune puffs out her cheeks, even as she works to try to hand around the bread bowl and ensure that everyone's got their piece. This is only partially because she's stuffed a piece of still-warm bread in her mouth before it can cool, and mostly at Matilda's comment. "I kno~ow, but when you're out on the trail you're not worried about who's gonna see it, y'know? You can just be a little lazy so long as it tastes good!"

Her eyebrows perk up a little as Jacqueline comes straight out with the offer, thinking at least it'd come out a little later - but she's not about to think about it too hard when she's claimed a bowl of the thick soup Lunata served, cross-legged in her chair as she cradles it in her lap. She is basically a mass of pink with a bobble hat on top, and yet somehow doesn't get her hair stuck in her bowl. Maybe she's just used to it.

"Ooo, a Lunie dessert..." she wonders, trailing off - before her eyes slooowly shift into wide white circles. The trouble with imagining Lunata making sweets is that it's somehow very hard to imagine her stopping, as if the world might meet its end flooded with triple cream as the waitress watches with both hands on her cheeks--

Abruptly, Shalune shakes the rest of the thought abruptly away, and instead gently reaches across the table to lightly pat Ge Ramda's temporary form.

"Ah... um. Hmm," she does admit. Shalune's got a terrible poker face, and she knows it, so when the question of danger comes up she does have to faintly grin and scratch at her cheek. "To be honest, if you stay with the Caravan itself, it's usually fine?" she eventually decides. "I mean, we mostly just move between towns and cities. Some of them can get kinda rough, but-- well, they don't try to get inside, or anything. 'sides, we're all pretty good at fending off bandits," adds the completely innocent girl who may have once used the Caravan's battery reserves to produce an electrical shock field to fend off some bandits.

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

"I really ought to teach you, then!" Matilda replies to Lunata, with a nod. "We'll make it a long-term project, I suppose?" Catenna's compliment gets a small smile. The compounder seems to be feeling a little better at this point.

Her attention returns to the Wynnes again, and she adds, "If our symbologists can't figure it out, I do have some contacts in Marze... as for the safety -- truthfully, I feel safer here than I felt on my last trip to Nisan." She seems utterly, completely certain of that one.

"Even if something were to go wrong, we have several experienced healers aboard," she adds. "I assure you I can't imagine a safer place currently existing than with Jay."

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Lunata talks about artsy whipped cream puffs around a cake, and fancy desserts...

"That sounds...really good." Jacqueline agrees with a nod. It was no secret that Jacqueline had a fondness for pastries, little cakes, and anyything along those lines...though she did try to hide it. She couldn't help having such a sweet tooth...

At her defense of her character, Jacqueline sends Catenna a smile. It was always reassuring to hear things like that said about herself. ...And then, of course, comes the question.

Is it dangerous?

Jacqueline takes a moment to think about that.

"...I won't lie to you. It can be, yes. The world can be a dangerous, unpredictable place." Jacqueline replies. Shalune and Matilda give their own answer, and Jacqueline nods in agreement.

"But...I've taken every measure I can to ensure that the members of my Kinship are as safe as can be. Our Carakin, for instance...from the start it was designed to be a safe, durable traveling machine, and Shalune's modifications have only served to make it moreso." Jacqueline explains. Shalune and Matilda had already spoken of their martial and medical prowess, so she saw no point in mentioning that.

"I know how you must feel, Mr. and Mrs. Wynne...but do know that for as long as your daughter travels with us, should she come with us, I will do everything in my power to protect her. I'm sure the others would say the same. We of the Caravan Kinship look out for each other, after all. Anyone who tries to harm one of us has to answer to all of us." Jacqueline says with a kind smile.

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

Lunata's eyes glimmer with a newfound resolution, as she says, "It's a deal, then! I really want to learn, so thank you, Miss Matilda!" ... well, having a long-term goal might convince her to not just shove weeks of her life away like they're coins to be fed to a slot machine, at least? One can only hope.

She does take a plate for herself and fluff up some rice to put down, along with a fairly generous scoop of the rogan josh -- though it's a habit of hers that she likes to pair it with a dinner roll, because something about bread and curry appeals to her...

"Jay's protected and cared for us all, and we're also capable of shooing off people on the road, yeah!" Lunata answers.

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Delicately, Catenna tucks into the soup Lunata had made. She closes her eyes and savours the taste of it. "This is very good, Lunata," she murmurs when she opens her eyes again.

The priestess smiles politely back at Jacqueline, warmth behind her eyes. Her head dips a little, as though to emphasize the sincerity of her belief in this matter.

"She will be traveling with people who are most skilled not only in mercantile matters, but in, ah... defending those who need protection," Catenna puts in. She tilts her head to one side. "All of those here are both brave and skilled. I know that none of them would hesitate to protect Carina should the need ever arise."

<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

Kourin is eating very quietly, visibly savoring every bite. She doesn't want to draw attention to herself. What's she going to say, something about how she has a bounty and part of her still believes she's bringing danger to her friends? No, best to keep silent, and stare straight ahead.

<Pose Tracker> Carina Wynne has posed.

Carina doesn't quite realize that the world's fluffy whipped cream demise is being plotted, but she'd probably be okay with this.

The CaraKin's members offer honest testimonials and enthusiastic pitches. Some of these do sound a bit worrying, but valid counterpoints are made. Carina nods enthusiastically, making a :3 face.

"'Sides, it's not like life in November City is super safe either," Carina argues further. "You know I can take care of myself! I'm not a baby anymore, I'm twenty-one! And I won't do anything dumb!"

Lavender and Maurice exchange a knowing look.

"I won't do anything REALLY dumb! An'... well, you heard what Atida said," (Carina misheard the actual introduction and honestly thinks this is her name) "she's got contacts in Marze to talk to, and... actually..."

She looks down at her food, taking a break from enthusiastically tucking it in. "I was thinkin' of asking after Melody and stuff... You never know, I might find out what she's up to."

The elder Wynnes look at one another once more. They share what sounds an awful lot like a resigned sigh.

"I would say we have to think about it," Lavender speaks up for the couple, "but it sounds like Carina's made up her mind already, hasn't she? And you're an adult now. We can't tell you how to live your life."

Tears well up in Carina's eyes. "Aw jeez, mom... I, ah... I promise I'll write a lot, okay?"

From the way everyone is talking, this really sounds like something more serious than a few weeks' arrangement. There may be an unspoken understanding there.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Shalune nods towards Matilda, but-- at the same time, sits up a little in her chair. "Not just symbology, though. I mean-- from what I saw of that thing, it might be worth my taking a peek, too. And not just 'cuz I wanna copy the mechanism if I can figure it out - maybe I can help make it move a little better, y'know, stuff like that," she suggests brightly as she taps out an absent-minded tune with her spoon on the side of her bowl.

She's kind of hunkered over it protectively, chewing as she listens in to the rest of the conversations going on. And, you know, as much as she might be vaguely terrified of the idea of Lunata getting Sweets Power, she can't help but look forward to what it might produce, as well. "I feel like I wouldn't be too hot at doin' desserts... at least, not complicated ones. One time I tried caramel and cleanin' the pot took weeks," she grumbles, but not genuinely so.

Scratching at her cheek after a moment, Shalune does kind of pipe up in the wake of Carina's parents, grinning faintly. "I mean, um, it's a pretty good argument. I'm real sorry about your shop - I really wouldn't have expected one of them to come that far out just to mess with you - but it's kinda true that everywhere's gettin' a little more dangerous. She's prob'ly gonna be right as rain so long as she doesn't blast off somewhere, y'know?"

Shalune doesn't mention that that's kind of a constant Drifter occupation. It seems safer not to.

<Pose Tracker> Yarobeleedt has posed.

MEANWHILE...

Ethius is still at his assigned quarters. The item in question meant to distract him is off to the side, ignored, like a toy a child has long since grown bored of playing with. As long as he's not making a mess of things by making the guests uneasy - i.e. staying out of sight - it's fine, right?

The lighting in his quarters are poor, but he has enough. Unfurled on a flat surface, he rests his right elbow against a piece of parchment as he draws smooth lines with one of Jay's better writing utensils.

His eyes narrow as he goes over what looks like two cone shapes - one narrower than the other.

"They intersect." He says, quietly.

His gaze darts behind himself as the conversation intensifies a bit. He doesn't hear any footsteps.

He looks back to the parchment. To the one with the wider cone, he notes with a simple singular tally mark.

To the narrower cone, two tally marks.

He could not have asked for a better opportunity.

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

Matilda finally remembers that she's having a meal and should actually eat something. This takes up much of her attention for a while; she does give Lunata nother enthusiastic nod -- and perks at the second use of Kaguya's nickname for her in one night. This... is to be expected, she reflects. It's sort of nice, in its way!

When the Wynnes seem to come to an accord, though, that's when her attention turns up a second time. "We'll do our best to take care of her. There's definitely a certain..." She pauses, here, gesturing vaguely. "... Ah -- forgive me, I'm not quite sure what I'm trying to say, but... you understand the intent, I think."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Riesenlied's path - not to mention the rest of the group's flight - brings everyone up the hill towards the house that sits in the midst of the ruined, blighted farmstead. For a moment, it almost seems like the path to the porch might be clear, provided you don't count the odd blackened piles of plant matter and muck that dot the ground around them - but then one of them shifts, and hauls itself upwards onto twisted, misshapen legs.

This wouldn't be so bad, except somehow it manages to keep rising. For a creature that was apparently flattened against the ground before, it stands taller and taller, clawing at the group with a hoof whose halves are split apart at right angles. The horns twist around on themselves; one appears to break through skin, move through the head in a way it absolutely shouldn't, then come out the other side in a spiralling mess of organic curves.

Shalune has stopped short by now, having some significant trouble reconciling the entirety of this scene with the compounder she'd rather thing much better of. "... t-this ain't how you do cross-pollination, I'm pretty sure," she murmurs to herself uncertainly, shouldering her staff and willing her fingers to not tremble; she grits her teeth, then squeezes the trigger.

Fire was a really, really good idea, she thinks to herself absently.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline's eyes wander toward Kourin for a moment. She had shared some of her concerns with her before...a part of her wanted to say something now, but the other part felt that Kourin would probably prefer not to be called out right now.

So, instead, she listens quietly as Carina and her parents converse, offering them all a warm smile.

"There's no rush. We'll be in November City a while yet, and I'm sure it will take some time for Carina to prepare her things as well as gather up your wares." Jacqueline says. It was plenty of time for a person to change their mind...or, perhaps, resolve themselves to continue on the path they've decided.

It also sounded as if there was a bit more behind Carina's decision than just selling wares, however...but that was fine. Jacqueline would always encourage her friends to follow the path they wished to.

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

A part of Catenna can remember similar conversations. They only involved one of her parents, and there was no supportive caravan full of friends, though. The smile she shares is briefly sad, and she looks down into the bowl of curry sitting in front of her, burying her emotions behind a bite of deliciously aromatic brisket and spice.

It helps to keep her thoughts away from home.

Besides, there seems to be some unspoken agreement between Carina and her family that wasn't there for Catenna. She bows her head a little, simply smiling and taking it for what it is. "When the time does come, we will be certain to take good care of Carina," she assures quietly, her tone a bit more motherly than she sometimes appears.

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

There's a delighted sigh as Lunata munches on her feast, rather pointedly sopping up her dinner roll with the delectable curry to say, "Ooh, it's always so smooth and rich..." There's a big smile as she says, "Yeah! We're about the same age too, so it's not like she'd be lacking for friends, right?"

<Pose Tracker> Carina Wynne has posed.

Carina continues to be completely oblivious to Shalune's knowledge of her secret identity. She's done such a great job hiding it! "Move around better? Hey, it's just a belt!" She does consider the implications, however... If the Metal Digger came to her for an armor checkup, it would probably be fine, right?

Carina grins when Matilda speaks of taking care of her. Part of it is because she realized the muffin part of this equation.

"Yeah, so it's not like I'm sayin' goodbye just yet or anything," Carina adds, when Jay mentions their staying in November for a while still. "I can take my time movin' my stuff to the Carakinmobile," (it's unclear where she even got THAT one) "an' I can say goodbye all proper-like when we take off."

By the laws of foreshadowing, odds are very high she won't get the chance to say goodbye all proper-like.

Carina grins to Lunata. "Yeah, I can already tell we're gonna get along juuuust fine!"

She should probably be worried about what's going on in the Cone Zone, but she hasn't even officially met the guy in question yet.

Lavender nods to Catenna, perhaps recognizing her affinity with the Momforce. "We're thankful to you for that."

Maurice, meanwhile, raising his spoon: "Besides, now we know she'll be well-fed. I mean, dang."

He lets out a hearty laugh.