[When Tifa received word that Juzo was moving out of the Inn, she was both happy for him for finding a new place and a little sad that he would be leaving. Having someone around there was nice, even if it was usually them passing in the halls of the Inn every now and then. She'd found ways to keep herself busy, so she was there less and less the longer she spent in this world, but it was always a happy surprise when she did happen upon him.
And hearing about this new consulting agency he's opened has her curious. As a fellow businessowner, or used-to-be, she's all in for supporting those who choose to go that route, even if the most she can do right now is check out his new digs and offer any words of wisdom she might be able to pass on. Although she's fully aware a bar and a consulting agency are two very different things...
When she finally finds the old warehouse in the late morning, the office is situated above, there's a knock on its door, her muffled voice coming through the cracks.]
Juzo? It's Tifa.
[In her hands, she's carrying a small white pot, and springing from the dirt are several stalks of orchids courtesy of Don't Stop Be-Leafing.]
[ He hasn’t even advertised his new business – at least, not apart from dropping a line to a few people that he felt should know he’s moving out of the inn. To hear a knock on his door so soon after getting settled is a bit of a surprise.
But then Tifa calls to him and he realizes with some amusement that, oh yeah, he has friends here. People who might just want to pay him a visit. ]
Door’s open.
[ He’s currently busy fussing over a pot of coffee – this is very serious business. ]
[Hey, only the most serious businesses care about the quality of their coffee!
The door is opened slowly and Tifa pokes her head in at first to spot him, and when she finds his back hunched over what she assumes is a pot of coffee, just from the smell, she passes through the threshold, letting the door shut behind her.]
Brought you something. A little housewarming gift.
[She takes it upon herself to set the little pot of orchids on the corner of his desk, making sure that they're on the side that will see the most sun.]
Don't know much about flowers yet, but they're nice to look at.
[ When she mentions bringing him something, he turns away from his coffee for a moment to see what it is. Flowers are certainly not what he expected. Even in a building crawling with ivy, in a place where nature and man-made architecture coincide more often than not, it’s really weird to see something so green and alive sitting in his office. ]
I hope they came with instructions.
[ Meaning, he knows less about flowers than Tifa does. Still, he ought to say something, right? ]
I mean… thanks. You didn’t have to get me anything.
[It deserves some celebration, even if it is in the small form of a flowerpot. It's as much as she can afford right now, but she wasn't going to let this slide so easily.]
I was told they don't need a lot of water, but make sure they see as much sun as they can.
[Not watering a plant? Unheard of, but this is what she was told! Now for the most important part:]
And make sure you talk to her plenty. They have feelings, you know.
[ He gives a small shrug as he turns back around to finish with his coffee - it may not be obvious with his massive frame in the way, but Juzo takes his coffee making very seriously. He doesn't just throw grounds in a coffee maker and go - he does that fancy pour-over stuff and everything. ]
Feels like I'm stepping back into a pair of comfortable shoes. It's just doin' what I've always done.
[Tifa says it so matter-of-factly that she hardly realizes her tone until after she's said it, as if this is common knowledge. The thought had come so naturally to her when she was with Aerith that she hadn't thought twice about whether someone else might find it even a little silly when she brought it up, and hearing herself after, she can only laugh.]
They're living things just like we are. I'm sure they get lonely sometimes, too.
[Part of this is just from knowing what the Cetra are capable of... Communing with the Planet and all that. It only makes sense!]
Singing feels like too much to ask, so talking is a pretty good compromise.
[ Having a living plant in his office is weird enough, please don’t ask him to sing! Sure, in some of the nicer parts of town back home, there are trees and grass and even gardens, but he lives in the middle of the concrete jungle that is the slums. People don’t bring him flowers, they just bring him problems. ]
Couldn’t carry a tune if it had handles, but I guess I can carry a conversation.
[ The city had felt a little bit quieter with the departure of many fellow off-worlders to the mountains. Emet-Selch had seen the call for volunteers but had been content to remain in Camelot, not just because of the sentence handed down by King Arthur but also because it hadn't sounded terribly interesting. He is a solitary man by nature; the company of his few friends is all he needs.
His general disinterest means he doesn't notice when they return either. He's too busy keeping his head down, eyes focused somewhere between the pavement and the ground just ahead rather than around him. In one hand is a handwritten shopping list; in the other, a neatly folded cotton bag.
When someone crosses his path, he pulls up short abruptly and glances up from his list, mouth open and a frown on his face, ready to berate whichever stranger has walked right in front of him. But when he sees who it is, he presses his lips together. ]
[ Juzo’s little office isn’t really made to be a living space for two, but since one of his friends - one of his very few, very precious friends - from home arrived in Avalon, he’s had to make due.
This also means shopping a lot more often. While they’d been away on some fool’s errand to Lestari - nice place, not so sure about this necromancer they found - he’d let the cupboards stay bare. Now that they’re back in town, however, it was time to restock.
Most people tend to give him a wide berth, unless they don’t see him coming. After a near collision with someone, he skirts back half a step, glancing over to see who it is and… oh. ]
Well, well. If it ain’t my favorite jailbird. I heard they let you out of your cage.
[ His expression doesn't change much. It grows a touch more guarded and he crosses his arms defensively. He doesn't hold any animosity towards this man, but some people like to dangle deeds like murder over others' heads. ]>
...Yes. The king granted me some leniency for my service at Celliwig.
[ A chance to redeem himself to Hythlodaeus. He should be grateful for it.
He watches tensely and waits for their response. ]
[ Juzo is a difficult man to read. It comes from not having much of a face to speak of, just a jack-o-lantern-like grin under the barrel of a gun. He tilts his head, just a little bit.
If Emet-Selch is waiting for some kind of judgement or admonishment, he’ll find none here. Juzo’s own world is far from perfect, and he sees the worst it has to offer on a daily basis. People have and will get away with far worse than a few bodies put on display. ]
So, can I ask what all that was about? You said it yourself – it was personal. Might not be my business in the end, but call it idle curiosity.
[ He cannot help but level a suspicious stare at the other man. His motivation for the murders... Really? ]
...They abducted and murdered my friend. [ The response is stiff. ] In an attempt to extort my services as a necromancer - or death mage, as they call it here.
[ Juzo angles his head a bit more, something he does instead of arching an eyebrow. What’s with the suspicious glare. He takes a drag of his ever-present cigarette, and turns his head to breathe the smoke out somewhere over his shoulder. ]
I figured it had to be somethin’ like that. Didn’t end too well for them, did it?
[ He’d meant what he said before, during their encounter in the alley. If assholes like those crooks washed up dead in the gutter in his own world, no one would care. Juzo doesn’t seem particularly bothered, himself.
[ That garners a bit of a startled pause from Juzo. For all that he takes in stride, or at least vaguely tolerates about this place, he's still unused to death being something of a temporary inconvenience than a permanent end.
Hell, if that kind of power existed back home, it would save some folks a lot of hurt. Probably cause a lot of hurt too, actually. Damn. ]
Hythlodaeus, you mean? We've met. He had nothing but good things to say about you.
Didn't have much info to give, but I assume that was by design.
While I'm certainly capable of taking care of any number of troublemakers, I would feel better having someone skilled at my back, or at least in the crowd, as it were.
I may have made an attempt to free prisoners from a similar establishment in the past, back home. It didn't go as planned. While I'm more confident about my approach this time around, I would feel more confident still with assistance.
Think of yourself as a bodyguard, if you must. I'm not generally in the habit of asking for help, so I would pay you handsomely. It's a business transaction, not a favor.
[there's a package for Juzo at his office today! It is neatly wrapped with a handwritten letter.]
Camelot, Avalon October 21st
Dear Mr. Inui,
Please forgive my delay in sending you this housewarming gift. It took much longer than I expected to learn to form the shape properly! Thank you dearly for your assistance and company up until now. I look forward to our future correspondence.
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action, early august
And hearing about this new consulting agency he's opened has her curious. As a fellow businessowner, or used-to-be, she's all in for supporting those who choose to go that route, even if the most she can do right now is check out his new digs and offer any words of wisdom she might be able to pass on. Although she's fully aware a bar and a consulting agency are two very different things...
When she finally finds the old warehouse in the late morning, the office is situated above, there's a knock on its door, her muffled voice coming through the cracks.]
Juzo? It's Tifa.
[In her hands, she's carrying a small white pot, and springing from the dirt are several stalks of orchids courtesy of Don't Stop Be-Leafing.]
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But then Tifa calls to him and he realizes with some amusement that, oh yeah, he has friends here. People who might just want to pay him a visit. ]
Door’s open.
[ He’s currently busy fussing over a pot of coffee – this is very serious business. ]
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The door is opened slowly and Tifa pokes her head in at first to spot him, and when she finds his back hunched over what she assumes is a pot of coffee, just from the smell, she passes through the threshold, letting the door shut behind her.]
Brought you something. A little housewarming gift.
[She takes it upon herself to set the little pot of orchids on the corner of his desk, making sure that they're on the side that will see the most sun.]
Don't know much about flowers yet, but they're nice to look at.
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I hope they came with instructions.
[ Meaning, he knows less about flowers than Tifa does. Still, he ought to say something, right? ]
I mean… thanks. You didn’t have to get me anything.
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[It deserves some celebration, even if it is in the small form of a flowerpot. It's as much as she can afford right now, but she wasn't going to let this slide so easily.]
I was told they don't need a lot of water, but make sure they see as much sun as they can.
[Not watering a plant? Unheard of, but this is what she was told! Now for the most important part:]
And make sure you talk to her plenty. They have feelings, you know.
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Feels like I'm stepping back into a pair of comfortable shoes. It's just doin' what I've always done.
[ No need to celebrate that! ]
... You want me to talk to the plant.
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[Tifa says it so matter-of-factly that she hardly realizes her tone until after she's said it, as if this is common knowledge. The thought had come so naturally to her when she was with Aerith that she hadn't thought twice about whether someone else might find it even a little silly when she brought it up, and hearing herself after, she can only laugh.]
They're living things just like we are. I'm sure they get lonely sometimes, too.
[Part of this is just from knowing what the Cetra are capable of... Communing with the Planet and all that. It only makes sense!]
Singing feels like too much to ask, so talking is a pretty good compromise.
[Or is she wrong about the singing??? 😏]
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Couldn’t carry a tune if it had handles, but I guess I can carry a conversation.
[ A one-way conversation. With a pot of flowers.
Yeah, why not? ]
Where’d you come by those, anyhow?
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Early Sept, after the mountain trip (lmk if this doesn't work)
His general disinterest means he doesn't notice when they return either. He's too busy keeping his head down, eyes focused somewhere between the pavement and the ground just ahead rather than around him. In one hand is a handwritten shopping list; in the other, a neatly folded cotton bag.
When someone crosses his path, he pulls up short abruptly and glances up from his list, mouth open and a frown on his face, ready to berate whichever stranger has walked right in front of him. But when he sees who it is, he presses his lips together. ]
Oh. It's you.
looks great!
This also means shopping a lot more often. While they’d been away on some fool’s errand to Lestari - nice place, not so sure about this necromancer they found - he’d let the cupboards stay bare. Now that they’re back in town, however, it was time to restock.
Most people tend to give him a wide berth, unless they don’t see him coming. After a near collision with someone, he skirts back half a step, glancing over to see who it is and… oh. ]
Well, well. If it ain’t my favorite jailbird. I heard they let you out of your cage.
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...Yes. The king granted me some leniency for my service at Celliwig.
[ A chance to redeem himself to Hythlodaeus. He should be grateful for it.
He watches tensely and waits for their response. ]
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If Emet-Selch is waiting for some kind of judgement or admonishment, he’ll find none here. Juzo’s own world is far from perfect, and he sees the worst it has to offer on a daily basis. People have and will get away with far worse than a few bodies put on display. ]
So, can I ask what all that was about? You said it yourself – it was personal. Might not be my business in the end, but call it idle curiosity.
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...They abducted and murdered my friend. [ The response is stiff. ] In an attempt to extort my services as a necromancer - or death mage, as they call it here.
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I figured it had to be somethin’ like that. Didn’t end too well for them, did it?
[ He’d meant what he said before, during their encounter in the alley. If assholes like those crooks washed up dead in the gutter in his own world, no one would care. Juzo doesn’t seem particularly bothered, himself.
Still… ]
My condolences, about your friend.
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I revived him. With one of their lower-ranked lackeys. He's fine.
[ Well...for a definition of 'fine' anyway. Suffering from a fair bit of trauma from the ordeal but otherwise alive and well. ]
In fact you met him, did you not? Surely you went to visit him to confirm my whereabouts during those two weeks.
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Hell, if that kind of power existed back home, it would save some folks a lot of hurt. Probably cause a lot of hurt too, actually. Damn. ]
Hythlodaeus, you mean? We've met. He had nothing but good things to say about you.
Didn't have much info to give, but I assume that was by design.
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text | un: miraclemoon
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The pay is good, and I don't mind splitting the reward. I care a great deal less about the money than I do about seeing these men to safety.
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My first shift is this evening.
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So what do you need me for?
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I may have made an attempt to free prisoners from a similar establishment in the past, back home. It didn't go as planned. While I'm more confident about my approach this time around, I would feel more confident still with assistance.
Think of yourself as a bodyguard, if you must. I'm not generally in the habit of asking for help, so I would pay you handsomely. It's a business transaction, not a favor.
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delivery
Camelot, Avalon
October 21st
Dear Mr. Inui,
Please forgive my delay in sending you this housewarming gift. It took much longer than I expected to learn to form the shape properly!
Thank you dearly for your assistance and company up until now.
I look forward to our future correspondence.
Warmly,
Rinea of Rigel
[Inside the box is a crystal ashtray.]
text; un: resolver | some time later
Thank you. You didn't have to get me anything but
I appreciate it.