Time to Make the Donuts

[sockhopsolly]

THE ON-DUTY MEME



We're all used to playing our characters in special circumstances--sharing a bath, AUed into a robot, in the rain, lost in the ball pit (well that's one way to get your extra hour)...but how often do we get to actually play our characters doing their day jobs?

This meme is for just that.

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Write a starter about your character going about their day at work, wherever that may be.

If your character is a doctor, write them checking in on a patient, or having a meal in the hospital cafeteria. If they're a lawyer, write them at court. If they're a professional ghost-hunter? Yeah, that'd be a pretty neat starter too!

Be sure to include some sort of hook that allows other characters to join in the action, even if your character works alone. Maybe they brought their pile of research out to a cafe? Maybe they need help with something?

2. Respond to other characters' starters. Please tag out if you put a starter up. I know I can't enforce this, but no meme goes anywhere if people don't engage.

3. Thread. Have a good day at work, or perhaps an awful day at work.

Comments

2, it is TIME.

[sibylservice]

The woman on the other side of the counter is short and blonde, and looks quite familiar to Sam--though she shows no sign of recognizing him at all. She has a unique piece of silver jewelry laid out on the counter. It's completely mundane--no curses, nothing.

[yudodis]

Sam’s heart skips several beats when he sees Phaedra is the client. He did think it was strange how late the meeting was, but it all makes sense now. At least, he thinks, the slightly nervous energy matches his current persona. The real him is somewhere in the middle.

“Oh, uh, a chatelaine. I love these,” he says as he snaps on a pair of thin rubber gloves. “So, what did you want to know about it?”

He goes out of his way to keep his attention on the piece rather than her. Not only to try to keep her attention there too, but also because it fits the image more.

[sibylservice]

"It was sent to me as a present, as thanks for...some work I did."

A blood sorcery ritual of divination on behalf of another vampire; Y had seen the aftermath, when she was a somewhat out of it from opening her mind to the abyss. The abyss has a bad habit of poking a finger through those openings. She had probably been out of sorts for a couple nights afterward.

"I know nothing about this sort of thing, to be honest. I don't know whether to keep it to hang on a Christmas tree or to sell it. And you're said to be an expert in your field."

[yudodis]

Thinking through recent events, Sam does reach a conclusion the two events are related. Hopefully, the friend isn't sending Elder God themed jewellery for a reason. The problem with having finely trained mystical senses is that when you don't detect something is magical, you don't actually know if it's not magical or you just didn't sense it.

"That's what they tell me, but really, it's all just reading a lot." He holds it up with one hand and pushes his shades up his nose with the other, making sure she doesn't see that distinctly shocking blue of his eye. "Well, uh, like I say it's a chatelaine. You don't hang them from a tree, but from your belt. And then, the little chains, you affix things to them."

He runs a finger down a chain each time he offers an example.

"Thimble, scisorrs, keys, mirror. Traditionally, worn by the lady of the household. They're kind of like a feminine version of... those really big keyrings jailers in fantasy dungeons have. So... that's what it is!"

He hopes that was suitably dorky enough he seems nothing like Y. Now he just has to figure out a way to keep his hands on it long enough to do a proper scan.

[sibylservice]

"Oh! Something like this might be useful, actually. Maybe. Do you know about how old it is?"

She glances from the chatelaine to Sam, head tilting to one side. In a way, she's playing down her public persona, too. Pretending to be human, breathing and blinking and all. Just an eccentric person who's shown up late at night.

At least she used the front door this time.

[yudodis]

"Useful, maybe, but a little over 100 years out of fashion," he says as he gently puts it down, and repeats the shade pushing move. After so many times staring lovingly into each other's eyes, it's his biggest worry. After all, his physique, hair and height are seemingly different. And the problem is he can't take his eyes off her, as much as he accepts her vampirism, it's nice to see her looking so... alive. "They stopped being in vogue in the 19th-century. And the method of making red glass like this was uh, rediscovered in the 17th, so we have a window."

[sibylservice]

"Aha. Even if it's 19th century, that's pretty old. Do you think it's sturdy enough to use and wear still? It might not be in vogue, but I definitely think it might be nifty to wear around."

He's wearing sunglasses at night, and keeps drawing attention to them by pushing them up. It's weird, and puts her on edge somewhat. She's now paying closer attention to him.

[yudodis]

He normally says 'I have a condition' in an offended tone if people ask. They usually feel bad and leave him alone- it might not work on someone with magical knowledge that might think he's a mandusa or something.

"Oh, yes, absolutely. In fact, wearing silver is one of the best ways to preserve it, so you'd be doing a favour to it." He turns on his heel, running his fingers over book spines, making his time to search for the appropriate one. He has a feeling he's seen something similar sometime... "And the chains are easy enough to replace if they have to be."

[sibylservice]

"That's good to know." She's familiar with the metaphysical properties of silver, not the functional ones.

As he turns to the bookshelf, she continues to watch him curiously, reaching out with the very lightest psychic touch to skim across the surface of his mind. She's reading emotional resonances only, not actual thoughts, similar to the very first time she met Y.

[yudodis]

Now fully aware of what Phaedra can do, or most of it at least, Sam had been expecting to feel her mind probing his, but is stuck in a catch-22. Attempting to defend his mind from intrusion would prevent her discovering specifics, but reveal he's more than he seems. On the other hand, not doing anything carried some risk.

But things might go in his favour unintentionally when he takes too long to decide- he feels a little nervous, but not in danger. And with a hint of excitement from being in her presence.

With a bit of luck, maybe it just seems like he's an awkward nerd who gets apprehensive around pretty girls.

He plucks out a book, being gentle with it as if it's a treasure in itself. "Uh, yeah! The oils in skin, they help protect it- not! That your skin looks oily."

Maybe forcing the nerd too much. Usually, he just tries to be boring.

[sibylservice]

"Good to know. I'll be certain to keep it close at hand. Though I'll need to figure out what tools I'll keep on it. Many of the traditional ones in a woman's arsenal aren't really things I use today."

It seems Phaedra has no suspicions regarding who Sam is, just a healthy curiosity about him. And about that book, now. "What's that for?"