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[ It didn't feel too real, at times. They've managed to stop Lord Artorius's plans of suppressing human emotion, but at a great cost - Velvet. And in some ways Laphicet, too, who chose to inhabit his Empyrean form rather than his Malak one. He could no longer be seen, but his domain was strong, and Eleanor could swear she could always feel him nearby.

Eleanor had vowed to spread the word on Maotelus, the new Empyrean. But a part of her wished she could also dispel the negative notions about the Lord of Calamity, who, at her core, had been undeniably a loving sister corrupted by terrible turn of events.

She missed them both. But she also missed Eizen and the Van Eltia crew, who, despite being vicious pirates, were also the most lively beings she had the opportunity to travel with. She missed Magilou, whom she'd sometimes seen in some of the cities she herself had visited. She missed Rokurou, whose disposition had always made her feel at ease despite the dangers they had faced.

In traveling the world to offer whatever help she could as a former member of the Abbey, Eleanor faced dangers still. However, they didn't always take the form of therions or daemons. Some came from vengeful Malaks, or from humans who felt slighted and abandoned by the Abbey.

She could defend herself well, of course. But she missed the times when she was not alone in handling them.

After a particularly difficult encounter with a father who lost his daughter in a rogue daemon attack, Eleanor felt herself slump near the stump in Stonebury. She needed to breathe, just a bit. Just a bit.

And then she'd be ready to face the world again, as appropriate. ]

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[ aaaand she'd follow his finger to the direction of-- ]

--They sell them here? How could I have missed it? [ oh, heavens. what a surprise! alright, so she might have really missed out on a lot of things, most especially since she wasn't that much particular when it came to food served to her. she supposed it was time to fully study the menus from now on...

she turned to rokurou again. ] You did? That's wonderful! It really should be good, if you managed to convince them to have it be part of their menu. [ a part of her wanted to ask if spreading the dessert around was his way of expressing that he somehow missed his brother, but... that might be overstepping her bounds, given her observation on how the brothers behaved around each other. ]

What's it made out of, again?

Oh it was easy to miss, especially since you didn't even know it was on the menu.

[don't worry, he won't hold it against her or anything.]

Cherry blossom flavored sweet bean paste, black sesame ice cream, and fruit. You're in for a real treat.

[as he talked to her he was already walking towards the inn, hoping that she would follow him.]

[ and of course she'd follow him. all of those ingredients just sounded so good right now; ever since he mentioned it to her, she'd always thought she'd try it soon as they finished dealing with lord artorius. it sounded like a dream, before. but now...

were they really about to try some? she couldn't help the slight bounce in her step as she anticipated tasting it. as the two of them walked the short distance to the inn, a small child ran up to her and tugged at her skirt. eleanor stopped, then listened as the little girl demanded to be heard. eleanor stifled a sigh, then glanced at rokurou. ] Perhaps you should go ahead? I'll catch up with you at the inn. This won't take a minute.

[heh. rokurou nodded at the two of them, and he flashed the little girl a warm smile before leaving the two of them.]

I'll grab us a seat. [and he walked off, heading towards the inn in order to get their desserts and their place to sit.]

[ she was right. it didn't take a minute; it took ten, at the least. a visibly flustered eleanor soon stumbled into the inn and, after some moments spent glancing around to look for him, headed straight to where he was sitting. ]

I'm so sorry for making you wait. Truly, I am. [ it was considered poor manners, wasn't it? rokurou had asked for her time first. but kids had always been her one weakness; she couldn't say no to them, even if she'd tried.

she looked at the innkeeper who was... not on her place behind the desk, before transferring her attention to the daemon. ] Have you told them what we're here for?

[rokurou was fine with waiting, he really didn't mind most things. besides, her taking so long actually helped in the end.]

I told them, and also they're just in the back making it up for us. [rokurou gestured at the other seat at the table.]

Take a seat, shouldn't be long now. So, what did the girl need?

[ eleanor took her seat, taking care to make sure her spear was within reach, should she ever need it. she rarely did, thank heavens, but still.

at the question, eleanor glanced at the door, as though the little girl would come in the inn anytime soon. ] It's supposed to be a secret, but... [ she shrugged. it wasn't a life or death situation, anyway. ]

Her name's Lily. She's one of the orphans in this city. Her parents... were killed by daemons about five or so years ago. [ which would explain why eleanor would set aside time just to listen to her - something she thought rokurou would understand, given eleanor's own background. ] She's to celebrate her seventh birthday next week, and she... well, she demands to be given an escort on that day. For what reason, I don't know. But she was pretty adamant about it.

[not like rokurou was about to blab to everyone, if it was a secret then he would take it to his grave.

rokurou grinned, leaning back in his seat as he listened to her story. he knew that eleanor would want to help the girl, and he also knew that she couldn't turn down someone in such dire need. the girl was similar to eleanor, so this would then be a special case.]

You're gonna give her what she wants right? No use in not fulfilling her request. [as he spoke he spotted the inn keeper, walking out with two glasses filled with ice cream and the rest of the yozakura anmitsu delights.]

Perfect timing! Thank you for this. [and the dessert was set down in front of them both.]

Isn't it beautiful looking?

[ her eyes followed the descent of the dessert from the innkeeper's hand to their table, and she couldn't help the delighted smile that graced her face just then. lily and her little girl problems could wait, for now. ] Oh! This looks absolutely wonderful, Rokurou! I can't believe I'm about to partake this dessert. Thank you for this!

[ and because she couldn't wait, eleanor would take her spoon, dig into the ice cream, and shove a huge portion of it in her mouth. normally she would be 'miss manners' about this, but this was yozakura anmitsu. she'd be back to her usual niceties after.

she covered her lips with her other hand, then all but wilted where she sat. ] This is... this is unbelievable, Rokurou! I don't think I've ever tasted something this delicious in my entire life!

[heh!! he knew that she would like this, so he was just grinning from ear to ear when she said how happy she was. he watched her in delight, not yet taking of spoonful of his own since he wanted to see her reaction, and it was well worth it. she took such a huge bite but she really didn't seem to care, and neither did he really.

he took his own scoop and put it in his mouth, smiling at the familiar taste. they really had done a good job here, and he was sure that this place would be packed soon with people wanting the precious dessert.]

Right, right? Told you! Y'know as much as I hated liking the same things as Shigure I just couldn't ignore this one. It's just too delicious to try and hate!

How anyone could hate something this good is beyond me, really. [ another scoop went into her mouth. at this rate the dessert would be finished long before she was ready to stop eating it, but partaking small portions of it seemed impossible, right now. ]

Was this a House of Rangetsu recipe, by any chance? [ at the back of her mind she couldn't even think a family of swordsmen came up with the idea of this dessert, but anything was possible! rokurou himself was a good cook... even if he was fond of cutting his ingredients paper-thin. ]

[hah! he was just excited that she was enjoying it so much. it really did remind him of sharing this dessert with his clan.]

Nah, it came from my homeland. The recipe has stayed with the Rangetsu clan though. Better to say that we just introduced it to everyone here. Carrying on the legacy! And all that.

[he took another scoop of it up and into his mouth as well.] I'm just really glad that you're enjoying it so much.

It's almost impossible for anyone not to. [ she grows quiet for a moment. ] Laphicet would have enjoyed this as well, don't you think?

[ sometimes she wondered if the empyrean could still revert back to him malakhim form. it would certainly make introducing his presence to everyone a lot easier. and, well, she couldn't deny that she missed his wide-eyed wonder and curious questions; for all intents and purposes, laphicet was like the little brother she never had.

she shook herself from the thought and glanced at rokurou. ] You know, you shouldn't just introduce the recipe to others. You should sell it! Well, not for an exorbitant amount, of course, but just enough to ensure your needs.

[rokurou moved to rest his chin in his palm, his full attention on eleanor. she mentioned laphicet and he glanced off to the side, thinking about her proposal. it really wouldn't work now, he was an all powerful god and he probably wasn't about to eat anything like this. rokurou laughed off the thought, and then went to answer her other statement.]

Sell it? Ahh no way, I don't need anything like large sums of money. That wouldn't really bring me much joy anyways, I'm always on the road and just need a good fight to get by.

Besides- [he shrugged a little.] have everything I need right here for the time being. Good food and even better company.

Always on the road or not, you need a place to sleep in, Rokurou. And I know for a fact that accommodations nowadays rarely come cheap. Unless of course you have some place to go home to?

[ 100 gald per night was not a lot, but if he had no permanent home then surely the amount will accumulate quickly. 3000 monthly was not cheap, by all means.

she was putting a spoonful into her mouth when her mind registered 'even better company.' there was no graceful way of saying this; eleanor choked, when one of the dessert bits decided to go down the wrong pipe AT THAT EXACT MOMENT. ]

I'm--! [ cough, cough! she thumped on her chest, and managed to dislodge the offending piece off her throat. ] Oh, goodness. That's---!

[ something she didn't want anyone to see OH GOD. ]

[LOOK HE WAS JUST TELLING THE TRUTH- and now it seems like she went and started choking thanks to what he had said. rokurou was definitely worried when she had to thump her chest, and he placed a hand on her shoulder and even scooted in closer to her to make sure she was okay.]

Whoa hold on there Eleanor! Breathe, just breathe okay? [did she need more reassurance? because now rokurou was rubbing her back, urging her to calm down and hoping that she was okay.]

[ there's probably a few uncomfortable seconds when she's just sort of coughing out whatever discomfort she was still feeling. ]

I'm fine. [ cough! ] I'm-- I'm okay. My apologies! I-- I think a bean went down the wrong pipe. I was probably eating it too fast, anyway.

[ WASN'T THIS JUST EMBARRASSING? oh god. eleanor's all red in the face right now, not just from the effort of coughing but also because she was so ashamed, especially as the attention of the other patrons were on them, now. ]

[rokurou really wasn't paying attention to anyone else around him but eleanor. sure she was alright, but now she was definitely embarrassed. it wasn't like he was one to get embarrassed easily whatsoever, but he knew that she would probably be extremely self-conscious.

anyways. moving on. rokurou took his hand away from her back now, since she was starting to calm down.]

Hey take as much time as you need. Besides, I plan on staying here the night, so not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon.

[ the urge to crawl down a hole and die there was still strong; however, eleanor fought the urge to cry. instead she sort of steeled herself more. times like this built character, she told herself. ]

Oh, are you? I'm glad. [ wait that's something one could say to a male friend, right? right? ] I--I mean because I'd like to show you Stonebury's progress. And perhaps you'd also like an update from the concerned gentleman on the progress of his wine-making?

Ohh yeah the wine guy! I definitely want to see what sort of progress he's been making!

[rokurou is excited now! he's definitely eating his dessert at a faster pace.]

[ eleanor hid a smile behind her glass. it really was sort of... endearing, probably? how transparent he was. well, when it came to alcohol. and fighting.

...ahem. ] I would caution you to not expect too much, though. Do you remember what he said, on how long it'll take him to make it?

Yeaahhh yeah that's true. Still!

[rokurou placed a hand on her shoulder.] Wouldn't hurt to check up with him! I won't rush you though, we came here to eat this dessert, not to run off and see how some alcohol is doing.

[o wait-] Would you like to try some alcohol too? [go big or go home.]

[ eleanor pushed her now-empty glass away from her. she considered getting another serving, but--

she raised her brows at rokurou. ] I'm eighteen! [ highly affronted tone, get! ] Besides, I don't think it'll set a good example for the good people of Stonebury if they see me drinking. What would they even say?

[ not that she haven't thought about tasting it, but. she had a reputation to maintain, after all! ]

They'll say... 'hey! Look at wonderful exorcist, she knows how to rebuild houses and mingle properly!'

[rokurou had even made his voice higher pitched for that.] A few drinks wouldn't ruin your reputation!

[ eleanor just. had to stifle the snort of laughter that impersonation elicited. she reached over to swat at his shoulder lightly. ] You are awful, you know that? No one in Stonebury sounds like that!

[ although she looked a bit... intrigued? at the offer. certainly a memory of zaveid drinking what seemed to be a wine for lovers popped in her mind. what if--

banish the thought! ]

You can't tell me you know everyone here. Someone probably sounds like that!

[though he does notice her going quiet, probably thinking about something. rokurou leans in a bit closer to her.]

What's on your mind? You really wanna try some alcohol don't you? [not like he knew about the lovers thing but. yes.]

O-Of course I know everyone here! Don't be silly. Stonebury isn't as big a city as, say, Loegres! And I know for a fact that no one sounds like that here.

[ she leaned farther away in response. he couldn't read minds, could he? that wasn't part of his daemon powers, was it? ]

Which type of alcohol do you have in mind?

[if only he could read minds, it would make this all so much easier. but either way!]

Hmm... I have some sake you could try. Or we could ask the tavern here to give us some of their finest alcohol.

Sake is rice wine, isn't it? [ she couldn't deny that she was curious as to how sake tasted like. especially as it seemed so... ingrained in certain situations. such as before the rangetsu brothers fight to the death. ]

Their finest alcohol will probably be just as expensive, Rokurou. If it's only for the sake of me tasting it, I'm sure we can go without.

Great! In that case-

[he whips out the jug of sake from his very person!] Let's drink!

[ wait what

WAIT WHAT??? her expression greatly conveyed her surprise. ] You have a jug of sake? How?

[ she would just be reaching forward to frisk him. psh, what personal bubble? ] How?

[rokurou just chuckles at that!]

I have lots of tricks up my sleeve Eleanor! [sake is the slightest of his secrets.]

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I JUST ARRIVED AT STONEBURY IN MY SECOND PLAYTHROUGH yus

get drunk eleanor and get to kissin' rokurou

WHY ARE YOU SUCH A BAD INFLUENCE

ill do anything for the smoochies!!

ohohoho is that so

it is

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im sorry this is so late ive been so busy ;A;