It kinda felt like spring outside today for the first time since spring officially sprung. Most everybody left their heavy coats at home. Sure, it's creeping back toward a little bit chilly now that the sun's starting to set, but Dare Ice Creamery is seeing a decent stream of business in honor of that sort of almost kinda might be warm weather. And, in honor of that brisker business, a little game's been set up for customers to encourage more loitering than usual, checklists and colored pencils set up next to the register. The redhead who runs the place is currently leaning over the counter after sending a couple of happy kids off with their fresh-scooped cones. Except she's not watching them. No, she seems to be fiddling with one of the checklists. Or, more accurately, sketching something on the back of one, idly doodling while she waits for the next rush.
Paige has indeed left her coat at home, opting instead for a sweatshirt to go with her jeans. She steps inside and heads for the counter, staring at the tubs of ice cream. Mmm. Ice cream. But she's distracted away from the icy sweets by the checklists, and she wanders closer, head tilting a little as she peers at one upside down. "What's this?" she asks, glancing up to the redhead.
Ice cream is a treat that she rarely gets. But today Tai has been drawn out of her apartment, and to the Ice Creamery for a special treat. She's wearing her usual coat, still, but has opted for something a little more casual in jeans and a t-shirt.
Ian knew that there was going to be a game afoot, and Ian's nothing if not entertained by the thought of game playing and shenanigans, and so he arrived with the last rush and has acquired himself a bright green colored pencil and a checklist, which he pores over with one hand as he licks his own icecream cone with the other, commenting to Cardinal, "This should prove entertaining."
Rorschach comes in through the front door, silver bells jingling merrily overhead.
Haruki comes in through the front door, silver bells jingling merrily overhead.
Cardinal's sketch, incomplete though it may be, seems to be of a helmeted Rebel pilot from Star Wars, the face as yet undefined, the helmet bearing an elaborate design of flowers almost certainly not native to Hoth. She looks up when the bell jingles and jingles again, a bright smile turned to Paige and Tai both in turn. For the former, she spins one of the checklists upright that it might be better read. For the latter, she extends one in her direction. Oh, sure, they might be here for the ice cream, but check out this fabulous, uh, paper they've got on offer! Once her hands are free, she picks up another checklist and looks to Paige, pointing at... number two and giving her bright red brows an enticing waggle. That may well be a challenge.
Paige starts to read then Cardinal points at #2, and she glances up, grinning. "I'm game. I take it this is a game, then? I'm even /more/ game if someone'll let me blindfold them!" She glances over, grinning at Tai, then the unfamiliar face of Ian. "One of you maybe?" She looks back to Cardinal. "Is there a prize for this game thingy?"
Haruki enters with Oberon and possibly Rorschach as well. "It's going to be so much fun!" he declares, before he even has a chance to look at the list of things they need to get, or do.
Tai looks momentarily startled when the piece of paper is held out to her, but she reaches up to take it, "Thank you." She carefully reads over the list, her cheeks actually starting to turn colors by the time she gets to #10 on the list.
Oberon grins when he picks his paper and checks on the list. Then, he arches both brows."Hey, baby. Hurry. Change clothes with me!" Then, he suddenly starts taking all his clothes off. All of them, except his undies. And to everyone's surprise, the Fairest is using black jockstraps and he's totally not ashamed of showing his butt off.
"They're not going to fit," Haruki says. Unlike Oberon he's not inclined to remove all of his clothes. "You'll stretch everything out." And then reluctantly. "You can have a sock." He offers. Not even two socks, just the one. He reads down the list, as he removes the one sock from his foot. Even his feet are relatively small though. "Is there music for the time warp?" he looks around. He pulls a face at one of the others. "I can't do milkshake." And then his eyes light up. "Oooh tricks!"
Cardinal holds up that pointing finger in excitement before dipping behind the counter for long enough that she may well miss the influx of customers. Which might explain why she's so wide-eyed when she peeks back up. Or she might be trying to mimic the 'blindfold' she brought back up. The eyemask depicts the scowling eyes of Buttercup of Powerpuff Girl fame, all big and green and mean. This is handed off to Paige to put on or trade off as she sees fit, the redhead waiting to take her cue from the other woman. Only then does the rest of the crowd get a happy waggle of fingers and a curious look about to see if anyone needs anything. Like music. This only requires a moment of fussing with her phone before Riff Raff starts crooning about how it's astounding, how time is fleeting, how madness... takes its toll.
Rorschach walked in behind Haruki and Oberon. His arm was in a sling and he looked like he was on the mend from being eaten by a truck. Not hit, eaten. He cleaned up a bit and the tall, lanky man got distracted. It was the bells. Long, lanky fingers reached up and swatted them overhead. They chimed. The punk warmed a smile at them then, ooh Cardinal. The fingers on his left hand flashed in sign to her. (Page if you speak ASL) To Haruki he nodded and started singing only...no sound came out. It didn't stop him from looking at the smaller Japanese man as if that should explain everything. He then looked to Ian and then Tai and ooh a Paige. Paige got a sheepish grin. Yeaaaah he got a little wrecked. He hrmmed and looked over the list
If the list itself made her blush, Oberon's quick disrobing was like nuclear war. Tai quickly turns on one heel, a hand reaching up to cover her eyes as a frown appears, "Could you please put your pants back on?" The words are spoken very carefully, very slowly, and with a lot of effort to not muppetflail like the giant prude she really is.
"Hi Rorschach!" Paige says cheerfuly as she takes the blindfold. Only to blink at the music coming from Cardinal's phone. "I don't get it," she admits, glancing around, clearly in the hope that someone will enlighten her. It's enough that she doesn't put the blindfold on immediately. Instead she looks at the list again. "by the way, everyone who hasn't met me...I'm Paige," she says distractedly, before pausing to frown at Oberon. "Um...why are you stripping?"
"Because it is in here." Oberon says a bit frustrated as he starts to put back his pants, ignoring Haruki's sock. The rest of his clothes is left scattered around. He then stops to check on his paper again and sighs.
"Do you have any slushies?" Haruki asks Cardinal. "Or sorbets? Or something without dairy in it? And would that count for number 4?" Yeah what's he even doing in an icecream shop if he's not going to eat icecream. And then the music starts and everything else is forgotten. When Oberon looks sad he urges. "Dance with me? No being sad! You can be Rocky." He starts mouthing the words for the song, and when it gets to the point of the chorus he sings. "Let's do the time warp again!" He takes a jump to the left, and a step to the right, in time with the music. Hands on his hips. Pelvic thrust. Yeah this isn't his first roadshow.
AJ comes in through the front door, silver bells jingling merrily overhead.
Cardinal signs something back to Rorschach. There's a reasonable chance that it might even be in answer to whatever he signed to her in the first place. It's all punctuated with an encouraging waggle of her fingers toward Oberon. With Paige not yet adopting the blindfold, she takes a moment to cast a wide-eyed ain't-this-wild look over to Ian before settling the full weight of her attention on Haruki. And nodding. Then looking up to the menu. Which... only lists the dairy products. Oh. That... that's problematic. She holds up a finger and dashes off to find a latter that she might correct the listings. The guy who'd been contented to slack behind the counter futzing with his iPhone might have to actually do some work while the boss is out of view.
"Paige..." Tai takes a step towards her fellow Summer, looking at the blindfold that is in her hand, "I will let you blindfold me." She carefully folds her list in half, then tucks it into a pocket, trying her very best to ignore the half-naked and the pelvic thrusting.
Ian has a list in one hand and a cone in the other, so he doesn't immediately reply to Rorschach other than to give him a broad grin and an up-nod of greeting from where he leans up against the wall. Then there's a bit of a laugh and a grin in Cardinal's direction as he nods. Then he laughs and says to Oberon, "The proprietress has declared Dare Ice Cream a pants-optional zone for the purposes of this particular game."
"I don't want to do this silly thing, Baby." Oberon murmurs, but joins Haruki in the Time Warp dance. And contrary to his complains, he do dances pretty nicely and executes the steps pretty decently.
Paige beams at Tai. "Excellent!" she says, offering the blindfold over to Tai. She moves back to the counter, waving at the slacker back there. "Hey! I need something. I need you to give me a cone of...uh....that!" she says, pointing to a tub of ice cream before she digs cash out. "Promise I won't give you anything like, completely disgusting, Tai," she says, grinning as she glances over to Rorschach. "How've you been? And you people I don't know yet who are doing something I don't quite understand." Since Ror can't speak, and Tai is making with the blindfold, she zeroes in on Ian. "What are they doing?" Someone has clearly never seen Rocky Horror. Shame.
The door opens with a jingle, and in steps AJ. The redhead is dressed today in a pair of green chucks, black leggings, and a green Celtrics hoodie. Very green today! She steps inside then pauses to look around, with a smile.
Haruki smiles as Oberon joins in. "You can go if you want?" he suggests quietly. To Paige, he'll explain. "The Time Warp's a dance from Rocky Horror. The last item on the list is from it, and it's more fun to do it as the dance. Otherwise it's just kinda creepy and inappropriate." The music's still playing. "All the instructions are in the music, so it's pretty easy to do. You should try it." He's not being all that risque, for all he's taking joy in the dancing. As AJ enters he smiles brightly at her, and calls out "Let's Do the Timewarp again!" along with the music. It's a greeting of sorts.
"The time warp," Ian replies to Paige with a grin when she asks what it is that Haruki and Oberon are up to. "Never seen Rocky Horror Picture Show?" He sings, "It's just a jump to the left.. and then a step to the ri-i-i-i-ight.. you put your hands on your hips, and pull your knees in tight.. but it's the pelvic thru-uust, that really drives you in-sa-a-a-a-a-ane, let's do the timewarp again.." He even demonstrates for Paige. "Come on, do it with me and we can check each other's off." He manages to do so without even dripping icecream on the floor either.
Cardinal drags a step ladder out from the back and starts doodling on the whiteboard menu, adding two new non-dairy items. They're already there in the freezer, sectioned off away from the ice creams, but someone neglected to notate them. LEMON SORBET goes up in black-outlined yellow lettering, APRICOT MANGO MAGNIFICENCE penned in a swirl of orange and peach hues. While she works, there's a sway to her own hips, but it surely doesn't count. Not like the ladder can check her list. It's also a good thing she doesn't jump anywhere where Ian sings out that instruction, though she's clearly taken note. See how her shoulders shake? It's a good sign she's laughing even if the only sound she makes is the squeaking of marker to whiteboard.
Oberon turns to see the newcomer when the door's ring sounds. Upon seeing it is a known face, he stops dancing and heads to his cousin. In the middle way, he picks his shirt from the ground and offers it to AJ."Do you want to change clothes?" The Fairest is wearing his pants and his clothes are scattered around the place."Please, cousin. Help me here."
"I have eaten pidan before, I'm not sure that any flavor of ice cream would be more disgusting." Tai assures Paige, carefully pulling the blindfold down, adjusting it over her eyes, making certain that she is, in fact, blindfolded. Since she's blindfolded, she waits where she is so that she doesn't run into anyone accidentally, hands finding her pockets.
Rorschach breezed across teh room and gived Paige a one armed hug and a smooch to teh cheek with a glib wink. That good hand spapped Ian in the shoulder a couple times pointing betwixt the two of them and motioning for Tai and Paige to join them. Time Warp? He was totally down. He was at one with his shadowcasting youth. He sang long... as there was no sound it did not help matters much.
"Stick out your tongue," Paige tells Tai with a grin after she gets the cone, and she's nice. She doesn't smash it in Tai's face or anything, just dabs it on Tai's tongue. "One sec!" she calls to Ian. "That looks like fun! AJ! Come do the Time Warp with me and that guy whose name I don't know! We're doing this thing where we do silly things, like feeding Tai something while she's blindfolded!"
AJ processes the music, just as Haruki sings out. She cringes. "Oh my God it's a nerd thing..." She says. As if she was unaware what she was walking into. With that grimace on her face, she steps further in, only to have a giant offering a shirt to her. "Uuuuh..." she eyes his shirt, then her hoodie. "Nnnoooo..." she decides, blinking up at Oberon. She then looks over to Paige. "Sorry babe! Totally not my thing!"
Paige does, belatedly, totally return Rorschach's one armed hug!
Haruki'll tick off anyone's list if they're up and dancing, that's Oberon and Rorschach's and... well Oberon's wandered off. He looks up at Cardinal, smiling bright. "That sounds delicious!" And to Paige he says. "I'm Haruki! I'm a Magician! So number 6! I can show you all the tricks!" he laughs. "That rhymes." He just laughs at AJ's response, and laughs, and laughs, totally unselfconscious.
"My tongue?" Tai seems uncertain about that for a moment before she does as told, waiting for the food to be administered. When it is plopped against her tongue she pulls it back in, trying to sort out just what flavor it is, exactly, "Cinnamon?" Sadly, the invite to dance falls on blind eyes behind her blindfold.
"O-kay." He murmurs to himself in total frustration. Then leaves his shirt in the next chair on his way to the exit. No word is said to the other participants of the game.
Ian checks off Rorschach's list after they finish their time warping, then he tells Paige, "I'll do it again when you're done over there if you want." Glancing over toward Oberon, he makes his way in that direction, meeting him near the door and says, "Hey, I'll trade with you if you want to play."
Paige pouts at AJ, but she doesn't really seem put out by the refusal. She grins quickly though. "Close! Carrot cake! Which I think has cinnamon in it," she tells Tai, reaching for one of Tai's hands trying to place the cone into it. She licked it, it's hers now! Thems the rules! "Now c'mon, dude's gonna time warp with us. And hi Haruki! I wanna try this dance first." She glances to AJ. "You're about my size, we can swap clothes later!" she says as she heads toward Ian.
Haruki's good spirits disappear as Oberon seems about to leave. He begins to walk that way too,gathering up Oberon's clothes as he does so, just looking distracted, and sad.
Oberon stops upon seeing that someone catches him. He stares at the hippie man while biting his lower lip. Thinking. Then, he takes a deep breath."Now I only have my pants. And that lady over there will be pissed off if I take it out again. So you can borrow me your phone instead." He says looking less frustrated now. He even tries a smile, but it's kind of fake.
AJ blinks a few more times, then, yes, goes to fetch her paper. Because maybe some of this will start making fucking sense. She nabs a slip, then an orange colored pencil, and eyes it. "So, uh, Ian...! Any chance you love this song?!" she declares, without looking up. Ian is pegged as the nerdiest in the room that can speak, you see.
"I like carrots." And evidently carrot cake ice cream. Tai tugs the blindfold up with one hand, even as she takes the cone with her other, taking a more proper lick off the ice cream. Claimed. The notion of dancing? That is terrifying in an entirely new way, "I'm not certain that I'm exactly the dancing sort, maybe if someone were willing to do one of the others?" But, even as she protests, she starts towards the impromptu dancefloor anyways.
Markers away. Ladder away. Everything away that needs to be away. Yes. Okay. Cardinal gives a good look over the shop from behind the counter and smiles the sort of small, private smile that speaks to the pleasure of a full house and a warm hearth. Nevermind that this is an ice cream shop. The effect's the same. With a little flick of fingers over her phone to change the song away from the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack--sorry, guys, future pelvic thrusting to be commenced to other tunes!--she makes her way over to the freezer to start preparing an apricot mango magnificence smoothie which eventually makes its way over to Haruki before the redhead settles back into watching. And hipshaking. It's the sort of music that demands hip-shaking.
Ian grins at Oberon and says, "Sure," taking his phone from his pocket and handing it over toward the other man so that he can post something with it, or take a photo, or do whatever it is that he wants to do. Then he laughs and says, "Well you could put your clothes back on, then we could swap.. over... there." He gestures toward the restroom "We just have to come out in each other's clothes to prove we did it, not necessarily strip down out here." He offers up alternative solutions for Tai's modesty's sake, anyone who knows him knows he has no problem stripping down to his altogether. Then he looks over toward AJ, "Which? Time Warp? Just did it.. was going to do it again with Paige.. wanna join us?"
Rorschach watched Tai and pulled the notebook out of his pocket and scratched something down on the notepad and handed it to her. There was a hint of a simle and a nod of his head, maybe encouragement. His head tilted sideways.
Paige grins at Tai. "Good," she tells the woman before she looks over to AJ. "You know I'm going to be pinning you to help me with at least one of these, right?" she asks before stopping in front of Ian. "Okay, let's do this. Is it relaly just doing what the song says? Are songs supposed to have dance instructions in them? That sounds weird, but I'm game!"
AJ just huffs, then starts over towards Ian. "Yeah, I can dance with... Tai," she says, and gives a sweet smile over that way. "Just mark here that you love this stupid fucking song, k?" she offers, to Ian. That is, of course, find someone that loves something you loathe. Her eyes shift to Paige. "Yeah, no, I got one in mind. For sure," she says to the littlest harpy, with a twinkle of mischief shining in those foxy eyes. Because, well, even without seeing her mien, AJ has that foxy quality to her.
Haruki hands Oberon his clothes. He then takes the smoothie and pays Cardinal for it. He's looking just painfully sad now though, all the fun of the event having leeched away. He takes a slurp of the smoothie. "This is amazing." He says, forcing a smile that conflicts with the rest of his expression. "Thanks so much for organising all this. It's such a good idea and so much fun." He's having fun, right. Smile. He glances towards the door.
Tai carefully holds her cone out of the way as she takes the notebook from Rorschach, reading it. Then she nods, holding it back towards him, "Maybe it is, I've no idea how to do it, though." She glances up when she hears her name, glancing around until she spots AJ, brows lifting a moment before she just looks back at Rorschach again, nodding, "It was no problem, really. After this dancing thing, would you be willing to do the milkshake drinking race with me?"
Tock comes in through the front door, silver bells jingling merrily overhead.
Oberon picks Ian's phone and quickly finds a gif of a cat jumping from the roof to the void in an attempt to reach the next building. The next second the poor cat is jumping again and again on Ian's Facebook or something like that."Thanks." The Fairest says. This time he do offers the other man a sincere smile."I owe you one. But I don't want to cause more awkwardness that I already did here." He says just in time to notice Haruki's coming with his clothes."Thanks." He murmurs to the magician."I'm going home. You can stay here if you want to. We talk tomorrow." Oberon says that part with a tint of dissapointment. Then, another smile is offer to Ian before the Spring courtier glances around. The next second, he turns around and heads outside.
Rorschach warmed a smile to Tai and gave her a more formal bow of his head. There was signage from his fingers that, apparently, was enthuastic support to Tai. That was happening. The notebook got stuffed into his back pocket and he did the steps one by one, and not necessarily to teh music. They were not complicated at all, and he walked her through it like one would tai-chi. hey he was having a good time of it and there was a milkshake drinking chugging contest to look forward to after. Oh yeah, He had Tai's back on this one.
Haruki stares at Oberon with miserable looking eyes and he keeps staring for a good few moments while trying to formulate an answer. He says nothing, he just watches Oberon leave.
"Oh, I don't love this song," Ian says to AJ with a bit of a laugh. "I actually really can't stand Rocky Horror. But I'll do the dance for the sake of the game." He reclaims his phone from Oberon and then dips his head to the other Spring, acquiescing to the other's wishes, "Your presence will be missed, though it was a pleasure to meet you." Then he withdraws and moves toward Paige, "OKay.. let's do this," he echoes her. "And yes, it is just doing exactly what the song says."
Paige eyes AJ warily, but that wariness doesn't really last long. "I'm keeping my eyes on you," she tells the woman with a grin. "Which means no blind folding me for you. No telling what you'd feed me," she adds, but without any hint of meanness. Then there's an Ian and she grins, nodding, and she listens to the song. She moves well, even if she doesn't know the moves, so is a few seconds off. Delay is a bitch. Still, she puts her hands on her hips, jumps and thrusts, laughing happily.
Lulu is just here for the ice cream. The fact there are a gathering of people is a surprise that draws her up just inside the door with a little. Spotting that someone's on their way out she sidesteps a bit and lifts a fragile looking hand and wiggles her fingers in a farewell to the unknown face. She lingers there, in the spot she's in taking in the whole shop for a moment; wide-eyed and observing every little detail. She does spot a few faces she knows though and gives them the short-end of a pageant wave while gravitating towards a menu until she spots that there's a banner and for a time that takes her attention.
"Aww," AJ says, to Ian, with a pout. She draws back her paper from him and shoves it into the front pocket of hoodie. Then eyes shift to Paige. "Double aww! I wanted to put something in your mouth!" she says. AJ is all pouts today. "This game is stupid," gripes the summer. Then she turns, to Tai. "Ready, baby? You get good lessons from Rory?" she asks, smiling once again, despite hating this game. She offers her hands out to Tai, both of them. "You'll have to show me the how it goes."
Haruki Finds a spot he can sit in, to finish off his smoothie, while he gives Oberon time to get far enough away that they won't be awkwardly bumping into eachother. He watches the antics going on in the room, passively. Slurp, slurp. It really is a good smoothie.
Paige sticks her tongue out at AJ. "Shush you," she says before her head tilts slightly, and for a moment her dancing pausing before she grins at Ian. "Who /are/ you anyway? If I'm gonna do this with someone, I need to at least know their name," she says, though it's entirely innocent! They're not even touching, after all.
Good lessons? Tai might, MIGHT, remember part of the moves if she tries really hard. She holds up a finger to Rorschach, "One second." She then turns towards AJ, reaching out to take the offered hands, "I'm not sure that I can actually teach anyone this dance..." She warns, because, honestly, this is going to be hard enough for her to do without teach. But, that's the point of all this, right? Trying new things. So she tries, badly, to do the steps in the right order, and only gets it all the way backasswards.
Graciously, the song calls out the actual moves! And being silly is the whole point, right? At least, that's what AJ believes, and so she drags Tai out beside Ian and Paige. She then smiles brightly. "Ready?" she asks. And then she dives right in. "Let's do the time warp again!" Just a jump to the left, a step to the right... Okay, AJ likes to dance. She likes to dance a lot. And are people looking at her? Lets hope so! Especially as she hands-on-hips thrusts at Tai.
Rorschach was happy to walk Tai through the parts she was hung up on so she could pass her shiny brand new sweet moves(tm) onto AJ. 8 years from now people may ask when teh Time Warp yielded a body count. The bugman will disavow any knowledge of turning it into a combat form. As AJ had joined them he gave a bit of a salute to her and waited to see what hyjinks Paige and Ian were up to. Fingers signed out to Cardinal with a warm grin. Hey he was genuinly having fun, and was even lucid enough to enjoy it. Double bonus. As the moth joined he grinned, and mimed a hat tip with his good limb.
Haruki loves to dance as well. He loves to have fun. He steels himself, stands up, and goes to join the others and their dancing. Happy smiles. Never mind if he looks odd being on the edge of everything. Sing along. Nothing else matters.
Cardinal stands behind the counter, hunched over with her elbows planted upon its surface. Her shoulders shake now and then with genuine humor at the ongoing antics, but the shopkeeper hasn't joined in on the festivities herself just yet. Taking up one of the checklists, she holds it out to Lunette hopefully, brown eyes wide and inviting, welcoming the newcomer to join in the fun. If everyone else is acting like a weirdo, it's totally okay for you to do it, too! There's a little gesture toward the menu with an arch of her brows, a wordless wondering if the moth might want something other than fun.
Let's be honest, Tai's pelvic thrusts are rather sad things, but she sort of manages to make the motion without looking horrified at herself. Much like it was explained, though, she does it a lot slower than most of the others likely are, and it does require more concentration than it really should. But by golly, she's doing it! Hell might have frozen over.
Paige keeps dancing, sort of, while she studies the other people here, her expression considering. "Who's got a phone I can post something from?" she calls out, her grin impish now. "Ror? Ice cream lady? Person who just walked in and is probably wondering what the hell is going on?"
"Ian," he introduces himself to Paige with a bit of a laugh, "Sorry. I'm used to most folks around here knowing who I am." Though the way that he says it indicates that he doesn't mean that in an arrogant sort of way. He's just used to getting funny looks, some suspicious side-eye, and the occasional friendly wave. "Nice to meet you," he says to her, offering a hand.
Lunette goes to get herself a list and an ice cream cone. She smiles towards Cardinal and nods her head, "Yes, please. Do you have pralienes and cream?" She wonders of Cardinal with an airy sort of drift to her. "And where can I get one of the lists for the.." She points up towards the banner with an idle finger. "The Hunt. It looks like a good deal of fun." Despite what she may appear - the fluffy headed blonde is perceptive and her fingers and hands sign, "Thank You."
John comes in through the front door, silver bells jingling merrily overhead.
John walks in. Having been there before but then having to leave, he is somewhat surprised for the crowd has grown greatly. Of the folks here, he knows every few of them, and the normally reticent John needs to get to know whoever he can--so he heads towards the 'sign-up' table and enters the fun.
Rorschach grinned at Tai being dragged by AJ to do a dance. He pointed two fingers at them and then made a gesture like milkshake drink time yo! He did go over to teh counter and dropped his broken ass onto a stool and looked apologetically to Paige. He made a gesture like -is broke- He shook his head. He didn't own one. He snapped his fingers and got inspiration. Oh god he was enthuastic about... something
Paige grins at Ian. "Nice to meet ya! I'm Paige. And I'm learning who people are! It's why I opened a bar. Cyclone," she offers helpfully. She doesn't seem put out by buggy having a broken phone, but looks at her checklist, hmming softly. "You got something in mind? one of the things we can do?" she asks, glancing between Ror and the list.
AJ finishes her dance with Tai, and grins brightly after it's done. "Well done!" she declares. She leans into her dance partner, slipping a hand around Tai's waste, then gives the other woman a kiss on the cheek. "You're a natural," she declares. Then she steps back, and turns to look around once more. She spots Rorschach. "Heeeeeey Rory," she says. She pulls away from Tai to step to Rorscach. "Before you milk shake chug, you happen to love that stupid song?" she asks, and thrusts her paper at him.
Haruki spots a face he actually knows. It's John! He smiles bright and cheerfully, and waves over at him. His phone is handed, absentmindedly and oh so trustingly, to Paige. And he pulls a pen out to sign anyone's lists who were dancing the time warp. Not that he's signing his entire name. Just a scribble.
Cardinal gives Lunette a little wobble of her hand at the request. It's neither precisely a yes nor precisely a no. Whatever it's meant to be, she comes back with a sort of brownish ice cream laced with little slivers of orange. Orange-colored, anyway. Those are carrots. It's a carrot cake ice cream, swirled with cinnamon and topped with candied pecans. So, really, the answer was pretty much definitely no, but she doesn't seem to be asking for any cash in exchange for the not-at-all-what-you-asked-for order that she offers up in lieu of an actual no. She smiles wide like there's no problem whatsoever then looks back out over the crowd to make sure everyone else is tended.
"Oh, I'm not, really." Tai shakes her head at AJ, convinced that she's a terrible dancer, and nothing is going to change that fact. She pulls her list from her pocket, letting people cross off number ten, and crossing off for them at the same time, then she examines the list again. "Is anyone willing to do number nine before the milkshake race?"
Paige beams at Haruki and takes his phone, her brow furrowing in concentration as she looks for something to post. "Let's see...something funny that won't totally embarrass you..." she murmurs to herself.
Ian nods to Paige and says, "I will have to stop by and check it out." He then says to Tai, "You can send something on my phone if I can send something on yours." He holds his phone out in her direction to see if she wants to exchange 9s with him.
Rorschach Swung his one good arm out (the right one being in a sling) and offered a hug to the foxy lady. He scratched a note going through the rigamarole of having to fosh out the notepad again, but it wasn't too terribly tucked away. The note read: I did it, but for the sake of seeing you victorious, I'll totally do it again. Teach me Maestro' He gave her a wink. The note got an anfter thought and he wrote down, 'After this, we help Tai in drinking contest yeah?' He showed it to AJ and then Tai with a nod.
John, noting Haruki as the man notices him and heads over towards him. "Magician Haruki, a pleasure to see you again." When he sees Paige nearby, he says, "And...well, a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."
Lunette reads over the list again and her brows creep towards her hairline. She exhales a little with a soft short sigh of laughter before she tucks the list into her pocket and takes the icecream from Cardinal and sniffs it. "Oo.." She perks and sniffs it again. She sniffs it a few more times before she finally starts to eat it. "This is weird!" But she continues to eat it, her free hand digging in her pocket to pull out some bills and a roll of quarters. "Thank you!" She signs again once her free hand can make the gesture properly. It's hard to say if Lulu likes the icecream or not but she's certainly devouring it but still doesn't appear ready to jump into the hunt just yet.
AJ fixes her attention on Rorschach, and as he pulls her in for a hug, she returns it, then kisses his cheek. "Mwah!" she declares, loudly. She then draws back, enough to see his buggy face and his notepad. "Oh, no no... I mean, do you love it?" She asks. "Cause I loathe it. So you can check that one off my list please?" she asks, with a bright smile. "And yeah, I wanna chug milkshakes! And then watch Haruki turn tricks... That's what this one is about, right, Card?"
Paige posts a random pick before she offers the phone back to Haruki. "Thanks!" she tells him cheerfully before grinning at Ian as well. "You should! i like people dropping by there," she says with a quick smile while she waves to John. then she pauses, watching Rorschach and AJ for a moment. "Can anyone get in on the milkshake chugging contest?" she calls.
"I'm not a nerd, since nerds are smart," Haruki flashes a smile. "But I love Rocky Horror, especially the Time Warp. It's so much fun." He waves his own list about. "So, that's a guilty pleasure number 8, and something I'm sure some of you loathe, number 5." He's grinning as he says that. "Unless I wasn't meant to admit that so easily." He smiles at John. "And you. You just missed the Time Warping." For Paige, his facebook and twitter and youtube all seem devoted to his magic act. There's nothing particularly personal there. His text messages, well his brother, his mother, and Dave, are those he's been in touch with most recently. He laughs at what AJ says. "Do tricks, not turn them. I can do something easy. But milkshake chugging first." He doesn't actually have a milkshake, he does have a smoothie. "I might need a refill first." He looks over at Cardinal, to get some more. "It's delicious."
"Alright..." Tai replies, reaching into her pocket to pull out her phone, unlocking it before she holds it out to Ian, reaching for his phone once he has taken her phone. She posts something on his phone that is probably very harmless, like a W, or a 1. Because, really...no idea what else to put.
Tock searches the crowd for Kat . . . if anyone would be champion at this, it would have to be his friend the feline milkoholic. Not seeing the skittish 'ling anywhere in sight, he resolves to give it the old College (of Worms) try . . . Tock orders one milkshake, chocolate, for here!
John says, "That is amusing...and somewhat sad. You would not know it to look at me, but when I was younger, I went to a few midnight shows. Complete with toast," replying to Haruki. "Although I do not think that is a list item. How might I catch up?"
Lunette forgets the list is in her pocket while she eats her ice cream. She's been a little spacey so only watching really as people interact. The wide eyed blonde drifts towards the door as the little ice cream shop appears to get busier by the moment. She only runs herself into one chair on her way out.
Lunette heads out the streetside door.
Ian collects Tai's phone from her and he locates a picture of a flower of some sort, not unlike the ones that wind around his brow, and he posts that from her phone, then he gives the phone back to her with a smile, dipping his head, "My thanks." He considers his list then and glances around the room, noticing Tock, and he gives him a wave in greeting. "Evening."
Paige slips over to the counter to get a milkshake, just a plain old chocolate, before she grins at the people about to willingly give themselves brain freeze. "Anyone need my phone to post something? Or to blindfold me after I'm done with my shake?" she asks/offers.
"Not sad," Haruki says to John. "I wouldn't have thought... but you did take us to that party. That was so much fun by the way. Thank you." He takes Paige's phone if she's offering it. He'll post a photo of a cute bunny rabbit in a top hat. Everyone needs more rabbits.
"Thank you." Tai replies, sliding her phone back into her pocket before she glances at Rorschach, "Milkshakes?" She asks, then pulls out her wallet to start pulling out money, heading to the counter to place the order for milkshakes, more than one in case others require them, like buggy.
Cardinal leaves the milkshakes and refills to the tall, tousle-topped teenager who's grudgingly pulled himself away from his phone to actually work for the paycheck he's going to be taking home. The redhead who had been working the counter? Gone. Okay, no, not gone. It's just that she's not behin the counter anymore. With that sketch she'd been working on and a few colored pencils in hand, she's tucked herself away in a booth where she can watch the chaos without having to work it. That's what she pays What's-His-Name for. For all that she seemed intent on working on that sketch, though? She's spending way more time watching everyone else with that silent, happy smile again.
Rorschach hopped up on the stool and whiltled for the room's attention... what he'd DO with it was... anyone's guess. He held up 4 fingers and gestured the whole room should join at the counter. yes. All were in. he hopped down and let AJ and Tai get closer as they were short. he couldn't fix that part.
John looks to Haruki and asks, "What is the milkshake contest about?" curiously.
Rorschach held up 4 fingers to John and pointed to teh hunt list. He waved Haruki to bring John up too.
There's the sound of a duck quacking. "Oh, that's me," AJ says, and quickly pulls out her phone. She eyes it, then she sighs. "Oh, damn, um... Sorry, guys, I don't think I'm going to be able to stick around!" she says, with a frown. "One of my babies ate something and now is throwing up, and my cousin's all panicky... I'm sorry!" she declares, aloud. Since surely everyone is sad that AJ will have to go.
Paige grabs her milkshake while Haruki plays wiht her phone, and leaves money on the counter for it, along with a tip for the bored employee. "It's one of the items on the checklist. Chug it for brain freeze." She holds up her shake and grins. "C'mon guys. Chug!" She watches AJ, and does look sad. "Aww, give them hugs for me, AJ!"
Rorschach heads out the streetside door.
Rorschach comes in through the front door, silver bells jingling merrily overhead.
"I think we all try to drink our drinks, and see who drains it fastest," Haruki says to John. He bids a farewell to Aj, and he heads over to where Rorschach and everyone else is.
"I hope they feel better." Tai informs AJ when it's announced that she's going to have to leave, reaching for one of the milkshakes, stepping out of the way for anyone else needing to grab any, "Should someone count and say go so we all start at the same time?"
When the milkshake competition seems like it's going to be a thing, Ian declares "I'm in!" He holds out his couple of bucksa nd offers them to the milkshake maker before he takes up a seat with the others at the counter. "Come on," he says to John, though he doesn't know the man at all, "Everyone in."
John looks up as John and Haruki kind of drag him over and in, and says: "My name is John Preston, I am pretty new to town. Hello, everyone!" Then he says, "I would like an extra-large peanut butter cup shake!" to the milkshake clerk. Enthusiastic, this Winter, in an unusual display.
"Thank you, thank you," AJ says, to Paige and Tai. She waves to Haruki. "Oh, and babies are foxes. Not... you know. I have foxes," she explains. Then she wiggles fingers and turns and exits.
AJ heads out the streetside door.
Paige lifts her shake in a toast to Ian, looks around, grins, then starts drinking it down. Chug, chug, chug..."Ah!" Her free hand goes to her temple and she winces. "That sucks even when you know it's coming!"
Tock readies his brain and closes his eyes, awaiting the start signal and hoisting the tall glass of chocolate-y delicious goodness and tilting back his head: *glugluglugluglugluglug* goes the milkshake, downed with a steady hand and mechanical precision, drained to the very last ounce of chocolate yumminess and replaced, empty, onto the counter alongside his payment and tip. Tock silently counts off the seconds before his brain cramps from the cold: "1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5 . . ."
Ian lifts his shake in toast to Paige and then he tips it back, drinking, drinking, drinking. Okay, so the Spring may be good at some things, but milkshake chugging is not one of them. He gets about four glugs in before he suddenly pinches his nose and tries to warm his palatte by rubbing the roof of his mouth with his tongue, "Oh fuck that's cold... ow ow ow ow..." Even the little tendrils that are constantly sprouting and curling from his mantle curl up and shiver before vanishing.
Bottom's up! Tai lifts her milkshake and tilts her head back and just starts to drink it, eyes squeezing closed as the cold starts to set in, and she maybe gets a third of the way in before she has to stop, grimacing at the cold. There's an unhappy hiss, and her free hand is rubbing hard at her eyes.
There's no way Haruki's going to win this race, especially since he's not really trying. He does slurp down some of his non-dairy frozen smoothie though. He doesn't get much though, before he's shivering.
With that, John gets his milkshake and begins drinking. Glug glug glug, chew chew, glug glug glug, chew chew--the peanut butter cups slow him down a bit, but then he starts to drink them whole. Luckily, he doesn't choke, but he seems happy about it nonetheless!
Rorschach took the straw out. If there was anything the ROach was not interested in it was things getting in the way. He opened up that great black hold of a stomach and did his damndest to slam that thing in one pass. Breathing...could wait. FOr those that saw the marvelous and frightening side of things one antenna started to twitch like it might be going into a convulsing state of shock. This was not a deterrant. After he took a moment and looked like he might- nope! he was good! It was gonna be okay. As an encore he started helpping others with that trick where... he started to eat the paper cup. The boy must have had some terrible friends daring him to do ridiculous shit because he took to comsuming the cup like a dartoon eats an ear of corn.
Cardinal's soundless giggles at the brainfreeze spreading through the ice creamery are not quite entirely soundless this time around as her hand claps twice against the table, the colored pencils rattling with the vibration. Her boots stomp with a bit of giddiness before she sinks forward onto the table, leaning on her elbows, hands lifted to cover her mouth as she watches the crowd with wide-eyed delight. And open voyeurism. There's a chance this is all just a show for her amusement. Such a wonderful show it is!
Paige waits until the brainfreeze has started to subside before she looks at her list again, hmming softly while a foot lightly taps. Then she grins impish and looks up, studying people and clearly pondering something. Who to con into helping her check something else off, maybe. "So who wants to share a guilty pleasure?" she asks hopefully, while still studying peoples.
Tock blinks and squints and squeezes his eyes shut again and again to work his way gradually through the brain-pain and orders a hot cocoa malt to chase it away with, this beverage to be enjoyed at a more leisurely pace. He toasts the crowd with chocolate held high aloft and proclaims:
A frozen brain is numbed from pain . . .
by chocolate delight!
We celebrate: It's Spring again . . .
We're _April's_ Fools tonight!
Ian smirks over at the giggling Cardinal and walks up to her table, and before she can get away, he reaches out with his cold cold hands from holding onto that shake, and claps them down at the back of her neck, cold cold cold. He leans down then and drops a kiss on the top of her head, grinning all the while.
This time it is Tai's phone that rings, and she pulls it from her pocket, "I'm sorry....I need to take this." She sets her unfinished milkshake down, and steps out the door to take the call.
"Already said," Haruki says to Paige. "Can't get much more of a Guilty Pleasure than Rocky Horror. What's yours?" He smiles at Tock's toast. He glances at Rorschach... is he??? He looks away, no staring, everything's perfectly normal. "I think you won."
Cardinal's eyes go wide as her bottom lip is caught beneath her teeth to hold back... well, nothing. There's no sound. Not even a muffled startlement. It's just wide-eyed surprise at the contact of cold fingers to skin. One hand whips out to give a light shove at Ian's belly as if she might actually want to shoo him away, but the smile which follows that kiss to her head is nothing shy of adoring, even as it lingers when she looks back to the rest of the crowd.
"My only real guilty pleasure is sweets. Lots and lots of sweets," Paige tells Haruki with a quick grin. "Not sure how much of a guilty pleasure it is, though. Lots of people like sweets, after all. But it's what I do, though."
Rorschach looked to Tai concerned but nodded to her and signed <<I'll be here>> He looked to Ian and winced still chewing the last of the cup and laughing silently as Ian and Cardinal's antics. Paige asked though and he shrugged. His kind had no shame whatso ever. Why not and it'd help some folks score some pointage.
John sets down the milkshake cup with a satisfied grunt. "Do we have a winner for the contest, yet? For I came in late. I thought, for a moment, I might have a chance. But Haruki here is so far ahead of me. Does everyone here know he is a magician? Not only is he a magician, he is an excellent magician. On watching him perform -one single trick-, I thought to myself: here is a man of great talent. Why, I bet he could make the entire town disappear, if he wanted! From coin tricks to the wholesale disappearance of the town, this man is quite clearly the finest wielder of the illusionist's art that has ever trod the earth." A beat. "Also, I understand he can burp louder than the entire city of Topeka, Kansas."
As for the winner, Tock cheerily and emphatically points to Rorschach.
Ian laughs as he is shoved away from Cardinal just a little bit and gives her a wink. Then he leans down to whisper something in her ear, one brow lifting as he regards her curiously, waiting to see what her response might be.
Paige pulls out her phone when it buzzes at her and taps on it, then promptly goes pink in the cheeks. She steps back, away from anyone who can see her phone and she taps on it. She looks around for a moment, embarrassed a little, before the phone goes back in her pocket. Then it's back to the others, a smile returning to her face. "So what's I miss?"
Cardinal's lashes dip coyly at whatever Ian whispers, as if it must be utterly salacious. A small nod of her head is accompanied with a little knocking gesture which those familiar with ASL would recognizes as, <<Yes.>> It's followed, then, by a widening grin and an impish arch of her brows as she then points down as if to ask, <<Here?>> in such a manner that suggests doing so might be scandalous.
Haruki smiles at Paige. "If it's a pleasure, and guilty, then it counts." He lets her sign his list. "Do you know any tricks?" he asks. As soon as John starts the compliments there he is blushing to the very tips of his ears, and by the end of it he's laughing too. He uses his pen to scribble on John's form. And then, he pops his own pen into his nose, sniffing as he does so, or so it seems, making it vanish, and then he spits it out his mouth. A swift fluid motion. Only not really, there's undoubtedly sleight of hand going on there.
Rorschach pulled out his notepad and handed it to Paige. At teh bottom of the note he signed it simply -#Rorsch on the page prior he scribbled, "Closest to texting as I got, but I'll show it to everyone'. He nodded to her. That was the most analogue phone he owned: notepad!
Paige cocks her head, considering Haruki's question. "I can stand on my hands. Walk on 'em, too. I can do it, and try to show you how to do it," she offers before looking at Ror's note, before she grins. "That works for me!" she says cheerfully.
"Damn, Haruki. I have no idea how you did that, but I have to remember never to ask to borrow your pen. Ever." A smirk from the normally reticent John, and then an arched eyebrow. "Do you have a stage name, like the Amazing Haruki?"
Paige also takes Ror's note and draws a stick figure on it. It has hair, it's a girl. Probably. At least she doesn't draw boobs to make it more certain!
Ian nods his head and says, "Right here.. right now, baby." He then draws out a couple of handkerchiefs with which he fashions a makeshift blindfold and holds it up, waiting to see if she wants to fasten it or if he should do the honors. Once it's in place he says, "Don't go anywhere," then he strolls on over to the counter and acquires himself a small cup of ice cream and manages to have the kid behind the counter smoosh five different flavors in there and mush it around. WHen he returns, he takes a small spoon and asks "Ready?"
"John's just modest," Haruki says. "He's amazing at all sorts of tricks, including sleight of hand. I'm sure he could easily work that one out. Making a pen vanish and reappear's easy." He smiles. "He's good with bullets too, there's no one better at shooting than John, and no one with bigger guns. And dancing. Or dressing for parties! And..." he's really not so great at the compliments. "His taste in clothes, no one's as chic as John is, no one's as classy." He shakes his head. "I don't have a title, I'm just Haruki. Do you have one, like the Incredible John?" He smiles at Paige. "If that's your trick then show me?"
Cardinal catches someone... coughing up a pen out of the corner of her eye, and is briefly distracted from whatever naughtiness Ian has planned for her while he pulls handkerchiefs from his pocket. She seems about to ask after it, head tilted curiously, when the makeshift blindfold comes up. No question comes, her eyes closing to accept her impending blindness. Once it's all tied on, she sits at the booth with her hands on her lap and listens to the shop around her, smiling wide at the ongoing conversation. Her head turns toward Ian when she hears his voice, and she opens her mouth wide without so much as a nod. Yes. Definitely ready. Though probably not for that. She'd prepared all the mystery flavors, after all. She hadn't expected--huh. There's definitely lemon. And chocolate cookie chunks? It's not half bad!
Paige grins again at Rorschach before she pauses, watching Ian and Cardinal. And damned if the Summer harpy doesn't blush a little until she realizes they're talking about ice cream. She coughs softly then smiles at Haruki. "Well, it's a trick that's not too hard. I won't ask you to try and do a backflip or something." She moves over to an open area, makes sure no one's going to get kicked, then moves easily into a handstand. "See? Easy peasy! Everyone should try!" she says, grinning impishly.
John signs Haruki's list, and then says, "Well. I do not have a title that would fit with magic of any sort, unfortunately. But you should come up with one, for your act."
Haruki pulls off his jacket for this, so things don't start falling out of his pockets, and sleeves and wherever else he hides things. He smiles. "I could do a back flip." He glances around. "Although probably not in here." He copies Paige precisely. He's had dance training since he was young, and he's done acrobatics, he's flexible, limber, and easily flips up onto his own hands. Does it count if it's a trick he already knows. "I will when I get a new act," he says to John. "The best magicians though, they have mononyms. Penn. Teller."
Rorschach looked at Paige and took a step back. There was respect to be paid there from him. He looked at his arm in teh sling and then at teh board. He nodded and decided this would go very good... or they'd have to stuff him in teh freezer withteh sherbert until an abulance arrived, because EMTs loved ice cream too...also sometimes saving teh dumb from themselves. He tried to do the handstand. With a deep wound in one leg and a wrecked shoulder? Well the effort was less elegant looking than he was. He tried though and managed to get one leg up aaaaand the thigh was not going to cooperate. but hey with one hand he got both feet off teh floor before he retired the idea.
"Don't!" Haruki says, immediately worried as he sees what Rorschach's up to, flipping the right way up. "Are you..." he leaves the end of that sentence off, he already knows the man's crazy. "Okay?" he finishes up, offering a hand if needed to stabilise him. "Don't hurt yourself worse!" He's all concern and worry.
Paige drops back to her feet and grins at Haruki, then Rorschach, and she moves to the bug to help steady him when he works on getting upright again. "Careful there. Don't push it with your arm. See? He agrees with me. No hurting yourself."
Not that being in public has ever stopped Ian before, but well, it's a family event and it's the middle of the day, so while he may have no regard for his own modesty, he does seem to be making some mild effort at not scandalizing the general populace. The combination of flavors is indeed strange, lemon, cookies and cream, strawberry, mocha crunch, and butter pecan, all kind of mashed into one small bowl. He grins as she goes through the flavors, grinning brightly, those golden eyes glinting. Once she's successfully eaten a spoonful of the concoction, he frees her from the blindfold and grins, "Thank you," as she ticks off a box on his list.
Rorschach was not an iron man. The thin man's brow furrowed and he was definiately, yeah slowing down, but he was smiling and gritting his teeeth through it. He signed to Haruki <<Fime. I, fine>> And followed with a thumbs up to them. He pulled out the notepad, and scribbled in it flipping it around between two fingers. It read: 'I don't have to hurt me. Coach Jonah does it for me.' Well that's one way to phrase it.
Cardinal misses all the acrobatics and near-acrobatics beneath the handkerchiefs hiding her eyes. Even when they come off again, she doesn't seem to notice much beyond Ian for a moment. And his list, of course. That gets some attention in the form of a note reading, 'Mochaberry Crunch is your fault,' with a little heart beside it. Should she get a chance before he withdraws, she leans in to press a kiss to his cheek, lingering for a couple of seconds, her brown-eyed attention checking on the crowd when she withdraws.
Paige eyes Rorschach for a moment before she smiles at him. "You know, Coach Jonah isn't the only one you can train with. I'm not exactly a slouch either," she points out, poking his good shoulder. "I think it could be fun, actually."
Rorschach chilled out for a moment, and paused to scrape at some wax from teh cup hugging his eyetooth, and watched Ian have fun with Cardinal at the mercy of a spoon. He signed back to the Hippie proper with a grin
Ian grins at the note that she writes, laughing just a little bit and gives her a thumbs-up. He doesn't withdraw before accepting that kiss to his cheek, returning one in kind, and then stealing one from her lips, his own curved upward mischievously before he leans in further to murmur something in her ear. Only then does he withdraw slowly and checks off a box on her list with a little wink.
Haruki looks relieved when Rorschach seems fine. He glances to Paige. He doesn't ask though.
Rorschach looked to Paige, and started writing a note to her, but watched Ian and Cardinal curious for a response to what was, apparently, question.
Paige takes the note and reads it before she grins. "Not lame. And we'll figure something out. You should come running with me sometime, too. It's good exercise and you never know when you're going to need to book it." She steps closer to give Ror a quick, one-armed hug. "I gotta get going, but this was fun." She looks over to Cardinal. "Thanks for doing this! Ian, Haruki, you should both come by Cyclone some time. First drink's on me," she tells them, grinning as she starts for the door.
Haruki smiles at Paige. "I'd love to. I'll be by. It was so nice to meet you."
Ian signs something back in return to Rorschach which anyone who can read sign language can make out as <Cardinal's revenge>. He gives Rorschach a wink, and then moves over to check off an item on the bug's list. He then looks over toward John and says, "Care to share a guilty pleasure?" He taps his ear, indicating it doesn't have to be uttered to the room if he's game.
Cardinal suckles on her lower lip as Ian withdraws as if she might still tastes some of that confusing mixture of ice cream on it. Of course, that's not it at all. Paige's words turned her way pull her from her reverie, a bright smile turned toward that direction. Both hands lift to form a heart shape in open affection for the stranger. She gets to her feet to make toward the door herself, flipping the sign to closed to deter random walk-ins, but she seems in no hurry to shoo anyone out. No, not when there are pleasures yet to confess and boundaries yet to push. And ice cream to be eaten.
Rorschach returned the snug to Paige and scribbled a note to her with a wry grin. The note read: 'Bring cops or dogs and I can run as long as I need to'. Aaaah the terrible humor persisted. He signed something to Ian and Cardinal with a grin tilting his head. THough it did look like he was getting ready to pack it in.
John looks to Ian and says, "A guilty pleasure, hm? I obsessively watch Family Feud. All of the seasons. I do not like Steve Harvey, and I think Richard Dawson kisses people too much and suspect he was some sort of predator. That being said, I can often be found watching the show. The Game Show Network as a whole has a certain 'sit around in my underwear with a bucket of pretzels and watch people guess what a hundred studio audience members thought was the best body part to kiss' without actually uttering their truly 'dirty' thoughts and sanitizing them for television."
Paige grins at Rorschach's note. "Noted, but don't think I'll need either of those to get you to run," she says cheerfully. "Bye guys!" she calls, and starts to whistle, badly, as she heads out of the ice cream shop.
Haruki listens to John's guilty pleasure and smiles. He'll sign the list, well scribble on it, he's not actually signing his name.
Cardinal signs something brief and helpful back to whatever Rorschach signs over to Ian, her smile easy. Something that John says in his rambling answer catches her attention, and her fingers start moving again. Fast. And for quite a while. Someone skilled with ASL might catch her babbling on about, <<What's the one that's all black and white and it's on in the afternoons and I watched it a lot when I first got back while I wasn't really sure that to do with myself, not that that helps you. It's the one where they have to guess what people do? It is so good. So so good!>> Blink. Still, she taps her nose then points to John. Then does it again, pointing to Ian this time. Good points, all of 'em. But now, time to start collecting checklists. Consider this the last call for craziness. Anything unchecked ought be checked now.
Ian signs something back to Cardinal and Rorschach, and then he grins over at John and laughs a little bit at his response, "Well, that was more than I could have hoped for." He gives a little bow and offers up his list for the signing. "Is there an item on your list that I can help you check off?"
John says, "Well, sir, as I do not know your name and have told you one of my deep, dark secrets, I think that turnabout is fair play, do you not agree?"
Rorschach showed Ian his list which was, actually mostly empty but he was grinning having a blast helping others finish off theirs. He didn't play to win, so much as enjoy getting people out of their comfort zones and encouraging Cardinal's masterful plan in this. He actually did darken at the bridge of the nose and shook his head to Ian and Cardinal, <<Yeah. I know. Dangerous too. We'll see.>>
Haruki's still here, with his list, hanging about, and enjoying himself.
Ian studies John for a moment and then nods, seeming to think that this is fair. He leans in then and murmurs something to John quietly, preferring to share these things only to those who chose to ask for them. Then he withdraws with a little inclination of his head and takes up his green colored pencil to check the box off of John's list.
John nods to Ian. "Fair enough!" he says. Then he looks about. "I do not suppose anyone here loves cilantro? It is the only thing I can think of off the top of my head that I absolutely loathe and feel comfortable saying in public."
Rorschach raised a hand to Johna nd broke a grin and walked over to high five him with his good hand. Match!!!And that ladies, and gentleman was a good bingo as they say. Then again the guy ate a wax cup. Cilantro was sort of a step the the less dare-oriented foods.
John laughs--for the first time; smiling is not a big thing for John--and scratches off Rorschach's corresponding number.
Ian notices Haruki and studies the man for a moment before he says, "Have you finished playing? Or would you like to continue? I am in search of someone who loathes something that I love, or loves something that I loathe. Would you care to try?" He tips his head, smiling a curious little smile.
Haruki smiles at Ian. "Yes, I'm still playing. I'd be curious as to that guilty pleasure of yours." He admits. "As for things I love, that people might loathe? I love salad, all sorts of vegetables. Do you like those? There's not really much I loathe. There's lots of things I love. I think it's just far more important to concentrate on the positive, good things you know?"
Haruki adds with a laugh. "Icecream! I hate that I can't eat it. There's a carrot one I think I heard. I'd love to try that. And I can't. So maybe I hate icecream a bit, for how delicious and appealing it seems."
Ian laughs and dips his head, "Well, I certainly do love ice cream, so I think that will count." He then says, "Very well.. a guilty pleasure." He moves over to Haruki and leans in to murmur his guilty pleasure to the man. Once he is done doing so, he offers his list to be signed, and signs Haruki's in return.
Tai heads out the streetside door.
Haruki signs the offered list. That whisper ends up with him blushing, and maybe he's wishing he didn't ask, since he's not sure what to say. He ends up laughing and smiling though. He looks around, a little helplessly, then glances down at the list. What else is on the list... "a trick?" he asks.
Rorschach perched on teh stool and considered that signing back to Ian <<Painting on other people's shit. because they hate that it's there but then don't want to destroy art. And they have to live with their decision either way.>> He motioned for Ian's card on that front. He followed up with <<You can tell them too. I'll count it.>> Fingers were flying faster for Ian and Cardinal than he did for most having a totally different proficiency communing with them down to slang. Yay pidgeon signing for the win. And weirdly, it might even be a good time for him because he could speak freely without having to write as much.
Cardinal slips into the backroom quietly as the game continues, off to tend to whatever it is that needs tending. Which may well be grabbing a nap. The lights remain on, the door unlocked, the ice cream ready to be served. So long as there are customers, they're welcome to stay. Even if the redbird's retired to her nest.
Cardinal goes through the door marked Employees Only.
Ian entirely missed what Rorschach was signing at him, catching only the very end, as amusement sparkled in those golden eyes at Haruki's response to his answer. He then looks over at Rorschach and signs <<You're not supposed to offer the answers before someone asks you!>> then he laughs and says, "I'm not even sure what that one was for.. or what it was for that matter." He does go over to the bug though and bumps shoulders with him. Then to Haruki he says, "Yes.. A trick, to be shown one and then to try to replicate it. I still need to do that one, myself. Shall we exchange them? Or have I frightened you?"
John looks at the rest of the crowd, and says, "The only real 'tricks' I have are mostly only able to be performed outdoors, with a gun."
Rorschach laughed soundlessly and signed back in protest <<No one asked! I'm tryin to help you out dude!>> It seemed to amuse him too much. He did hop down though and signed to Ian <<I'm comin by your place to crash in a couple days if that's cool. Thought it'd be a good time to catch up. I'll bring ya somethin>>
"Not frightened," Haruki says. "I'd like to see a trick though, and I'll show you mine, again. Unless you've a specific request for one? This one's easily replicated though." It's all the one gesture, pen goes up the nose, he sniffs as he does so, then pen is spat out the mouth. Sleight of hand, of course it's doing neither and is all in the positioning of his hands. He looks to John. "I'm sure that's not true." He can do the pen trick the opposite way too. Feed it into his mouth, sneeze it out his nose. It's a silly trick.
Ian grins and nods to Rorschach and says, "Sure. Yyou know you're always welcome to crash. Just come on in, make yourself at home. We'll catch up." Then he's watching Haruki's trick and says, "Wow, that... is a little gross.. but not very gross since it's not actually going up your nose. Alright.. show me how it's done.. and I will try and replicate it." Preferably without jamming a pen up his schnozz.
"Never, ever, show this trick to children," Haruki says. "It just ends in disaster, and doctors visits. I'm not that fond of the gross out tricks, but sometimes they have their uses." He then says. "Hold the pen like this." He moves so the trick can be seen, and shows off his hand to show the exact positioning. "Now, you don't actually push the pen up, you let it slide down, into your hand like so," he does the move slowly, "if you do it right, it all looks the same. And tada! The pen is gone!" Of course it's not gone, as he shows, just hidden from view by his palm and his wrist. "And you make it reappear soon enough no one notices." He then does the opposite, with the cough and making the pen appear again.
Ian watches Haruki carefully. He gets out a pen and holds it the way that he is instructed, balancing it in his hand and practicing sliding it up and down a few times. Then he attempts to replicate the trick. It's an awful mess. It's very obvious that he's not moving the pen properly and that it's not going anywhere. He does a pretty good job of hiding it behind his wrist, and the cough, well that's pretty bad too. But hey, it's a first try, and Ian is many things, but a magician is not one of them. He grins at Haruki and says, "Thank you, for the lesson in sleight of hand." He then considers, "Do I have a trick that you can replicate..." Then he looks over at John and studies him for a moment, "Only outside tricks with guns? Sounds a little dangerous for a scavenger hunt."
Haruki smiles at the trick and signs the paper. "The rest of magic is just lots and lots of practice, usually with a mirror in front of you. Or a camera. That's not bad for a first go."
Ian laughs a bit and says, "Well, it's not the best attempt either.. but thank you, for teaching me." He then considers, thinking, looking around for materials perhaps, or inspiration. "Most of my talents involve gardening and plants. I'm a botanist, not a magician, and I'm afraid that growing something from a seed would be a very slow... aha." He grabs a small menu and he tears off a bit, making a square of paper, then he begins to fold it. Once he's done, there is an origami frog sitting on the table. "Ta da!"
"It's magic though," Haruki says. "Bringing things to life, nurturing them. Gardens are wonderful." He smiles with delight at the origami frog. He sets about folding himself one too, he's clearly done this before as well, since he gets a frog that can be sproinged into the air, which he does, sending his leaping after Ian's. "I'd love a garden, but they're so much work."
"You should come and visit mine," Ian says as he laughs when the frog goes skipping over his own. His doesn't jump, but then, he didn't realize there would be a leapfrog contest. "It's a community garden. Everyone who lives or works there contributes a little something to its upkeep and everything that we produce there, but no one person is responsible for its entirety. You're always welcome to come by and visit, plant some seeds, harvest something if the time is right." He straightens up a little and then checks off another box on Haruki's list.
Haruki looks genuinely surprised as he's actually invited to a community thing. "Can I bring my brother?" he asks. "Well if he wants to go. It might do him some good. You grow vegetables and things?" He's looking thoughtful.
"Of course, the Gardens are open to anyone who comes to them in good faith and does no harm to they or those who reside within. Respect the garden, and you're weclome, and any that you'd like to bring with you to visit." Ian nods then and says, "Vegetables, fruit, herbs, and we raise fish as well. We have greenhouses to continue raising food all year long, and then the fields during the warmer months."
Haruki smiles. "I'd love to visit then. Where are they? Do you have a card or something?"
Ian reaches out and picks up the frog that he'd made, writes down the address and a phone number within, and then refolds the frog, handing it back to Haruki. "I don't have a card, but you can ask anyone locally where the gardens are. They'll know. They're out in the farmlands, just follow the suspicious looks when you ask about me." He gives a little wink.
Haruki takes the frog smiling. "Thank you." He holds the frog, amused by it. "Why suspicious looks? Are you not a local?"
"To the contrary," Ian says with a shake of his head and a little smile, "My family has been here a long time. But the Gardens are a commune, and the locals call it a cult. It's true, we do have our own set of beliefs, and we do worship, but we're not really as scary as people like to make us out to be." He lets his shoulders rise and fall, "I inherited leadership of it when my folks died. So now I'm the crazy hippie cult leader."
Haruki smiles at that. "You don't hurt people, do you? Or teach hate and intolerance? I don't like those sorts of cults," he admits. "But peace and love and all that, that's not bad. I am sorry for your loss."
Ian dips his head and says, "They were good people. I miss them." There's an honesty to that admission, that brings a little sad smile to his lips for a moment. Then he says, "We're about freedom, regrowth, renewal, rebirth, love, growth and abundance, and nature in all her forms.. which can sometimes be as violent as she can be nurturing. But by and large? No.. we grow food and we feed people."
Haruki gives Ian a sympathetic look. "They'd be proud of you though, following in their footsteps, keeping their ideals alive, helping others? That sounds lovely. All those things. Good work."
"I think they would," Ian says, settling into the booth and folding his arms, resting his elbows on the table. "When they were alive.. I never intended to take over. I was going to go start my own thing, my own botanical lab, work on hybridization... I went to school for botany and horticulture." He then looks over to Haruki, "But after.. everything.. and their death.. I started to look around at all those people, the people that had followed them, that believed, that the Gardens gave jobs and homes and hope to... and I couldn't just.. let it all go."
Haruki listens sympathetically. "That's such a kind thing to do." He speaks gently. "To give yourself and your dreams to all of those people. To help them, and keep your parents memories alive. So many would have been selfish instead."
Ian looks over at Haruki and says, "Oh, believe me. I am a selfish man. I can also be as cruel and as violent as nature herself. But I love my family, and I love that place, and those who have made it a home and who have worked there -- they've done nothing but give their hearts and their hard work to that place. There are some things that one must respect and honor."
Haruki looks at Ian, as if trying to search for that cruelty, or violence. He nods in answer and he's looking thoughtful, as if it's stirred up some memories in him as well. "I'll look forward to visiting," he finally says.
Ian doesn't look particularly cruel or violent and it's difficult to see especially to mortal eyes, who can't see the alien appearance of the Fairest that sits beforehim, an amalgamation of nettles and eglantine, briar rose and tattoed thorns with golden eyes and green skin. No, to mortal eyes he's thin and wiry with sandy hair and slightly odd golden brown eyes, but still, nothing that compares to the creature surrounded by the scent of rain and creeping tendrils that seem to grow out all around him and fade away. Ian dips his head with that same smile then and says, "bring your brother. We should have some things to harvest in the green houses, and we can send you home with a basket."
"He's not well," Haruki says quietly. "And he's very shy. But I'll try to coax him to come. It'd be good for him." He's troubled as he says that. "Thank you."
There's a slight furrowing of Ian's brow and he says, "I am sorry to hear that he is unwell. But perhaps some time in a peaceful place would be enjoyable for him. And if he is shy, then we can see that it is a quiet day when you come to visit, so that he can explore without pressure."
Haruki nods. "Thank you." He glances absently at the frog he's holding. "So, hmm do you know Dave? I saw him talking to you earlier? Thanks for trying to help him."
"He seemed a little uncomfortable," Ian says. "I had hoped, perhaps, that if he could be engaged in the game, that he might feel more comfortable." There's a little smile that curves his lips and his shoulders rise and fall in a slight shrug. "I've seen him around here and there, but we've never spoken to one another, really. So no, I can't claim to know him."
"So had I," Haruki admits. "I didn't expect him to be so uncomfortable. Or..." he sighs, looking troubled again. "It was good of you though. I know he likes gardening and growing things too. He wants a garden of his own. You're good with people."
"Maybe it just wasn't his gig," Ian reassures Haruki. "Maybe he just needs some other sort of a social venue that allows him to be more himself. You can't find out what you like and what works for you until you find a few things that don't." He picks up the bit of discarded menu that he hadn't turned into a frog and idly folds it this way and that, not making anything in particular, just fiddling with it. He smiles a little lopsidedly and says, "I'm better with plants. But I like people."
Haruki nods at Ian. "I guess. I haven't seen him like that before. Usually he's good around people. He just seemed lost though." He smiles. "I like people too. But I'm, the good at them takes learning and work."
Ian nods and says, "Well, there were a lot of people and the game was a little bit chaotic. I spend a lot of time with chaotic people, I suppose." Ian chuckles a little bit, glancing after the back room where the redbird went. "I think I've just learned how to ride that wave. Being completely stoned also helps a lot, I have found."
Though he isn't, currently.
Haruki laughs. "I'll take your word for that. I've never tried it." He admits. "I suppose it would help mellow things out though." He nods. "It was noisy and loud and chaotic. But so much fun, and such a good way to get to know new people. I liked that. It was a really good icebreaker, even if I've not done half the list."
"Well, if you ever want to try, let me know. I'll make sure that you have something good that will give you a nice mellow, no skunk weed or cheap bad shit," Ian says, gesturing vaguely with the pen he'd acquired from somewhere for the trick earlier. Then he nods in agreement, "I like meeting new people. And I liked the game. I thought it was a fun way to get people out of their comfort zones a little." He then glances over toward Haruki's list and asks, "What do you have left?"
Haruki smiles and nods. "I will." He looks down at his list. "The blindfold one, but I can't have dairy, and we're in an icecream place, so that's not so doable. The get someone to tell you what scares them." He frowns. "I'm not sure I like that, unless it's offered willingly. That's a great deal of trust, to know someone's fears. The loves and loathes, isn't ticked? Didn't we decide on icecream? Swap clothes?" He frowns. "Which is when Dave got upse.t He wouldn't even swap socks." He sighs. "Everything else I have would get stretched out. What about you? What have you left?"
Ian leans over and looks over at Haruki's list and he checks off the loves and loathes one, "We covered that one, the loves and loathes one." He picks up his green colored pencil and marks that one off with his initials, I.B. with a grin. Then he looks over at his own list and says, "Exchange compliments until someone blushes or laughs.. have someone show you a trick.. wait, you did that one.. you need to sign number 6 for me.... and then swap clothes." He says, "You don't have to eat anything for the blindfold one.. you have to get smeone else to be blindfolded and then you feed them." He tilts his head a little and says "You can blindfold me. And I'll tell you something that scares me."
Haruki smiles. "You need compliments?" he asks, just to be sure. "I like that one, it's so nice, to make people feel good. Do you even know how to blush? It'd be laugh, right? Let me think on that. I just love that that one's there, it's so happy and joyous, and so nice. People don't usually do that but it encourages us to do so." He nods. "Oh! I can totally blindfold you then. Is there anything you're allergic to?"
"Well," Ian laughs just a little bit, "I don't need compliments, but I do need the one that is about compliments, so I suppose in a sense I do." It's a round-about way of trying not to sound like he is starved for attention, which has him laughing a little. Then he lifts both brows and says, "Do I know how to blush? Do you think I'm completely shameless and incapable of it?" He props his chin on his hand, curious as to whether Haruki's already decided that about him or not. "No, there's nothing that I'm allergic to." He tugs out the handkerchieves he'd used to blindfold Carindal with earlier and offers them up to Haruki.
"Confident," Haruki says. "Not shameless. And yes, I think you so. I doubt there's much I could say that would elicit a blush. John would have done it better, any of the others I'm sure." He blindfolds Ian. "You're terribly trusting of a stranger. I could feed you anything?" But he doesn't, he instead takes a spoon of the one icecream he's desperate to try himself, that carrot cake one. He doesn't even mix it with anything.
Ian leaves his arms folded on the table as Haruki blindfolds him, just his smile showing beneath the edge of the fabric. "I think there are still some things out there that could be said that might make me blush. I'm not sure who might find them, or think of them.. but I'm sure they are there. I'm not immune." He smiles a little and then says, "You could feed me anything. But then that's the risk of the game -- to trust. I'm trusting that you're the sort that wouldn't do harm to someone who hadn't earned it." When the spoon of icecream is offered up, he takes the bite from it and grins, "I should make you a version of this that is non-dairy, so that you can try it."
"I'm sure you could do that, look into someone's eyes and find those things that make them blush, those secret things they don't want to tell," Haruki says. "Not I though. I'm much too boring for such things." He laughs though. "And unimaginative." He smiles. "I would love that so much. It looks and smells delicious."
Ian tugs at the blindfold then and takes it off, the requirement fulfilled. "Then I'll see if we can't make some for when you visit," he says and then shakes his head with a smile. "You never know. You could surprise yourself. But then he says, "I think I owe you a fear." He tilts his head a little to one side and looks thoughtful for a moment before he leans in to murmur his fear.
Haruki shivers when Ian whispers that. It strikes him hard and deep to the bone. He stares at Ian, as if something of his own fears were just spoken to him, and that's terrifying, to hear them voiced so. "All we can do is live each day fully and hope it doesn't happen."
Ian meets Haruki's gaze for several long moments and then he smiles again, though there's something a little sad in the smile once more. He then marks that box off on Haruki's list. "I think that you should have all but one filled now, correct? And I have the same one.. and the compliments." He tries to shake off the speaking of his fear, by going back to focusing on the game at hand.
Haruki looks at his list. "No, I think my list's done now." He smiles. "John gave me compliments, he was really good at it, and silly." He looks. "Oh wait, yes swap clothes. I need to do that. But all I'm managing is socks. And feet are... feet. So..." he pulls out his phone, "I'm going to cheat." And he starts searching.
"There once was a boy named Ian, and his entire reason for bein'. Was to stand in the stall, holdin' it all, and enjoying himself while peein'" Haruki recites, of course he probably should have read the whole thing before saying it. He shakes his head, and laughs. "That's not you. Is it? Or much of a compliment."
"You're going to cheat?" Ian asks, not sure how exactly one cheats at swapping clothes, but he seems intrigued enough to wait in silence and patience as Haruki flips through his phone, curious as to what is going on there. He says, "Then the only one I am missing is compliments. I suppose..." and then he stops, and blinks, and his mouth opens, and nothing comes out. Speechless, and then he starts to laugh, because, that was not exactly what he expected at all.
Haruki will take this as a win. He puts away his phone and scribbles his mark on Ian's list. "Swap clothes then."
When it comes down to swapping clothes he chuckles and says, "I suppose. One sock was it?" He looks a little bemused and reaches down to unlace one of hs sneakers, shaking his head just a little bit. "Why a sock?"
"Because everything else is going to stretch out if you try and wear it," Haruki says. He's short. Everything he's wearing is perfectly tailored to fit though. And that jacket he has is full of magician's secrets. "And, I'm not sure what else I have to swap. I like my clothes. I don't like other people in them," he admits. "That's weird I guess."
Ian shakes his head and says, "No, when you put it that way I guess it's not." As slender as Ian is, he's tall, and fitting into anyone else's clothes would be a little bit of a challenge save perhaps for Rorsch who has a similar height and build. He offers out one sock to Haruki and says, "A sock it is, then."
Haruki hesitates. "This is like Harry Potter!" he suddenly says, he hands his own sock over. He has nice socks. Coloured socks. This one's red. Of course he has to touch Ian's sock and put it on now, and ewww... but he... no ewww.... he grimaces a bit. Pull it on quick! He does that, for less than a minute and then it's off again, as if this whole thing was painful.
Ian's sock is white, and clean, but yeah.. Ian seems to do the same thing, even with the bright red sock, putting it on quickly and then off again, handing it back over with a laugh. At least it's not summer. No sweaty feet. He slips his own sock back on and laces up his sneaker once more before lowering his foot back to the ground. "Hey, we did it!" He offers a hand for a high five, and then goes to check out the last box on Haruki's list.
Haruki does the same, putting his sock back on, and then High-Fives! "We did! And now I know so much more about you! And we'll discover that the real prize was friendship all along!" He glances at his list. "There is a prize isn't there? And it is friendship?"
"I have no idea if there is a prize or not," Ian laughs when the question comes up. "I was just doing it for the fun of it, and to see who I could meet." He pauses then and nods, "I think the prize is friendship. I'm glad that I got to meet you tonight, and to talk to you. Dave's a lucky guy." He says, "Bring him by the Gardens, too. I hear he plays a lovely violin. I'd like to hear it sometime."
Haruki nods. "I hope the prize is friendship! That's the best sort of prize. I'm glad I got to meet you as well." He blushes a bit as that's said about Dave. "Ah, yeah. I will. He needs more friends. He's a really nice guy. He's amazing at the violin. He does Viva La Vida! I love that song. It's so joyous."
Jonah comes in through the front door, silver bells jingling merrily overhead.
Jonah heads out the streetside door.
Ian grins and says, "Then we both won tonight," with a little bob of his head. He pulls himself up and out of the booth them. "Unfortunately, I have to return to the Gardens for the evening. But I do look forward to seeing all of you soon." He gives Haruki a warm smile and says, "Thank you.. for the conversation, and the game."
"Thankyou too," Haruki smiles. "It's been such a pleasure." He stands up in order to leave too, depositing his list wherever those things go.
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