Open/Closed Prompts

[perfectdistance]

Who ⬤ Nero and you
What ⬤ Open and closed starters
When ⬤ September
Where ⬤ Various
Content Warnings ⬤ Sex in at least one thread


I. Substory #3 Drifter Grifter

[He looks tiredly at the list of crimes of this grifter and for a moment he wonders if Bradley's out there stealing again? He's probably stealing, but is this specifically Bradley or just some idiot he doesn't have to care about?]

Okay, so what did this guy look like? Did he even have any information or was he just dining and dashing?

[Are there, for some reason, giant windows in your bathrooms? How is this guy getting out so easily?]

II. City of Rain, before hours
[Now more than Ever Nero's grateful to have his shop. An oasis of calm in the middle of the din of Jigokuchou. Of course, the quiet rule doesn't come into effect until the shop actually opens. Sometimes it is nice to be able to talk to his employees without having to write everything down on paper.

He has been cooking a little earlier than usual, but that might be because of the new hire. Bradley? Just somebody from home. At least it's very normal for Nero not to say much about himself.

He does send out a text to everyone who works there.]

Breakfast on Friday at 10 if you want to come early.

Tell me what you want.

III. Wildcard
[Give me another prompt or contact me via discord or PM.]

Comments

Closed Prompts

[perfectdistance]

Rokurou

[perfectdistance]

[They'd set their date for Tuesday, and Nero fully intended on going. This last week was more stressful than he'd experienced in a long while. There's something about running into an ex that does that. They see each other every day, and Nero really should've thought about this for a greater than 10 amount of seconds.

Oh well.

It'll be nice to see somebody he doesn't have centuries of baggage with. There's something to be said for people who don't know him.

Nero's at the bar a little earlier than they agreed, simply because he couldn't stand the idea of being late. He gives at wave to Rokurou when he spots him.]

How've you been?

[swordhardy]

Hey! Pretty good, how're you?

[ Rokurou grins and waves back in greeting while dropping into the stool beside Nero. He's dressed casually in a black tee and black jeans since he's off duty, not sporting the garish patterned shirts he normally likes to wear when running the gambling hall circuit.

He leans forward once seated, closing the distance between them so it's obvious to everyone else that this guy's here with him tonight. ]

Started without me?

[perfectdistance]

Pretty decent, all things considered.

[Matoba prying into his life, working with his ex, there are many things that could be complained about, but he won't get into them now.

Nero's in his much more casual attire, a dark blue tee and black slacks. There's really no reason to dress up is nearly as many layers as he was in last time they met. Besides, they both know what they're getting up to tonight.]

Not yet, I just grabbed a table. What're you feeling like?

[Wine? Hard liquor? An interesting cocktail?]

[swordhardy]

Is it too early to say "you"?

[ He's teasing ... but also not teasing? Half and half on that one. He still reaches for the menu to scan the drink list, considering the options they have on tap and what bottles of wine they carry. With a hum, Rokurou tilts his head before reclining. ]

Feel like splitting a bottle of wine? They have a few good reds. Nice years.

[perfectdistance]

Just a little early.

[He feels the heat rising to his cheeks, but he smiles despite himself. If he gave in that fast, they'll really never share a drink... which doesn't sound like a terrible proposition, if he's being honest.]

Let's split one. I didn't know you were knowledgeable about the years. Choose your favorite.

[swordhardy]

[ Heh, cute. That blush makes Rokurou want to bite on him a little. But he'll behave since they're still in public. ]

Mn, I like that kind of thing. Pairing the right alcohol with a meal, or looking up which years have what flavor notes. If you drink you should enjoy it as best you can.

[ He hums, glancing at Nero again, smile taking on a mischievous tilt. ]

So, I have to figure out which one will pair nicely with you. I might have an easier time if you give me a kiss.

[ Okay, he'll misbehave a little. As a treat. ]

[perfectdistance]

[As somebody who runs a restaurant, Nero also has that particular knowledge set. Maybe it shouldn't be that surprising that Rokurou also has it. It's still a new and interesting bit of information about the man.]

If you ask that nicely, I won't say no.

[Tonight, Rokurou's his company, and he doesn't feel inclined to share. Nero shifts closer, teasingly brushing his lips against his own. If he wants more, he'll have to deepen it himself.]

[swordhardy]

[ Rokurou slides his hand over the back of Nero's head, threading his fingers in with the man's hair gently. Just enough for a light grip to press even closer, parting his lips in the kiss to do just that; his tongue teases out slowly, brushing along the seam of Nero's lips for a deeper taste.

You know. For the sake of the pairing. ]

Matoba

[perfectdistance]

[Nero has a set of selected desserts out for the testing. He's perfectly find doing this either before or after hours, but not during. The sanctity of quiet is something he would like to keep.

There's a full spread of tiramisu, crème brûlée, lemon pie, tres leches, lemon tart, cream puffs, and macaroons (raspberry) out. Every single one of them gorgeously presented and perfectly sweet.]

Which ones do you like?

[worldbent]

[When Matoba had been invited to come and taste test, he had been expecting 2, maybe 3 desserts or so to try out. When he arrives and sees a whole buffet, it's easy to see his eye light up like a child's.] Oh, my. This is all for me? You shouldn't have.

[Alright, let him be a "professional" about this. He pulls out a chair and seats himself, picking up a fork and twirling it in his fingertips as he tries to decide what to dig into first...]

[The creme brulee, that was what Nero had said was a specialty of his, right? Matoba tugs it over for the first taste, humming delightedly to himself.] Oya, it has such a light texture. Not too heavy at all. And the caramel on top is burnt very evenly. I can see that you have spent a long time on perfecting this one, hm?

[perfectdistance]

Too late for "shouldn't". [He could've just put out some desserts, but this seemed like a reasonable amount for somebody who loved sweets. He knows what Owen is likej, and surely nobody is as terrible as he is. More sweets, more options, a more accurate reading of the favorites.

There's a sense of satisfaction when Matoba makes that noise. Good. Nothing like the pride of knowing his work is good.]

Yeah, I've had a lot of practice with it. [Centuries, you could say.]

[worldbent]

[Surely... Definitely no Owen twinning here...]

[Matoba's eye reaches Nero's, although his amusement is smothered by his delight at the sweets. He could certainly guess that one as old as this would have a lot of time to hone his skills. It just seemed so... innocuous. Surely, he would get bored with such mortal hobbies?]

[But he is here to taste test, so before he decides to fill up on all of this brulee, he moves on to taking a chunk out of the lemon pie. The sour contrast to the brulee struck him right away.] This would pair very well with a fruit tea, wouldn't it? [Licking his fork, Matoba considers.] A dense filling with a light cream top. I prefer things which are light and sweet such as cream, but in the springtime, a lemon tart or pie really makes you anticipate the coming summer.

It must be difficult, [Matoba comments as he tugs over one of the macarons,] For one as old as yourself to even note the passing of time anymore.

[perfectdistance]

[Nero is just a guy, or at least trying very hard to keep up a ruse that feels like it's failing. What he wants is so simple, a quiet life, people to serve, and nobody to go prying into his business. Somehow he's failed on all counts, considering his new life in hell.]

I'll have to get some teas in for people who come in just for dessert.

I don't know what you're talking about. [Because he has always been able to feel the changing of the seasons, even when he lived in the harsh tundra of the north. The change has always been clearer in the lower countries, a little less rain, a little more heat.

If he wants to accuse Nero of something, it's much easier to do it plainly, instead of whatever happened back at the festival.

The macaron is perfect, with no cracks, the texture as perfect as any person could hope to achieve. The flavor of the raspberry tart and delicious.]

[worldbent]

[Nero... sir. You are not a guy.]

[Matoba gives him a withering look, like a disappointed mother, and bites into the macaron. Ah, a perfect crunch on the outside, and a fruity burst from the cream. Excellent- he stuffs the rest into his mouth.] If it is teas you are after, there are quite a few shops within your clan. May I suggest the teahouse Boukakuan for greens? Black teas to my liking have been a little harder to find, but I know that Shylock-san has managed to procure an excellent Earl Grey which he has served me.

...That one uses magic in the pursuit of his brews, doesn't he? [Matoba picks up another macaron.] These are perfect for tea time, by the way. You could offer it as a set.

Do you prefer the analog craft?

[perfectdistance]

I'll add a tea set to the menu next month. [Please. Please believe he's Just Some Guy who's just a shop NPC. He makes some notes on his phone to go stock up on the teas. There are plenty of tea houses in the district, but he hasn't had the time to try every single one.

There were six perfect macarons out on the table, five now.]

Yeah, Shylock does. [Potion making is just a different way of saying brewmaster, isn't it? Besides, he's sure Shylock hasn't hidden anything about himself if Matoba's here saying something about it.

But Nero gives a shrug of his shoulders.]

It's more satisfying cooking with your hands.

[worldbent]

That is good news. Perhaps I could take my teatime break here.

[Matoba picks up the fork again, and roams over the selections. The tiramisu, then- Matoba did prefer tea, but the bitter taste of coffee paired well with sweetness once in a while, just in a different way that the bitterness of matcha did. It was quite similar to the contrast in that man, wasn't it? Shylock seemed to relish in setting himself boldly apart from humans, while this man seemed to desire only to go unnoticed by them.]

A very rich cream. It offsets the coffee nicely.

I will ask you this: why do you wish so badly to assimilate amongst humans? [He asks, licking a bit of cream off the fork.] You are not like us. You can never understand us. And in the end, you will only cause harm.

Surely, it isn't any prettier from your end, hm?

Eula - We Know Who You Are

[perfectdistance]

[He did find one of the bombs in Tamamo territory, but the problem is he doesn't know exactly how to diffuse it as it slowly ticks down second by second. As far as he knows he's the only person in this particular area.

He summons a magical copy of a pot and a lid. It floats in the air beside him as he considers what he could actually do to stop the thing. The bomb goes into the pot for now. If he has to, he can fling it up, up, out of the reach of the city.

He still has a few minutes before it goes off. He yells out, hoping somebody who can actually properly deal with this is around.]

There's a bomb in here!

[disagree]

[ eula's been leaping from one roof to another, as she figures that this is the faster way to navigate around town when the streets are thrown into disarray again. this is the norm for her at this point, but upon entering tamamo turf while doing doubletime on her patrols-- ]

Nero...?!

[ she lands neatly on the ground and runs up to him. ]

Where is it? Show me.

[perfectdistance]

[It's a relief to see somebody he knows.

He can just say the pot was there. Why? Who knows. The pot with the bomb in it is moved closer to the door, lid slid off for now, easy to see and work with.]

It's this way. We still have a few minutes before it goes off.

[disagree]

[ a nod, and eula wastes no time in getting ahead of nero, powerwalking with the urgency of an experienced officer on-field.

she knocks down the door with a heeled foot, immediately scanning the interior and approaching the pot with the bomb in it, ticking away. ]

Why is it in a pot....

[perfectdistance]

I could throw it out of the way easier like this.

[Please don't examine this statement too closely.]

[disagree]

Excuse me?

[ of course she's going to examine??????? ]

[perfectdistance]

Can we focus on the bomb?

[Hello? Just minutes? Help him??]

[disagree]

Oh, I'm focusing. And I won't entertain those ridiculous ideas of yours unless we don't have any other choice.

[ HUFFS!! but okay, thinking... ]

What happens if we freeze it with ice...?