autumn catch-all (open)

[unchainer]

WHO: Vanitas and you!
WHAT: Catch-all with open prompts
WHEN: Throughout autumn
WHERE: Various
WARNINGS: There will be eventual NSFW!

cruise ship - general.

[ Vanitas' designated date from the auction is Amber, and while he can't say he's having a bad time, there are moments in which he can be caught without her around the ship.

Sampling the wine is something he's not opposed to, and he may or may not be tipsy when someone approaches. He can also be found at the buffet, squinting at a dessert dish...that looks like Tarte Tatin?? Wow, he's going to scrutinize the hell out of it. It'd better be good. ]

chocolates.

[ He's not a fan of chocolate, especially if it's too sweet. He's got zero idea about the bonus effects, too, but while he's out in town square, he idly pops a piece into his mouth.

He grimaces a bit. Too sweet, too sweet – but he starts to realize something was terribly wrong with it when he sees the next person and instinctively approaches. And then, without warning, he will pick them up bridal style. (Effort will vary depending on the individual.)

He blinks down at whoever he's just scooped up. ]

...Huh?

[ And then he'll promptly drop them. Oops. ]

wildcard.

[ I am down for anything! Tasks, Bingo, etc.! ]

Comments

closed - noe.

[unchainer]

[ A letter will show up at Noé's household on Autumn 1. The note is unsigned, but he'll probably be able to recognize the handwriting. ]

Noé,

I have something to discuss with you. Meet me at the restaurant at noon today.

closed - aether.

[unchainer]

[ Date night with Aether was a confusing but pleasant experience. That is, however, precisely why Vanitas is trying to avoid encountering Aether inside their house. He makes it a point to wake up early – earlier than Aether, at least – to check their mailbox. There's something for both of them in there, and it's... ]

...Chocolate?

[ Huh. He walks back inside so he can set Aether's box on the kitchen counter, hoping that his roommate isn't awake. ]

🍷 date time!! ( cruise ship )

[outride]

( for their date, Amber has gone the extra mile with the way she's dressed. after all, she wants to ensure that she looks the part as the person who won his auction!

so far, the ship ride has been pretty fun! she's not all that experienced with dating herself, but if she can give Vanitas a great time, then that's enough for her. part of the reason she wanted to bid on him was because the mention that he doesn't want to be alone stood out to her quite a lot, since she knows exactly how that feels. when she notices him giving a Questionable Gaze™️ to the tarte tartin, the woman can't help but flutter out a fond giggle. after all, it makes her remember something about his bidding profile. )

I remember your auction listing mentioning you're good at making tarte tartin. What's your thoughts on this one? Does it live up to your expectations?

[startraveler]

[The date night gives the traveler a lot to think about, but he pushes it aside for the time being, believing that he has other things that require his attention. Like when he awakes, his first thought is to head to the kitchen to make breakfast. Act normal.

The moment he shared with Vanitas remains fresh in his mind. It's a warm memory and yet he tries to push it away. He'll think about it later.]

...Ah.

[He spots his roommate in the kitchen and suddenly colour shows on his face.]

Good morning.

[He spots the package and it's almost like he's saved. It's something they can both focus on.]

...What's that?

[unchainer]

[ He looks at the color spread across Aether's face, and his cheeks start to match. He doesn't acknowledge this, though, and instead gestures at the box of chocolates on the kitchen counter. ]

They're yours. I have a box of my own, too.

[ He holds up the one addressed to him. ]

You're up early.

cruise ship/wildcard

[associative]

[ At some point, Gaku has managed to get Vanitas roped into some spa activities as a means to unwind—and mostly because he couldn't convince Ellis to do some of these things with him.

Right now, said activity is a mud bath, with Gaku and Vanitas in their own separate baths right next to each other. He's got his head laid back against the backrest, turning his head to look at Vanitas. ]

So, how's your date so far?

[unchainer]

[ Ellis...buddy... Vanitas was extremely reluctant to partake in all of the spa activities, but the staff (?? assuming there is one) hardly gave him a choice when Gaku brought him over, so here he is...sitting in a mud bath. Of course it's relaxing, and he does mean to talk to Gaku about something, but he'd much rather do it at the bar or the buffet. Whatever. ]

It's fine. [ Eh, he's enjoying it, but Vanitas isn't quite in the mood to get too loud about it. Matters of the heart are complicated. ] Amber is a lot more energetic than I realized she'd be.

[ ... ] Does your lover not like partaking in these kinds of activities?

ROLLS IN

[unchainer]

[ Vanitas is, surprisingly, on par with Amber's manner of dress. He's in a modern day suit with coattails and a blue bowtie; he figured that he should at least put in the effort for someone who genuinely wanted to give him the time of day, after Noé's sorry excuse of an application. He's looking dapper next to her, though, and the fact that she remembers that he can make tarte tatin is a little (just a little) touching.

The dessert itself, however, isn't. He wrinkles his nose when the taste hits. ]

It's too sweet.

[ He sets his plate down, then reaches over for something wrapped in some red cloth. He passes it over to Amber. ]

Try this instead.

[ And should she open it, she'll find...another serving of that same dessert! ]

[associative]

[ Lover, huh? Gaku tries not to blush at the term, closing his eyes and facing forward instead. ]

No, he doesn't really like it. Besides, he already did a few things in the spa with me earlier, so I figured I'd let him explore on his own while I did everything else.

[ And this way, Ellis can misbehave as much as he pleases without Gaku getting on his case. ]

Amber does have a lot of energy. I like that about her.

[unchainer]

So you dragged me here instead...

[ RIP. He lets out a quiet sigh and grumbles a little before he starts mulling over Amber. She may be energetic, but Vanitas can also be loud, brazen and full of it – and Gaku's seen some of that in the mines. He's mellowed out somewhat since arriving here, though. Crescentview doesn't have much to offer for his goals, so there's nothing to get all that excited about...

...is what he tells himself. Never mind that he'd perked up when she tried some of his Tarte Tatin!! ]

She's interesting, but a handful. [ He says that like he isn't one, too – ] I'll have to keep on finding ways to keep her entertained.

[associative]

Not really.

[ Which sounds like a weird thing to say, probably? But Gaku expands on that thought soon enough— ]

She might be high energy, but it isn't like she's demanding or expects everything out of everyone else either. Just treat her well and she'll have a good time.

[ Gaku has spent a bit of time with her, and that's the impression he's gotten. She's incredibly sweet, so he doesn't think she would be a hard date whatsoever. ]

[outride]

( she blinks. did he ... sneak this in himself!? )

Whoa! Is this your own? ( Amber looks left and right. they may be exchanging desserts, but, you know! suspicious activity! she lowers her voice into a little bit of a whisper, which only adds to the fun. )

You know, I was wondering if I'd get to taste your dessert tonight...! ( something something euphemism ... one that she is oblivious to, of course. )

Let's go sit so I can eat this properly. ( she takes her Suspicious Dessert over to their table, reuniting her with her glass of wine. she's not drunk by any measure, but she feels pleasant buzzed. carefully, she unfolds the tarte from the red handkerchief containing it, handling the slice delicately so that it doesn't break. )

I guess you didn't trust the quality they'd serve here, huh?

cruise!

[hearthwarming]

[ Guess who is scrutinizing the exact same Tarte Tatin??? This tiefling. Not because she knows how to tell a good Tarte Tatin from a subpar one, really, but because she just really likes it...

She casts a brief, sidelong glance to the other person eyeing the dessert, and - it's Amber's date... The one that she had bid on, too, probably? She's honestly lost track of who was going with who... ]

Oh! Pardon me. You can take this piece, if you'd like...

[unchainer]

Yeah, yeah. I'll try not to disappoint.

[ He says it dryly, but there's no malice in his tone, either. He's out of his element right now and it's very tiring, but he made her dessert and went out of his way to dress so nicely, too!!! Look at him go.

There's a quiet moment that goes by, though. Vanitas looks like he wants to say something, with how he looks away while his brow furrows. He's pouting a little, too. ]

...Noé talks about you like you're an expert in these sorts of affairs.

[associative]

Did he?

[ Don't mind the shocked look, Vanitas... he's used to being called pathetic and people thinking he's crazy. ]

...I just know what I feel when I feel it. That's all.

[unchainer]

That's it?

[ He can't help but laugh a little. Gaku, you've met them both, they are absolute morons. ]

Well, that explains the logic behind that list you gave him to help him figure things out.

[ Why is he bringing this up? Don't worry about it. ]

[associative]

[ They sure are... love that for him. ]

The list?

[ Give him a second. When did he write a list?

...Oh. That list? ]

It really helped him? And he told you about it?

[unchainer]

[ He glances over at the woman next to him, and he's about to pass on the dessert – but she looks way too familiar for him to not recognize her. He saw her, bidding with Amber, while he was having a meltdown about his application in front of Ellis. ]

You're...

[ Ah. ]

You're the one that wanted the dessert, aren't you?

[ His hand moves to something placed on the countertop, wrapped in cloth. (He'd given one that looks similar to Amber, earlier!) He slides it over towards her without any explanation. It looks like it's a small box of some sort. ]

[unchainer]

He did.

[ Don't worry about it!!! ]

It's how he figured out that he fell in love with that girl, at least.

[associative]

With Lucia? Really?

[ What???? He helped with that? Honestly, Gaku can't really believe it. ]

[unchainer]

...Yes, I made it.

[ Noé made it public knowledge, and Amber and the other bidder seemed to really want to try it, so. Here it is. He thinks nothing of her dessert comment, but he follows her over to their table and sits down next to her. He watches as she unwraps it, noting that she's treating it carefully – her comment makes him a bit huffy, though. ]

You and your friend seemed like you wanted to try it, since it was listed as one of my skills on my application. That's all.

[unchainer]

Yes, her.

[ He's pretty sure that's her name, anyway? And he may be a little pink, now, since they're getting further into this conversation – but he'll do his best to continue deflecting as much as he can, so he doesn't have to say what he's really thinking.

He laughs again. ]

You sound so surprised. Is it really that much of a shock to you?

[associative]

Yeah, it is.

[ Look, he’ll be upfront about that. ]

My luck with romance hasn’t ever been great. I’ve never had anyone take my advice seriously.

[ But he’s glad for it, because his advice has made both Lucia and Noé happy. ]

[unchainer]

Is that so?

[ Gaku has the looks and charm to play with people's hearts (he would know), but it seems like his life hasn't panned out that way. How amusing.

He'd laugh it up and say something along the lines of pathetic, but this is getting a little closer to home, so his heartbeat starts to pick up speed. ]

Well, you're going to enlighten me, regardless. [ ... ] Is attraction supposed to feel horrible?

[outride]

Ehe! ( she giggles! ) Honestly? I really did! I wasn't sure I'd get a chance since the date ended up being a cruise and all, but am I ever grateful you brought this over for me! Thank you.

( her eyes meet his, and there's a warm glow on her face from how much she's smiling. )

Now, please excuse me. I can't wait to dig in! ( Amber picks up one of the small dessert forks, before slicing off a bite-sized piece from the end. she guides her hand along with the piece on her fork to her mouth in order to catch any crumbs that may land on her dress, and after a few seconds of chewing, her expression melts into one of utter bliss. )

Mmmmmmmmmm...! ( excuse her as she dives right in for another bite! ) Wow! Oh, wow! This is just ... the most incredible dessert! The flavours are so balanced, and the crumble is perfect! ( more happy chewing! ) Oooh it's so good! I can't get enough! The one you brought here is so much better than the one being served at the dessert bar! ( she'll just go head and continue eating it, oh yes she will! )