Strokes of Genius, Wednesday

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

There was no power and it was snowing out, and Katchoo was just really glad that Emma (who was from Toronto, and knew a thing or two about cold weather) had insisted on her getting some decent winter clothes before she'd arrived. But yeah, work and no power? Screw that. Also, as a bonus, Clocky wasn't going out into the snow -- probably for fear of getting stuck, but whatever, it bought her some peace.

She built a snowman, a little sad she couldn't manage to sculpt realistic looking hands giving off rude gestures, beside the front door of the store; courtesy of a set of inexpensive watercolors it had a face cranky enough to make her look all sweetness and light, and right about where its heart would be there was a hollowed-out space in its chest where Katchoo had put an ashtray.

Candles were a bad idea what with all the chemicals in here, so when she wasn't out smoking Katchoo was just sitting close to the window, in the dark. Maybe scowling out of it just a bit, every now and then.

[OOC: OCD-free openness, though today is going to be busy and I may be extra slow.]

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The door opened and, hoping she wouldn't mind, he slipped into the store.

"Hello?"

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo squinted a little bit toward the door, straining to see in the scant light. "Yeah?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He walked in, quite used to such gloom, and made his way towards where he remembered the counter was.

"Just offering hot chocolate and soup to anyone who'd like some, courtesy of the Cafe Fina," he said, holding up his bag.

Of course, he was paying for it, but it was, to him, a small sacrifice to drum up business. And people were cold.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

There was a pause, a brief one but somewhat loaded. "Just because?" asked Katchoo.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He shrugged.

"I thought everyone might be cold," he admitted. Which was about equal with 'it would drum up business', really.

"And there's not nearly enough fireplaces here for this kind of nonsense. You're welcome to a cup and a bowl of anything (http://community.livejournal.com/fandomtownies/3556170.html) I've got."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Fire in here'd be a bad idea anyway," added Katchoo, who (it should be noted) never let such things deter her from smoking while she painted, but that was different as far as she was concerned. She wanted to be her usual abrasive self, but she was frikkin' freezing, and that chicken soup smelled good. Also, her stomach growled. "Yeah, sure, why not?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He didn't say anything. He just pulled out a few of the soups and opened them up, pointing to each one in turn and saying what it was.

"There's hot chocolate and hot cocoa, whichever you'd like."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo was not someone with complex food tastes, and she blinked at him. "There's a difference?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He nodded.

"One's thicker, creamier. Some people don't like it, though, so I brought both."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo snickersnorted. "God, that's dirty. I'm gonna have to go with the thick creamy one."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I steam the milk," he said with a faint smirk, "so it's all culinary to me."

He put the hot chocolate down on the counter for her though.

"It also uses actual chocolate instead of powder, so the flavor is richer."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Long as it tastes like chocolate instead of mud or something, I'm not really picky," Katchoo said even though her player was now desperately craving drinking chocolate, guh. She picked up the cup and took a sip, though, and . . .

"Holy crap."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He grinned, perhaps even a little wicked.

"I like it rather a lot myself," he admitted matter-of-factly.

"Very good at warming one up from the inside out."

Liir's mun was lucky there was a place that did drinking chocolate down the street.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, no kidding." Katchoo took another sip. "What are you, walking around in this stupid snow giving people stuff? You're nuts, you know that?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He shook his head and pointed down to the quiver at his hip.

"Low level flying; faster but without the extra wind," he explained. It looked a little funny, but he didn't really care.

"And my sanity or lack thereof is, well, lack thereof. I'm used to the cold."

He patted his arm, which was covered in the black cloak he'd taken from Kiamo Ko.

"And Munchkinland wool is very very warm."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

". . . you know the only reason I don't think you're on drugs for what you just said is 'cause I've been here too damn long," Katchoo said after a moment.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He looked sideways at her, for once.

"And here I thought everyone knew about the bloody thing. I assure you, the broom flies well enough."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Well, I know now," said Katchoo, who was just going to take his word for it. "I just can't believe you'd actually go out and be all altruistic like that."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Then call it marketing," he said, not particularly caring what she thought of it.

"It's as much one as the other."

Really, he just hated the idea of people being cold. Having nearly frozen to death, it wasn't really something he'd recommend.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Marketing," echoed Katchoo with a nod. That was a little more in line with her cynical point of view. "Yeah, okay, I can get behind that. Hell, for this chocolate I might have to be buying."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He pulled out another one.

"On the house as well," he said, "and that's just from me."

He gave her a nod, a goodbye.

"Well, I should probably be off, though, if you don't mind. More places to go, more town to traverse. It's been... out of the wind, anyway."

He offered a smile.

"Take care and keep warm."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

He wasn't some sweet old Mother Teresa-type nun, and he wasn't obnoxiously self-aware of his charitable behavior, and Katchoo was rocked back on her heels somewhat by it.

She hated it when things didn't quite fit her bleak paradigm.

"Yeah, thanks," she said, the phrase pretty much stunned out of her. "You too."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

And Liir headed back out into the snow, pausing just outside the door to sling his leg over the broom and start off.