The Perk- Tuesday Morning

[alwaysonguard]

 The morning run had been cut short by several groups of caroling gremlins.  Snoopy had been far more interested in trying to 'play' with them than their run around the island. And Dwight had gone this long without experiencing a gremlin bite, and he wanted to keep it that way. And he also didn't know what might happen to Snoopy if he got bit.  So, with the pup safely back at the apartment, Dwight ventured out again and managed to get to The Perk with only a few interruptions from carolers he was afraid to say no to. 

"This happens every year?" he asked the barista as he waited for his coffee.  He somehow had missed them last year....



(Perk and Post are open!)

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[chef_chocobro]

With a little extra time to kill that morning before heading to the gym for a sparring session with Gladio, Ignis naturally sought to fill it at the Perk, although the walk over made him wonder if he'd have been better off just staying in. Sure, he eventually realized that those sounds he was hearing was not, in fact, some disturbing new daemon beset upon Fandom, but rather gremlins....attempting to sing.

Clearly, their particular vocal stylings was...a bit of an aquired taste.

But he was there, regardless, getting a drink and then taking that momentary pause to consider where might be a good place to have a seat, which definitely was taking into consideration where would be furthest from where any more gremlin carolers might set up shop.

[alwaysonguard]

"Ignis, over here," Dwight called out when he saw the man gauging the best seating options. "Got an empty chair in the gremlin-free corner" he added with a small chuckle.

[chef_chocobro]

"That," Ignis noted, adjusting his attention and drifting toward the sound of Dwight's call, "will be some prime real estate today, I'm sure."

His free hand drifted a little toward a chair, not pulling it out quite yet, mostly just confirming its position in the event that he decided to join him. But for now, he offered a small nod in greeting.

"Good morning, Dwight," he said. "How have you been?"

[alwaysonguard]

"Doing good now that I know Snoopy won't be trying to make friends with any of the gremlins today." Because that would have been so not fun, for either of them. "How about you? Gladio and Prompto keeping you busy?"

[chef_chocobro]

"Not nearly busy enough, I'm afraid," said Ignis, burying that slightest hint of a restless sigh in a sip of his coffee. "But at least this particular month has the island providing us with its little daily offerings to keep things interesting. Like the gifts of the season themselves, it will keep us guessing what's in store for us until the moment it is upon us."

[alwaysonguard]

"True that. Let's just hope it sticks more to the 'random holiday carolers and odd things falling from the sky' level of strange." What? You never could tell with the island!

[chef_chocobro]

"Doubtful," said Ignis, ever the optimist, "but I suppose that just means we should try to enjoy the milder ones while we can.

"Did you make it to Summer and Annie's party this weekend?" he then ventured, figuring it was a likely topic for small talk, all things considered.

[alwaysonguard]

"Yeah that was quite the party... Not my normal scene but the island does have a way of getting people to go all out with these sorts of things."

[chef_chocobro]

"It was certainly quite the introduction back into the social scene around the island," Ignis said. "I will give it that."

And it had been thoroughly overwhelming at the time, but, in retrospect, he was still quite glad to have thrown himself into it regardless.

[alwaysonguard]

A step out of the comfort zone was always good. Dwight was slowly coming to realize that himself.

"Glad you made it. Have you given any more thought to the teaching thing? I heard they are working on planning out the next term already."

[chef_chocobro]

"I have, actually," said Ignis, who had perhaps given it a bit too much thought, especially considering what he felt were new, significant limitations on the extent of what he could teach. "I know the window for that is closing rather quickly, though I haven't quite decided. If Gladio decided to teach phys ed again, I could always latch onto that with him, but I was thinking perhaps something more focused on combat training. There's always a certain subset around here that could get osme use out of it, after all."

[alwaysonguard]

"Very true; always seems to be plenty of need for fighting skills and training around here" Dwight said with a nod. "And can't think of anyone better than you or Gladio to teach that sort of class."

[chef_chocobro]

"I'm sure there's plenty of capable candidates well qualified for such instruction," Ignis noted, "perhaps some even better suited to it than either of us, although I trust you'll not tell Gladio I said such a thing. Still..." There was a...slight hesitation, "...I'm thinking of focusing, specifically, on a training that sensory deprivation. That, I feel, is a unique perspective I may be slightly more qualified to bring to the table."

[pocketpretzels]

“Mr. Scientia,” Watts greeted. “How is your day so far?”

[chef_chocobro]

There was...a moment, as Ignis sorted through a mental lexicon of details regarding voices he had not quite grown to recognize immediately quite yet.

"Ah," he said, with a nod in Watts' general direction, "Detective Watts. Quite well, thank you, and much better now that there's caffeine and I am out of earshot of our sudden serenaders."

It was certainly a day for wistfully wishing it had been a different sensory ability that the Kings of Lucii had targeted...

"And yours?"

[pocketpretzels]

At least Watts’s old-fashioned habit of addressing people by surname probably helped narrow it down a bit?

“I’d be doing better were I still asleep,” he admitted. “But, you can’t win them all.”

[chef_chocobro]

That had been a decidedly helpful factor, yes, though the particular, resonating nature of their last conversation had done quite a bit of heavy lifting there, as well.

"I can't say I agree with the sentiment," said Ignis, and there was a faint twitch in the small smile that answer seemed to pull out of him, "but I can sympathize with the mood. Hopefully, there's nothing to trying ahead of you for the rest of the day to get you through to that end."

[pocketpretzels]

“The caffeine should assist in that regard, at least,” Watts admitted.

[chef_chocobro]

"Everything in moderation, though, of course," Ignis mused mildly, "lest you find yourself in the exact same situation much later when asleep is exactly what you should be..."

[pocketpretzels]

“I suppose you may have a point there,” Watts admitted. “Though it’s early enough in the day that I’m hoping that won’t be an issue.”

[chef_chocobro]

"One would hope," Ignis said, as if he didn't actually mainline coffee like his life depended on it.

As he drank from his cup.

(To be fair, though, days hadn't yet regained much significance for him outside of Gladio's early morning training sessions, anyway).

"Did you happen to make it party this last weekend?" he then asked, tapping into what worked rather nicely as an easy topic for hopefully engaging small talk.

[pocketpretzels]

“I did,” Watts confirmed. “It was- well. I’m not sure what I was expecting, having never attended anything with ‘rager’ in the name before then. But I had a good time. What about you?”

[chef_chocobro]

"It is, undeniably, an experience," Ignis agreed emphatically. "One that I had not had the singular pleasure of experiencing quite some time, so it was, admittedly, a bit...overwhelming."

It was an absolute cacophony of too much sound that was an assault on the one sense he'd come to rely on far too much.

"But I am glad I went," he added.

Because there'd been jello shots, and bathtub punch, and a supertrooper in need of assistance getting home, and echoes of the first time Ignis had ever been hungover after a similar party very long ago in the ocean off the coast of Madagascar...

[pocketpretzels]

“Overwhelming is certainly a good word for it,” Watts agreed. “Which- reminds me. My- my beau and I-“ and while Ignis couldn’t see the way Watts’s cheeks coloured slightly, he could probably hear the slight hesitation in his voice- this part was always a little nerve-wracking when mentioning it for the first time, even though he’d certainly alluded to it the last time they had spoken. “We’re hosting a gathering of our own in a couple weeks. For Hanukkah. A different holiday. If you’d- care to attend. Your presence would certainly be welcome.”

[chef_chocobro]

Ignis certainly had heard it, yes, especially in that hesitation, which pulled another soft smile out of him, this one a bit more rare, not a twitch to be found. "Then I'd certainly be honored to supply that presence," he said. "And for the chance to meet this beau of yours."

The smile, this time, came with a small, acknowledging now.

"I'm afraid I don't know much about Hanukkah, though. To be fair, I don't know a great deal about Christmas, either."

[pocketpretzels]

“That’s quite all right,” Watts assured him, the tension he’d been holding on to loosening slightly at Ignis’s response. “The holiday is- well. Certain types of food are traditional? And that is- more or less the focus of the party. And gathering with friends. So, knowing anything about the religious aspects isn’t a requirement.”

[chef_chocobro]

"Well," Ignis had to admit, "you certainly have my attention if it involves any sort of focus on food, especially if they're traditional ones. Is there anything I should bring, especially as a guest?"

[pocketpretzels]

"You needn't feel obligated," Watts assured him, "but if you'd care to bring something, wine would be welcome." There was a pause, and then: "As would- if there's anyone you'd care to bring along."

He didn't know if Ignis was seeing (heh) anyone, but he didn't want to exclude them if so.

Which meant he'd also made up his mind regarding a particular question Steven had asked over the weekend regarding the guest list and how widespread he was comfortable with it being.

[chef_chocobro]

"Wine," Ignis noted, sounding quite pleased at the prospect, "I can certainly do. What would be more fitting, to the type of food involved? Would a white be more appropriate? Or a red? Something sweet, or would a dry compliment the offerings better? Or is it varied enough that any wine would lend itself well to one part or another?"

And as to that other part...

"I also assume," he ventured, "this is also an affair where it would be advised for one to keep one's shirt on?"

A question that applied to both people who popped into his head immediately as options.

[pocketpretzels]

Oh, Ignis. It truly was a shame you couldn't see the delighted expression that crossed Watts's face as soon as you started asking about what type of wine would be more fitting.

"Many of the dishes will be fried, but there will be plenty of variation even within that particular category. That being said, if you're so inclined, a sweeter Prosecco or Riesling would not go amiss. And," he added. "Yes, please. There isn't much in the way of a dress code but shirts should remain on."

[chef_chocobro]

"Mmmm." Ignis gave a thoughtful little hum. "That might be an issue for either of my prospective guests, but I can see what it can do about ensuring they remain properly clothed should one of them come along. Though despite that particular hurdle, I daresay, I might have more difficulty with the selection of wine, though I do have a soft spot for a good Riesling."

[pocketpretzels]

"Are you- something of an oenophile yourself, then?" Watts had to wonder.

[chef_chocobro]

"Well, it seems a bit...gauche to claim oneself a connoisseur of anything," Ignis drawled, "but, in this particular case, such a title would not be amiss. I've developed quite a passion for food and wine over the years."

Perhaps a little less so in the past decade, but that couldn't be helped.

"It is rather refreshing, though," he added, with another soft smile, "when someone else shares such an interest."

[pocketpretzels]

"Indeed," Watts agreed. Steven certainly paid attention when Watts would start talking about wines, but Watts was well aware that the subject matter wasn't what he was interested in. "Though of course when I arrived here my knowledge was- somewhat outdated. I can only imagine what it must be like being from another world entirely."

[chef_chocobro]

"It has been particularly interesting discovering how areas of this world," Ignis mused, "compare to various regions of my own. Remarkably, there's a stunning amount of overlap in the names, as well, but it's one of those things. Our calendar matches this one to an eerie degree as well."

And all of them, running around with Latin-ass names on top of it all, and yet no chickens.

[pocketpretzels]

"That is, as you say, interesting," Watts mused. "And you mentioned before that so many of the similarities are surface-level... I wonder, if one were to go back far enough as to trace the origins of various names, if we'd find similarities there or just- strange coincidences that resulted in parallel, though unrelated paths. False cognates, of a sort."

[pocketpretzels]

There had been no carolers outside his door when he left this morning, but by the time Watts made it to the Perk, today’s big of whimsy had been made abundantly clear.

He sidestepped the group of gremlins currently crooning something about their hearts being given away and made his way into the coffee shop, ordering himself a peppermint mocha.

“Mr. Hendrickson,” he greeted with a nod when he spotted Dwight.

[alwaysonguard]

"Mr. Watts," Dwight said with a return nod and lift of his partly empty cup. "Surviving the island's "gift" to us today?" he asked, stressing the word gift with a strong note of sarcasm.

[pocketpretzels]

“Which?” Watts blinked at him. “Ah, the singing?” He shrugged. “It’s not my holiday,” which felt strangely freeing to say. “But I don’t mind it overmuch. At least it’s easy enough to avoid.”

[alwaysonguard]

"This is fairly innocent. Just... don't let the gremlins bite you," Dwight said with a glance toward the door. " But yeah, With as commercialized and all things have become, I'm not even sure it's my holiday anymore," Dwight said with a small laugh.

[pocketpretzels]

“As a rule I try not to let anything bite me,” Watts assured Dwight.

… With, perhaps, one exception that he wasn’t going to bring up over coffee.

[alwaysonguard]

That was fair. "Good rule to live by" Dwight said with a nod and a slight smirk, "I've been here nearly two years and have avoided a gremlin bite. Plan to keep it that way."

Dwight focused on his coffee for a moment as he took a drink. "The holiday shenanigans giving you anything to do over at the station?" he asked.

[pocketpretzels]

“Not so far,” Watts admitted. “Though, speaking of holidays- Steven’s extended an invite to the gathering he and I are hosting in a couple weeks, correct?” he checked . He was fairly certain he’d heard so on the radio, but it never hurt to make sure.

[alwaysonguard]

"Yes, thank you. I will definitely be there. Looking forward to it, actually" he admitted. "I am not big on the parties and what not. The Christmas Rager is so not my usual scene. This sounds much more my speed."

[pocketpretzels]

“I had- a good time, on Friday,” Watts said. It helped that despite the obvious focus on drinking, Annie and Summer had taken care to make sure there were other things to do as well. “Though I think we left before the majority of party-goers were well and truly into their cups.”

[alwaysonguard]

"I myself am more of a beer man myself. The fancy drinks and all usually aren't my style" Dwight said. Though Summer's jello shots were hard to resist... most of the time. "I'm glad you and Steven had a good time as well. It seemed like most people enjoyed themselves." From what he had been able to see from the dark shadowy corners at least.

[pocketpretzels]

"Indeed. I can't say I noticed anyone who wasn't," Watts agreed.