The Magpie Emporium, Thursday (8/3)

[drumsticksandd20s]

When, exactly, had it gotten to be August? The lowkey dread that always started to ramp up as fall approached wasn't threatening to shut down Steph's ability to function or anything, but it was starting to make itself known again.

Not that this was evident from the way she was scurrying around the store -- not rearranging things yet, but just evaluating the space so she could figure out how to rearrange things as soon as all the new Gen Con releases arrived.

[OOC: Work still eating brain send help. Open though!]

Comments

[pocketpretzels]

“Afternoon, Steph,” Watts said, depositing his hat on the beholder tentacle with his usual flourish before making his way to her to offer one of the iced mochas he had with him.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"Hey, Llewellyn, thanks. Detective!" Steph replied with a grin, and handed her notebook off to Little Bot as he passed by so she could take the drink. "I have a very important mystery I was hoping you could help me solve."

[pocketpretzels]

“Oh?” Watts said, immediately curious. “What’s that, then?”

[drumsticksandd20s]

Steph put on her best Dramatic GM Suspenseful Expression.

"Where," she intoned, "in the hell has like sixty percent of this year gone?"

[pocketpretzels]

That was… not the sort of question he’d expected.

“Ah,” he managed. “It has gone by rather quickly, hasn’t it?”

[drumsticksandd20s]

Steph did like to throw people curveballs every now and then.

"Always does," she said ruefully. "This question was brought to you by me having to go back and fix dates on about three dozen purchase orders --" this was a slight exaggeration -- "when I realized I put July on them instead of August."

[pocketpretzels]

“That sounds- somewhat tedious,” Watts acknowledged.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"Seriously. So coffee is extra welcome today." Steph took a healthy swig of said coffee and gave him a sheepish look. "Sorry I don't have an actual mystery to spice up your day."

Plenty in board game form around here, but that wasn't the same.

[pocketpretzels]

Luckily there was a potential mystery brewing in the form of a creepy, kidnapping house!

“That’s all right,” Watts waved a hand at her. “I actually came to ask you a question.”

[drumsticksandd20s]

Sure, depending on your definition of lucky!

"I am available for questions," Steph told him. After another gulp of coffee. "What's up?"

[pocketpretzels]

“Are you free next Friday?” Watts asked. “The 11th? I’m- it’s my birthday next week, and I’m having- a small gathering. For dinner. To celebrate.” There was almost, but not quite, a question mark on the tail of that last word.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"Your birthday? Hell yes I'll be free for that," Steph said immediately. "Is this going to be a really low key kind of event?"

She had to know for gift consideration purposes.

[pocketpretzels]

Watts nodded. “I. Yes. Just- dinner. Drinks. That… sort of an affair.”

[drumsticksandd20s]

"So no hauling all my sound gear across the island to provide music," Steph teased, as if she had the kind of music collection that would suit his preferences best. "Cool. Big parties can be pretty exhausting. Is there anything I can bring though?"

Not the kind of thing she might have been inclined to ask a few years ago, but Haven Springs had kind of rubbed off on her.

[pocketpretzels]

“I- I don’t think so? Just yourself will be fine,” Watts told her.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"You're the birthday boy, so okay," Steph relented easily enough, although now she was going to have to do some frantic research on the kind of decent bottle of wine a guest ought to show up with. "Hey, does this mean I get to meet your cat, too?"

[pocketpretzels]

"If you'd like," Watts said, with a smile at the idea of Steph meeting Raphael. "He's a bit on the skittish side, so perhaps it would be best then if you showed up early." Sure, they were having the party at Steven's place, but Watts's apartment was right across the hall and on top of that, Raphael was just as at home at Steven's as he was there.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"I love cats," Steph said, gesturing toward Saffron, who was curled up snoozing in the window and pointedly ignoring her. If this begged the question of whether cats loved her back, oh well. "So yeah, I would like."

[pocketpretzels]

"I am sure he'll love you too," Watts said. "He's quite the friendly little fellow once he gets over his initial shyness." Okay, Watts's basis for that conclusion was Raphael's feelings regarding himself and Steven, essentially, but shh. He'd totally love Steph.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"Aww, he's a shy one?" Did Steph look excited about that? Listen, most cats tended to love her, but she couldn't help it that the ones she liked the most were the harder ones to win over. Saffron. "Guess I'll have to bring a catnip treat or two with me, too."