The Infinite Consortium, Monday Afternoon

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana was quite busy on the phone today. Did any of it have to do with the shop she was running?

Of course not, don't be ridiculous. She might be the proprietress on a technicality but that didn't mean she actually intended to spend effort in running it. Unpacking new arrivals and keeping a generally up-to-date inventory was really the most anybody could hope for from her.

But there was still something up in the display window, so really she was going above and beyond here, at least to hear her tell it.

"No, I assure you, the view doesn't matter. Tell me about the kitchen amenities. Mmm, that one has a kitchenette? Well, which one has a proper kitchen? Then yes, I'll take that villa. Darling, I've already agreed to it, you can stop singing its praises now. And...yes." A very deep sigh. "We'll take the early morning coffee bar."

Shriekhorn
Point the open end away from you

[Open!]

Comments

[chef_chocobro]

And, of course, since he'd more than had enough time and was clearly feeling inspired toward certain new recipehs based on very recent conversations, when Ignis came into the shop later that afternoon, he was bearing treats.

But he didn't quite move into the store and make his way toward the counter by default when he stepped in and called out Liliana's name to get an idea of what she might be wrapped up in at that given moment, just in case any extra precautions needed to be made for...inventory.

[deathsmajesty]

Not yet, but the idea was certainly simmering somewhere in the back of her mind as soon as he walked in the door. The day was still young, after all.

And at some point, she would realize that Ignis had somehow finagled her into finding the concept of inventory quite attractive and be quite aggrieved about it.

"Over here, my darling," she called from behind the counter, a smile coloring her words. "Are you coming to inveigle me to take a break? Very well, I'm convinced."

[chef_chocobro]

"And what a difficult and arduous battle it was, indeed," Ignis noted, as he made his way behind the counter to greet Liliana further with a kiss and to present to her this week's offerings, "but no doubt very well-earned and important. After all, if there's one thing I'm known for, it's singing the praises of leisure to the point of excess...What grueling and demanding task do I find myself so carelessly interrupting today?"

[deathsmajesty]

"It's true; fortunately I am industrious by nature," Liliana declared, proving it by stealing another kiss and opening the treats at the same time, "otherwise your excessive focus on leisure might lead me terribly astray."

Oooh, those donuts looked divine and Ignis would discover he had cheated himself out of a third kiss, because Liliana was immediately picking one up to lick the filling off the top. Hopefully her pleased sigh took the sting out of the loss.

"Well," she said between nibbles, "I put the shriekhorn in the window, wrote up the sign, and threatened to tie the ambush chair to a termite mound if it tried to trip me into it again."

You know. Normal work stuff.

[chef_chocobro]

Any sign of Liliana appreciating his culinary arts would take the sting out of most things, especially when that appreciation came in the form of soft sighs, light moans, or any other particularly pleased audible indicators. It also helped, too, that Ignis was quite confident that there would be many more kisses to follow.

"The shriekhorn?" Ignis asked, a brow lifting coolly. The ambush chair, he felt, was fairly self-explanatory, but he could think of a few different directions to take that one. As soon as he asked, however, there was a light shake of his head, and a moment to delicately pluck out a donut for himself. "And, yet again, the precise intended demographic for this emporium continues to elude me, I'm afraid."

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana mostly kept the chair around because it amused her to have an ambush predator disguised as a perfectly normal armchair lurking about the store. Between that and the image of inviting particularly obnoxious people to sit, the entertainment value outweighed the frustration. But, like an untrained puppy, sometimes it needed discipline to understand that some things were unacceptable.

"People with a love of magic and more money than sense?" Liliana suggested. "Or who appreciate particularly convoluted weaponry. The shriekhorn involves someone blowing into it and fire bursting from the other end." She shrugged. "This is something of an overstock outlet anyway. A glorified storage space that sometimes makes a few dollars."

[chef_chocobro]

"Just fire?" Ignis asked, head tilting slightly. "I would have expected...well, I would have expected more shrieking, quite frankly. A fire, really, is more known to roar, if anything..."

Ignis? Overthinking it just a bit? How dare.

[deathsmajesty]

Had she not been punished enough with the Banshee Blade, Ignis? Why would you protest she wasn't being harassed more?

"I believe it makes a shrieking noise when first blown into," Liliana explained. "Immediately followed by a gout of fire."

[chef_chocobro]

"So I assume you haven't actually tested it," Ignis noted, which was, it should be made perfectly clear, was just an observation and not even remotely a suggestion.

A second later, though, he figured it wouldn't hurt to emphasize, "I think perhaps some things truly can be left to assumption, though."

[deathsmajesty]

"The Infinite Consortium has a policy that we are not responsible for any injuries, fatalities, or property damaged caused by the use or misuse of artifacts, all of which are purchased in an as-is condition," Liliana said loftily. "All of which means, if somebody else wants to test it, far away from my store, my house, or my person, they're welcome to, but I won't be involved."

A moment later, she slid her hand over his and corrected herself, very quietly, "Our home."

She stood by the 'my' being part of an excellent sentence construction however, and therefore a valid use of the singular possessive.

[chef_chocobro]

And Liliana would find no argument from Ignis about a very solidly constructed sentence that utilized the ever-reliable rule-of-threes to incredible effect. Besides, he did also greatly appreciate a well-placed and pointed addendum, even more so when that addendum involved being able to lace his fingers in hers and bring her hand up to his lips for a kiss.

With a faint grin that would no doubt be rejected by the council when considered in conjunction with the words about to join it.

"So no stance," he observed, "on if someone were to test it near my person, then?"

[deathsmajesty]

"Didn't you hear me, my darling?" Liliana riposted. "I did say my person, did I not?"

So have a bit of wordplay to go along with that rule of three, Ignis. Unless you wished to deny you were her person? Mmmm, all those my darlings would disagree.

[chef_chocobro]

"You most certainly did."

So no. No argument from Ignis on that one, either. Just a broadening of that grin in a way that seemed to spread with an appreciative warm down into his chest, as his free arm wrapped around Liliana to bring her in closer and claim that kiss that had been to unceremoniously postponed by those donuts.

[deathsmajesty]

"Mine," she whispered ever-so-softly, a mere breath upon his lips as she claimed his mouth as thoroughly as he did hers, the taste of dolce de leche on her tongue. She was not ashamed to admit that, as her cool hand slid up to his face, stealing his glasses and then returning to cup his cheek, her thoughts did start drifting towards...inventory.

But then, he had only himself to blame for that. It was his fault she'd started doing it in the first place.