The Magpie Emporium, Thursday (9/5)

[drumsticksandd20s]

Steph wasn't much of a sculptor, by which she meant 'not even a little bit of one at all.' But when she went to get out her markers to write up blurbs for the latest game recommendations and discovered that a dozen or so bricks of polymer modeling clay turned up in her art supply drawer, what else was she supposed to do but try and make something with them? And she had been toying with the idea of finding some sort of figure to set up for a (mostly!) playful resident dice-blessing altar, so...

That was why Steph was sitting at the counter with her phone propped up against the register, playing tutorial videos on how to work with the stuff while she poked and prodded at it, the tip of her tongue poking out of the corner of her slightly scowling mouth in concentration.

It was... going, she'd say that much. Not well, but hey, it looked vaguely like some kind of creature so far!

[OOC: Look, don't ask me, okay? IDK. Open!]

Comments

[pocketpretzels]

"Good morning, Steph!" Watts called out cheerfully as he entered the shop, hat being deposited on the usual tentacle with a bit of a twirl.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"Someone's in a good mood," Steph declared as she looked up from her... 'work.'

A vaguely arm shaped appendage drooped off the side of the lump of clay and fell off.

"What's up, dude?"

[pocketpretzels]

"Just came by to say hello," Watts said, tote bag going on the counter as he beelined for the dice as usual. "And drop something off for y- what are you doing?" he asked..

[drumsticksandd20s]

Steph laughed sheepishly and gestured with both hands toward the lump with aspirations of sculpture-hood, like it was a game show prize.

"I've had this idea for a while that my player absolutely stole from their FLGS of having a little statue up that people can ask to sort of bless their dice. Not totally seriously, but I feel like it might be safer than letting people throw them across the room when they feel totally betrayed by a roll. And this clay was just here this morning when I opened up, so..."

Although now she was wondering if this might be tempting fate too much on this island.

[pocketpretzels]

"Ah," Watts nodded, clenching his fist briefly around the dice in his hand. "Yes. I- understand the sentiment. And Fandom's unique way of- encouraging things to happen."

[drumsticksandd20s]

Steph frowned slightly. "Yeah, except now that I said it out loud, and now that you put it that way, I have concerns that it's setting a trap for me. Maybe I should just get a little fountain, let 'em dunk their dice instead?"

[pocketpretzels]

"Perhaps," Watts agreed. "Though then you'd still have the clay, and it would be a shame to waste it."

[drumsticksandd20s]

"You don't think it's wasted like this?" Steph asked, poking at the clay. "Man. Give me a sketchbook or some foam core board and I'm good, but this is kicking. My. Ass. I should just make little trees to go around the fountain instead."

[pocketpretzels]

"You are asking the wrong fellow," Watts said. "As I am- distinctly lacking anything regarding an artistic skill set. Anything I could come up with would be- far worse."

[drumsticksandd20s]

As those poor Halloween pumpkins might have attested once upon a time.

"You still have eyes though," Steph said good-naturedly. "I trust you to be like 'Steph, dude, that does not look great. Have you considered a different approach maybe?'"

Just, you know, not in those exact words.

[pocketpretzels]

Of course, he'd also thought his own pumpkins looked just fine, until compared with everyone else's efforts, so perhaps his judgement was somewhat questionable.

"Ah, yes," Watts said. "I am well-known for my use of the term 'dude
."

[drumsticksandd20s]

"I know, right?" asked an entirely unrepentant Steph as she started mashing the clay down into a ball again. "I felt like that was a very accurate thing you'd say."

[pocketpretzels]

Yeah. Watts was just going to giver her a look.

[drumsticksandd20s]

Steph just grinned, almost like she was proud of herself. "What would be the sort of equivalent of 'dude' in your time, anyway?"

[pocketpretzels]

"I think the more accurate question would be 'what did dude mean in your time?'" Watts said. "As its meaning has- shifted, in my understanding."

[drumsticksandd20s]

"You know, I don't even know any more?" Steph said after a moment of chewing on her lip and rolling the clay into a ball on the countertop. "It's just sort of a way of addressing people that isn't super formal or... hell, unnecessarily gendered any more, even."

Though some people would probably fight her over that, which meant nobody should let her start that fight online.

[pocketpretzels]

"Ah," Watts nodded. "And- back in my own time-" even as he was coming less and less to think of it has his time, anymore, these days. "It referred to a- certain class of man. One who exhibited a particular level of- fastidiousness, in regards to dress. Another word for 'dandy', if you will."

Which Watts himself danced on the edge of possibly being defined as, but for his habit of wearing his tie over his collar and the seemingly permanent presence of some level of stubble.

[drumsticksandd20s]

By Steph's standards he fit into that category, but hey, what did she know?

"Huh." She thought that over for a moment, a bemused smile slowly spreading over her face. "Wow. That word's come a hell of a long way, then. Kind of like you have."

[pocketpretzels]

"I live down the street," Watts pointed out, in a rare (well, rare if you weren't Steven Grant) attempt at humour.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"Yeah, yeah," Steph said, rolling her eyes fondly. "You know damn well what I mean."

If the hint of pride in her voice was any hint.

[pocketpretzels]

"Yes, well. I vastly prefer the way things are here."

[drumsticksandd20s]

"I can't blame you at all," Steph said with no small amount of feeling. "And I, for one, am not sorry at all you decided to stay."

Not the only one, of course, but hey.

[pocketpretzels]

"I am grateful for your friendship as well," Watts told her. "One of the reasons this place feels like a home to me."

[drumsticksandd20s]

Steph smiled as she pulled a small bit of clay off the ball and started twisting it into a long thin strand. "I mean, one could argue that's really what makes a place home, way more than things. And that's mutual, by the way."

[pocketpretzels]

"You've a good point there," Watts admitted. "Though speaking of things- " he pulled a container of cinnamon rolls from his tote bag. "For you."