Dinner at Rum for Ale
Koopa Troop’s
@DracoLunaris, Blazermate and Susie’s
@Archmage MC, Geralt’s
@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN, Ace Cadet’s
@Yankee, Sakura and Karin's
@Zoey Boey, Rubick’s
@Scarifar, Nadia Fortune, Peach, Yennefer, Rika, and Cerberus
Word Count: 7726 (+8 EXP)
With Geralt and Nadia back from their brief exchange away from the others, just about everyone was settled in at the conjoined table. The Koopa Troop occupied an entire side and then some, the thief and the monster hunter were together, the witcher and the sorceress sat side by side, and the newest of guests found themselves welcomed shoulder-to-shoulder alongside veterans of the campaign against Galeem, who’d been there from the very beginning. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits–everyone that was here, at least. There wasn’t enough room at the table for Cerberus to sit separately once things calmed down, but since Peach couldn’t imagine the close-knit trio taking issue with the idea of sharing a single large seat or bench, the princess worried about them less than certain others.
While Nadia tried to focus on her menu in order to figure out what she wanted to eat, which made for a daunting task in and of itself considering how good everything sounded, she couldn’t help but notice the same thing Peach did when she looked up and glanced around the group. “Hang on a sec,” she piped up, her eyes narrowed. “Where’s Link? And Hatty? Didn’t I see her just a minute ago…?”
Peach clasped her hands as she put her elbows on the table. Since she arrived with the little one from Alcamoth, it fell to her to answer. “Well, I think she just wanted to do her own thing now that she’s feeling better. Run and jump around, explore, collect those pon things she likes. Hard to imagine her sitting still at a table, bored to tears as while waiting for food.”
Her explanation made total sense. “Oh yeah, fur sure,” Nadia agreed. “Not much of a talker anyhow, right?”
“As for Link…” Peach’s expression grew a little more cloudy. “I spotted him when I arrived, but I don’t think he joined us when we left. Maybe he wants some time by himself. I know that what happened last night weighed heavily on him.”
At that Nadia could only give a somber, slow nod. The events of Blackwater Bay, the Maw, and Carcass Isle weighed on everyone, and as wonderful as today had been for the most part, that horror wouldn’t be wiped away so easily. Seeing Rika reminded her that Bella wasn’t here tonight, either, or Mirage for that matter. Cursed and confused, the poor Seaplane Tender deserved a break as much as anyone, as well as the chance to better come to grips with her own newfound sense of self. And Mirage…? Nadia’s ears drooped a little as she looked back down at her menu. Though she’d known him only briefly, he’d been quite the card. It would be a sad thing indeed if she never saw him again.
A moment later, however, she perked up. Tonight was a night for joy and camaraderie, not sorrow and dejection. She downed a big gulp of her drink and leaned back in her chair. “Well, I hope they have even half as good a time as we’re gonna, wherever they are. Right guys?”
”Yeah, and it’s their loss missing out on this… whatever Cuban is?” Bowser scratched his head thoughtfully, realizing he had no idea what that was before asking,
”Does that mean all the food is going to be squares? Because that is kinda weird.””Nah, it’s food from an island nation called Cuba from where I’m from… I think?” Blazermate said, scratching her head.
”I know there was a cuban medafighter team at a tournament once anyway, and the words are similar.” Although as everyone here knew besides the newcomers, Blazermate didn’t eat food so she couldn’t comment on what it’d taste like or anything.
”Cube food sounds like it does exist somewhere though. It has to, with all the weird stuff here, so you might be right as well, you can never tell.” Blazermate then looked at Kamek and Rubick.
”So any chance you guys can show us some magic while we wait?”The Cadet groaned, sinking down slightly into his chair. It seemed there was no getting out of the magic show then, if Blazermate was so keen to see some tricks. He couldn't get up to leave and risk looking uncool with Nadia right beside him. He distracted himself by perusing the food choices. While narrowing his choices down, he figured he'd had enough surf at the lunch buffet and now it was time for some turf. There were still plenty of things to choose from. All foods that sounded interesting and delicious, in cube form or not. The Cadet wasn't picky, and seeing as he'd eat pretty much anything he was leaning towards going with something new.
Susie only looked at the pair debating over what the food was with a vague interest, but overall she was just getting a read on everyone with these Seekers. The big strong one definitely showed his intelligence, or lack thereof, with her new ‘friend’ Blazermate almost humoring the big guy. For now she just decided to sip on her milkshake as she watched everyone else chatter.
”I don’t exactly do tricks-” the mage began to say, before seeing both Rika and Jr leaning over to look at her expectantly and sighing to herself.
”Oh all right” she said, before vanishing and then repairing a second later holding Bowser’s top hat, just shrunken down, and a magician’s wand she had gotten from pocus. She showed them it’s inside.
”Empty, see, but watch, with a wave of my wand and a magic word,” she said, before waving the sparkling wand above the hat and saying,
”Hocus, pocus!” before seeing the wand down and reaching into that hat while saying,
”And now you’ll find that within we have-” and finally pulling her hand up to reveal:
“Bwaaaaa!”
A rabbid, held by the ears.
Anyone looking at Kamek’s face rather than her spell would have found the mage quite confused by this turn of events, especially when the obnoxious bunny hopped out of the hat and vanished out of the door of the restaurant, rushing off to cause chaos in town.
Meanwhile, Rubick found this turn of events quite entertaining, giggling with delight as he clapped in applause. “
Good show, good show!” Rubick exclaimed. “
Are there any more of them?”
”Um, ta da?” she said, pushing the shadow clone of Bowser jr she had intended to pull out of the hat down before anyone could see it.
Geralt and Yennefer shared a raised eyebrow and a smirk at Kamek’s little trick, both quite content to keep their own magical talents off of display, especially given Yennefer’s current inability to access a wide variety of what was once available to her. Geralt was still thinking over everything Nadia had told him. She’d been robbed, and the thieves tried to kill her when she went to retrieve her belongings, showing a sick desire to torture her while doing so. Frankly, they’d reminded him of Whoreson Junior, who Geralt had ensured wouldn’t be hurting anybody else again.
He was still somewhat concerned that she might be confronted about the attack, whether it be by the survivors or the peacekeepers in the city, but as long as they were gone sooner rather than later, it shouldn’t pose much of a problem. He’d promised to fill Yen in on the details later, knowing she’d be able to keep the secret.
Other than that, he hadn’t been able to offer much other than the assurance that her secret was safe with him, and that he of all people didn’t -couldn’t, even- think less of her, not that he thought she needed the platitude.
When he turned to the menu, however, he found himself a bit overwhelmed by the choices. It didn’t help that he hadn’t heard of some of these foods at all, such as plantains and yuca. In the end, he settled for a meal combining stewed beef, rice, beans, and the aforementioned vegetables after a quick explanation from a waiter. Yennefer chose a lighter meal, a soup combining a variety of light ingredients, a small amount of meat, and potatoes. Each also added a glass of wine to their meal, despite the venue’s name.
On the other hand, Nadia had managed to zero in on something that sounded excellent pretty fast, despite being just as spoiled for choice as Geralt. No matter how much she leafed through the pages, nothing tickled her fancy quite as much as the Poor Man’s Steak. Just the description of juicy flank steak with fried eggs, black rice, black beans, and avocado slices was enough to make the feral’s mouth water. Rather than fruitlessly peruse other options further she decided to go with her heart then and there, which gave her ample time to be distracted by the magic trick. Kamek managed to expertly and very intentionally pull off the classic rabbit-from-the-hat, although the rabbit in question looked a little on the loopy side. As he hurtled off to cause problems on purpose Nadia rewarded the mage with a congratulatory clap. “That deserves a round of a-paws!” Blazermate clapped with Nadia, not clapping too hard to not drown the noise of the restaurant out with clanging metal.
Sakura clapped, smiling brightly. She nudged Karin with her elbow, and Karin also started clapping. For a little bit.
Kamek gave a little embarrassed head bob of a bow as Jr and Rika also gave him a clap, while the king just gave her a grin.
”Ah yes, well, thank you all it was nothing” she said, before glancing over at Rubick and asking
”Don’t suppose you would care to take over?” “
Oh goodness, my magicks aren’t really meant for showmanship,” Rubick admitted. “
I am a duelist; most of the spells I’ve still retained in my memory are purely for combat.” Rubick then put a finger on his chin as he tilted his head, thinking about it a bit more. “
Though now that you mention it, there is a fun little toy of mine that I often use to entertain myself.”
"More?" the monster hunter croaked. As the waitstaff was making their way around the table with the drink orders, he flagged one down to distract himself by putting in his food early while Rubick prepared the demonstration - an order of croquettes, empanadas, chicharrones, a dish of paella as well as roast chicken breasts to start. The pronunciation was, of course, totally butchered.
Whipping out his staff, Rubick tapped it on the ground three times, and the goopy head of his staff took on a more cubic nature as a green cube of evermoving cubic and rectangular pieces appeared. The pieces shifted in a way so that it always attempts to form a perfect cube, but never does, as bits and pieces constantly stick out, forcing the cube to rearrange itself again and again. “
Behold: the Puzzle of Perplex,” Rubick announced. “
A mysterious puzzle so complex that even I have yet to solve it. No one knows what will happen on the day it stops moving and becomes a perfect cube. Some say it will unlock the secrets of the universe.” After a second, Rubick tapped his staff on the ground again, and the cube retreated back into his staff, which also reverted back into its goopy nature. “
Or so that silly little legend goes. I personally just find it charming.”
Sakura’s eyes widened, leaning forward to get a better look at the Puzzle of Perplex. As it vanished, she considered its mysteries.
"My master always says that the answer lies in the heart of battle…has anyone tried punching it yet?" She ventured. At this point she was completely used to strange strangers popping in and out of their little group and had totally neglected anything like an ‘introduction’. She seemed to consider the wizard for a moment.
”Oooh! I get it! It’s Rubick’s Cube!" Laughing she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, raising her eyebrows at Karin.
"Get it? Rubick’s Cube? I think that’s the answer.""...I suppose?" Karin said, humoring Sakura, looking a bit apologetically at Rubick.
"She’s referring to a little trifle in our world called a Rubix Cube. A little children’s puzzle toy. So I doubt the pun is anything more than a coincidence. Or the answer to the secrets of the universe."”Punching’s what I did with my puzzle cube” Jr piped in about his experiences with his universe’s own/non-brand Rubick’s Cube equivalent
”I smashed into little bits and then stuck it back together again””Wait you did? You told us you did it legitimately. We were all very impressed!” Kamek said, quite aghast at the child’s lies.
”Oh… Oops?” ”I’m not a fan of those cube puzzles. They take so long to finish sometimes.” Blazermate said, the irony of a robot having trouble with cube puzzles lost on a lot of the group.
Susie then said her piece, agreeing with Rubick’s assertion of his ‘magic artifact’.
”Agreed. I once had something called Star Dream, a supercomputer that could grant wishes and could do no wrong. In the end it was all a lie, so it's best not to put much stock in rumors, but instead what you see before you.” Susie was at a loss of what to actually order herself, but eventually she just decided to try the most expensive dish on the menu. If she didn’t like it, she’d just have her big bodyguard finish it off.
“Well, I’m not really the type for puzzles myself, so that cube thing is purr-etty cool to me!” Nadia told Rubick cheerfully, hoping he didn’t feel too bad after the others compared his inscrutable enigma to a kid’s toy. “My world doesn’t have magic. I mean, not the sort ya see in movies, anyway. People don’t cast spells, but parasites can pull off some real freaky stuff, lemme tell ya. Then there’s livin’ weapons that change shape, and this one kid called Peacock who’s basically just a big ball of cartoon nonsense.” She shrugged. “That said, even that wrestler guy Beowolf’s got some crazy tricks, and he’s supposed to be normal…I think?” She raised an eyebrow as the memories of what he could do came back from the time she fought him. The big bozo just came up to her, acting as if there was a film crew around, and proceeded to grapple the ever-loving crap out of her. Could you really call someone like that ‘normal’? No way. “Then there’s my whole thing,” she added. “I’d show ya, but a severed head might put people off their appetites, nyeheh.”
"Have to get into the right headspace before seeing it," the Cadet agreed. Letting alone appetites, it took some getting used to in order to remember that she was alright when it happened. He could imagine the shock it would cause their new friends.
While listening to the conversation the Cadet had the chance to sample his drink, the restaurant's namesake. The rum did not disappoint. It was strong, with an aftertaste of something heavy and sweet like molasses. Not what he'd been expecting exactly, but it was good. He took another sip of it before going on.
"But hey, be positive! There's always after dinner. Night's still young too! Bet there's plenty more to do in town."”There is probably some kind of dance competition near that giant crystal thingy if you two are up to it.” Blazermate said, leering at Cadet and Nadia, trying to get an idea in their heads.
A competition? Nadia wondered if the Medabot had seen Shantae’s dance lessons from afar. As much as she’d enjoyed herself then, the feral assumed that the Octant would be free of such spectacle the vast majority of the time. Other than that, Nadia only got a glance at a number of sights throughout the city during her flight with Blazermate, and she didn’t plan on mentioning the shanty-town as an attraction the others ought to visit, so she found herself a little stuck when it came to recommendations.
The conversation came to a brief halt just then, however, as the staff of Rum for Ale arrived to take the Seekers’ orders. Nadia couldn’t request the Poor Man’s Steak fast enough, and neither could Bowser. After some last-second deliberation, Peach opted for Lechon Asado, figuring that she couldn’t go wrong with roast pork plus tasty sauce. Susie ordered the most expensive thing on the menu, not really caring what it was, while Blazermate just told the waiter to ‘surprise’ her. When she heard this request, Cerberus thought about it for a moment, then when Blazermate’s back was turned, tackled her from behind.
It took a moment to sort that out, with the Cerberus in question sent to time-out, before business resumed as usual. Kamek eventually found a herbivorous option in the form of Banana Fufu, which consisted primarily of mashed boiled bananas, while Jr and Rika ordered a spread of Tamales between the two of them, that would be filled with a variety of meats, cheeses, sauces and fruits.
Rubick perused the menu for a good while before ultimately deciding on a Bistec de palomilla. It was a beef steak marinated with garlic, lime juice, salt, and pepper. It was also served with black beans and yellow or white rice, of which Rubick chose the former option.
Sakura leaned in to listen to what the other people were getting. To be honest, she had no idea what any of this stuff on the menu was. She saw the word ‘hamburger’ and recognized it. El Fuerte was probably disappointed in her, somewhere.
"I’ll have the…Frita Cubana, pretty please. It has Cuba in it so it can’t be that bad. You don’t just put the name of your country on bad food, right?" She started thinking about a dance competition.
Having actually been to Cuba before, Karin wondered if things would still stack up in this World of Light they were all apparently now stuck in.
"The boliche for me, thank you. And a cafecito, please, barista’s choice." ”Wait- coffee for dinner?" Sakura asked. Karin just clicked her tongue.
"It is a part of the culture. A refined beverage." She flattened her monogrammed napkin against her lap.
Geralt was quick to order the Ropa Vieja he’d decided on earlier from Cerberus, while Yennefer gave her order for the Ajiaco Cubano. Each ordered a glass of wine to go with their meals. Geralt chose to pair his meal with a red wine, while Yennefer selected a sweet white wine for her meal.
“So, Geralt, would
you be interested in that dance competition tonight?” Yennefer asked with a subtly sultry voice, causing the Witcher to raise an eyebrow.
“Not sure it’s your kind of dancing, but it certainly should be interesting. Sure, we’ll check it out.”
Nadia’s eyes widened as she realized that the pair might be getting off on the wrong foot. “Oh, uh. Unless Blaze saw somethin’ I didn’t, the dancin’ thing ended this afternoon.” Her attention then shifted over to the Medabot in question. “Er, didja actually see somethin’ like that? Not that I learned enough today to even dream of competin’ at all’, but…yeah.”
Recovering a bit from Cerberus jumping her, Blazermate said.
”Well, I just figured it’d be a fun activity for you two.” Blazermate said, gesturing to both Nadia and Ace.
”A strong guy and an immortal girl who can detach her head… I’m sure you two could come up with some creative stuff.””Lucky them, because if it was on I’d have destroyed the competition” Bowser insisted based on
one of the many weird side activities he’d done along the years along with the mario crew.
The feral flashed her pearly whites in a wide grin as she tried to picture it, her arms crossed with her elbows on the table. “Nyaow
that’s somethin’ I wanna see.” Nadia did her best to move right along from Blazermate’s suggestion, wondering if she might have barked -or meowed- up the wrong tree when she enlisted the machine as a wingbot. With how well she and Ace got along on their own, the extra attention veered a little close to embarrassing. “What kinda moves ya packin’, big guy?”
Geralt and Yennefer shrugged and nodded a little sadly, respectively, at Nadia and Blazermate’s corrections. “Ah, that is quite a shame. It would have been fun to show off a little. Though I suppose if we really wanted to, we could host our own small dance-off.” Geralt let out an amused breath at that. She really did just want to show off, especially since he doubted she had any faith in the big man’s skills. Geralt, at least, had learned to go with the flow and accept that he was just oddly well-rounded for a so-called King. He figured the guy didn’t exactly mean ballroom dance when he boasted about his own skills.
”Oh, yeah, that’d be great! Oh man, I have this one move I invented- it’s so good. You guys would love it." Sakura nodded eagerly, bragging somewhat.
Rubick chuckled, then dejectedly said, “
I enjoy putting a spring in my step every day, but I never did commit the arts of dancing to memory. I’m ashamed to say that I must sit this one out, but I will gladly enjoy the show.”
“Hmm…” Peach mused, seriously considering the suggestion of the sorceress. Despite appearances, the princess was no stranger to dancing thanks to the Mushroom Kingdom’s Dance Dance Revolution, the one and only time the seldom-relevant Waluigi had been anything but a vaguely antagonistic background element. “If we could drum up a location and some music, then, perhaps…”
Since the Cadet wasn't privy to Nadia's agreement with Blazermate, he gave the medabot a curious look. Dancing sounded fun, sure. He was always down for competition too, even if he thought he didn't stand a chance. That it was a suggestion specifically aimed at them was surprising. Or... maybe not? They probably hadn't been very subtle with their flirting after all. Well, no matter how the suggestion started it turned out to be a good one, with most everyone on board. Especially with Yennefer's further suggestion to host it themselves.
"Sounds like fun to me!" the Cadet said. He gave Peach and Yennefer a wide grin.
"I don't think it'll be too hard to find a spot." He turned to Nadia, giving the cat burglar a wink to accompany his next words.
"Not to toot my own hunting horn, but I do have some groovios moves."”I am more for singing than dancing myself. Perhaps I could give you all a rendition of the great Haltmann?” Susie said, a bit tuned out of the conversation herself unlike her other robot comrade since she didn’t know about the agreement between Nadia and Blazermate.
”I could try, but I think no matter what I do people will think I’m doing the robot.”” Blazermate said, chuckling to herself.
The sudden surge of ambient confidence, accompanied by the earnest proposition of a group dance-off, left Nadia just a little starstruck. Did this ragtag band of heroes really have so many talented dancers!? She’d only just gotten a crash course herself! Then again, Nadia Fortune was no shrinking violet when it came to spending time with friends. As long as she was amongst friends, who cared if she was any good or not? And she couldn’t disappoint Ace, either.
“Wow, you guys too? If you can bust a groove half as good as ya bust the bad guys, we’re in for one kickass party. Un-fur-tunately, all this cat’s best moves are for fightin’,” she admitted. Thinking about what she could do brought to mind the new stuff she’d tried that afternoon in the city, and the sudden remembrance of a half-baked idea perked her right up. “Oh, that reminds me! This is my first time really bein’ part of a team, and I figured if we put our heads together, we could come up with some really cool team attacks!” She looked over at Geralt. “Like when ya threw me at that water monster, like a giant sawblade. Course, you’re too small for that now, but I’m sure we can think of something! Like, uh…”
As she looked around the table, her gaze landed on Bowser, and in the moment that passed before a lightbulb went off the others could see the gears in her head tear in real time. “Oh-oh-oh! What if ya span around in your shell real fast, and I rode on top usin’ my blood jets to spin ya even faster, just shootin’ and breathin’ fire the whole time? We’d be unstoppable!” She made a frenetic spinning motion with her hands to try and show what she meant, before she calmed down and put her hand to her chin thoughtfully, eyebrows scrunched. “Gimme a sec and I’m sure I can make a pun name for the move, too…”
”Throw in these shooters,” Bowser said, briefly popping out his new setup for his shell mounted guns to show what he was talking about.
”And we’d be a real Carousel of Cat-astrophe”"Heh, good one!"”That sounds… very dangerous,” Kamek had to point out, as in her mind's eye she saw the pair careening all over.
”Yeah, it sure would be! It’d be like the trick with the shy guy squad, only even better!” Bowser declared, referring to an as of yet unseen minion attack where the masked minions used a bungeecord to propel him at his foes at high speed.
”For us I mean,” Kamek clarified
”Oh... Eh I’m sure Nadia can handle it,” the king declared confidently
”right Nadia?”The feral smacked her fist into her palm with a grin. “You betcher ass I can! When it comes to livin’ through stuff, I’m best in show–I don’t even need to be in one piece!”
”Again, I was mostly worried about… never mind” Kamek sighed, and then directed her gaze to the others, asking
”I don’t suppose anyone else has any similar ideas? They could be quite handy if they aren't so… collateral prone””Are you guys talking about some kind of combination attack? I don’t think I can help much with that besides buffing you. But combination attacks are something I’m familiar with.” Blazermate said, tilting her head as Nadia, Bowser, and his family started to talk about a combination type attack. Susie, not knowing what they were all talking about or what they could do, just listened as she started to finish her milkshake.
”So if you guys do one, what buff would be best then? Damage or invincibility? A bit of a shame I can’t do any other than those, but hey, it's still way better than just straight healing!” Blazermate said, trying her best to join the conversation but being a bit unable to.
“
I would go for damage. More damage is more fun!” Rubick interjected, chuckling as he tried to add more fuel to the chaos.
Nadia tilted her head as she thought about it. “That’d be fun, I guess, but one person rushin’ ahead while the other stands back powerin’ ‘em up is kinda one-sided. If you and me both got fired up, Blaze, we could probably pull off a sick crossfire beam attack! I have a water beam now, by the way~” Her attention drifted back to Rubick. “If you’re gonna be rollin’ with us for a spell, I’m eager to see what you can do! Betcha got all kinds of hocus pocus!”
Rubick tilted his head as he turned to stare at Nadia. “
Very well!” Rubick complied happily. He too was eager to show his stuff, or rather, other people’s stuff. “
Allow me to show you just what a Grand Magus is capable of.” Then he proceeded to jump up from his chair and raise his arm, summoning his staff and twirling it around before pointing it at Kamek. A green wisp of energy trailed off from her and into Rubick, who then went wide-eyed as the knowledge of Kamek’s teleporting Power flowed into his mind.
“
So that is how it is done…” Rubick muttered to himself. With a gesture of his staff, he teleported himself onto a table in a puff of smoke. He proceeded to teleport around the restaurant a couple more times while also pointing at Sakura.
Again, a wisp of green energy trailed out of her body and into Rubick’s, whose palms began to glow blew. He then proceeded to strike a few poses similar to Sakura’s before announcing “
Hogosho!” and launching a short-ranged blue burst of energy into an empty space next to him.
Finally, he pointed to Nadia with his staff, and he gained a bit of knowledge of Nadia’s power. “
Oh-ho~ does that water beam of yours go like THIS?” Rubick asked as he proceeded to fire a large stream of water from his staff towards the entrance of the Rum for Ale, blasting the door open while completely drenching the area outside of it. This lasted for a few seconds before Rubick ceased the attack. Turning back to Nadia, Rubick proceeded to ask, “
What do you think?”
The wide-eyed surprise on the feral’s face told him just how impressed she was. “...Whoa, you really nyailed it. Just be careful with that thing man, it packs a punch!”
Peach clapped softly. “I admire your power, as well as your enthusiasm. But perhaps you could have fired up into the air?” she suggested gently. The restaurant staff looked on with an air of rather less constructive criticism as they gathered together for a hushed discussion. Since there had been no furniture in the arched hallway through which the mage’s copied torrent fired, nothing had been destroyed, and the water would evaporate in time, they decided not to take any sort of action. With the excitement over they went back to their duties, which included kicking Cerberus out of the kitchen since none of them knew a thing about cooking. It wouldn’t be too long before the party’s meals were ready.
Karin clapped, and so did Sakura, but the latter’s subtle pout indicated she was kinda miffed that someone was able to replicate her hard work so easily.
”Oh, oh, do me! Do me!” Blazermate said, excitedly clapping as she saw what Rubick could do. Apparently he could use abilities from the others, and since Blazermate was all support, perhaps he could start healing others too?
Rubick stared at Blazermate quizzically before shrugging and copying her Power as well. As the wisp of green energy entered his body, Rubick learned of Blazermate’s purpose as a robot and presumably her main method of performing her intended function. Pointing his staff at Blazermate, Rubick proceeded to fire a green beam of healing energy at her, which would begin to repair any damaged bits she may have. “
One dose of healing beam coming right up!” Rubick said.
Geralt watched the self-proclaimed ‘Grand Magus’ proceed to point his staff at their allies and, somehow, copy their abilities. Some he knew came from Spirits, which actually made him somewhat curious as to what he could conceivably copy. Would he know how to perform a Sign if he turned his staff towards Geralt? Would he simply be able to recreate the effects of one if he did so? Deciding that he didn’t want a hyperactive mage wielding the powers of Axii, he once more decided against drawing attention to himself, instead watching curiously.
Most of the troupe were very impressed, but Jr did have to point out that
”Mimi can kinda do that too, can’t you Mimi?” which got his little mon to hop onto the table and, at the prompting of her trainer, show off her own power copying ability. With a “Mimik!” She used her newly acquired better version of copycat: mimic, to copy and temporarily learn the most recent move. In this case she thrust out her tail stick and shot a little healing beam at Rubick to show him he wasn't the only copycat in town (even if she wasn’t quite as good as him) and then turning it off only to shoot another one at Blazermate to show off her new ability to use the moves as much as she liked after copying it to her suitably impressed trainer.
”We could certainly get a lot of versatility out of triple attacks or skills this way. Being able to render 6 people invulnerable would be quite the boon, for example, or hitting something with three flash cannons or other big charged attacks” Kamek noted. Mimi alone had been quite hady and with Rubick being an even more versatile equivalent, that optioned up a whole host of options.
”You should give it a name like… Terrible Triple Trouble! Or something” Bowser suggested, giving the move a suitably cheesy name.
”I don’t think people who copy my healing beam could also make people invincible. It's a bit tricky to explain, but while they are related, the invincibility and my healing beam are very very different.” Blazermate mused at Kamek’s suggestion. After all, while they copied her healing beam, they probably weren't copying her medaforce that was needed to make people invincible.
“
It is true,” Rubick dejectedly confirmed. “
I believe they are two distinct abilities, so it is impossible to use them both at the same time. For now, at least.”
Watching this all unfold, Susie was more confused than anything. Sure it made sense for this mage to copy ‘magical’ abilities, but once he copied Blazermate, a robot, Susie couldn’t help but take notice.
”Copying a robot with magic…. That is curious.” Susie then decided to join the conversation about combo attacks, although she still couldn’t call her business suit.
”It can’t be helped. Haltmann tech can adapt a bit to magic as well so that working in reverse makes sense I guess. If any of you have elemental attacks, I can use one to infuse my equipment with those properties.” Susie then gave an expression as if she was thinking, before saying.
”Perhaps something could be done with my business suit… I’ll need to think on it.”The sight of the newcomers already getting along with the rest of her group made Peach happy, but even after some time spent taking it easy, she couldn’t just wipe the fates of the Seekers’ last hangers-on from her mind. After taking a deep breath, she waited for a suitable gap in the conversation and chimed in. “Excuse me for spoiling the mood for a moment, but I should tell the both of you,” she said, addressing Rubick, Susie, and Cerberus. “We’re happy for you to join us, whether for an evening or for the rest of our journey, but you should be warned. What we’re doing is dangerous, and not just run-of-the-mill dangerous, but lethal even for people with advanced abilities. During our last mission, a few people we encountered joined up without understanding what lay in store, or having enough time to regain their old abilities, and they paid the price.” Delsin, Frog, and Mr. L never returned from those curse-shrouded seas, and though Brineybeard and Mirage still lived, Peach doubted she would see either of them again. It had been a miracle that the team didn’t lose Hat Kid, Bowser, and several others too. “So, I guess I just want to say, make sure you think it through. That you’re sure you want to achieve is worth the risk.”
”Thank you for your concern, But I assure you I have dealt with hard stuff before. Void Termina was some ancient galactic evil that destroyed an entire civilization of advanced ancients, yet it fell to Haltmann technology.” Susie said.
”Technology which is for sale, for the right price.”“
I also thank you for your concern, miss, but I am well acquainted with danger,” Rubick replied. “
Back where I come from, I dealt with assassins aiming for my life almost daily. I earned my title of ‘Grand Magus’ by killing several fellow Magi in a single grand battle. And I played a large role in the Defense of the Ancients, a large-scale war where beings of all sorts of shapes and sizes came to participate. I may not have my full range of abilities yet, but you can rest assured that I am more than capable of looking after myself.”
Peach nodded her respectful approval. “That’s good to hear. I shouldn’t have worried.”
Luckily, the downer mood didn’t last too long, because the food had arrived. Cerberus and the restaurant staff marched out bearing platters of sizzling steak, pork, chicken, and eggs awash with spice and sauce, luxuriant beans and steaming rice drowned in flavor, expertly prepared yuca, rich stews and soups, corn husks stuffed with meaty, cheesy goodness, banana and plantain, croquettes fried to a tantalizing golden luster, and more. Some came on large, oblong plates where not an inch of the china could be seen beneath the blanket of food except for the colorfully patterned rims, but some of the dishes came on black iron skillets so fresh from the oven that the waiters needed to handle them with mitts and warn their customers to keep their hands off.
Nadia couldn’t stop her jaw from dropping as the servers piled the table high with her friend’s feast, drool eking from the corner of her mouth as her saucer-round eyes shone. If just the smell was almost enough to send her straight to heaven, how was this gonna taste!? Though so famished (despite the sizable barbeque lunch) she could pretty much dive into her plate head first, Nadia also felt oddly reluctant; it was all so incredible that it sort of felt like a shame to ruin it. Almost like she was defacing a work of art, or something precious. Well…almost. That weird feeling didn’t last very long, and after that, the feral seized her utensils, more or less vacuumed up her fried eggs, and started carving up her flank steak like a wild beast.
King and prince more or less matched her table manners and feral hunger, the toothy carnivores chowing down on their meaty meals with gusto, while Rika went about sampling every little thing she could get her hands on, including asking if she could try out other people's dishes, leaving only Kamek as a last bastion of civil dining among the koopa troop.
While Yennefer partook of her meal with the politeness and grace befitting an advisor to the Imperial Throne, Geralt abandoned much of his pretenses and began digging in readily, though not quite as ravenously as the Koopas. That would get him yelled at, though his current behavior was sure to earn him a sigh and an exasperated lecture later as well.
A couple of seats down, the Ace Cadet added to the chaos with his usual gusto when it came to eating. Scarfing up a meal like it would be your last was a hard habit to break. Unless necessary he forwent utensils, scooping up whatever food caught his eye on the plates delivered with his own order. He was equally as delighted by the new and delicious looking items as he was by those he'd actually seen before back in his own world, if under a different name. In between bouts of stuffing his face then washing it down with what remained in his glass, he flung some food Rika's way for the abyssal to catch like a fish leaping from water, though careful not to hit the koopa sorceress beside her.
Rubick was more mannered than some others at the table, neatly cutting into his steak with a knife and using a fork to deftly eat underneath his mask.
”Itadakimasu!" Sakura exclaimed gleefully as her meal was set in front of her.
”Thank you v-very much!" She took a big bite out of the burger.
”Mmm…no food tastes better than food someone else is paying for!" Karin was firmly in camp ‘eating with manners’, though her meal seemed to disappear quite quickly whenever no one was looking.
"I’m not sure it was ever established who exactly was paying for all this." She said coolly. The thought caused Sakura to freeze mid-bite. For a moment she panicked, worried that she had just blown all of her allowance. But then she remembered what she kinda did for a living now.
”Oh. Oohh well. Okay. I’ll just use…yeah I’ve got money left over. I’m an adventurer, so that means I have treasure or something. Wow, you gave me a heart attack with that one."Nadia raised a hand for attention, although since she was still chewing she ended up signaling that she needed a moment. When her own steak was safely disposed of, she hastened to address the street fighters’ concerns. “I am, actually! All that moolah I got from the island last night was sorta burnin’ a hole in my pocket. Figured I might as well blow it on somethin’ that I could enjoy with everyone.” She took a big swig of her bright-orange beverage, then added with a grin, “If ya wanna pay for yourselves though, don’t let me stop ya! Any leftovers will sure help meowt if we go shoppin’ later.”
Seated together on a single bench next to Peach, Cerberus paused in their ravenous consumption of various scrap meats from the kitchen to look Nadia’s way, their ears perked up. “Oh, are we going somewhere exciting after this?” the Triple Demon chorused.
”Oh! Thank you Ms. Nadia." Sakura laughed slightly, wiping her forehead in an exaggerated manner.
”I don’t think I’ve really had a chance to go shopping yet. This should be fun! I want a bicycle. I’m gonna buy a bicycle." She said, nodding, satisfied with that.
”...Where I’d get a bicycle, I don’t know.” “Well there was that big boat that came in while you were fighting. Supposed to be shops on it? I was thinking on going there afterwards” Rika helpfully supplied Sakura “Maybe they’ll have one of those bicycle things there?”
"Yeah, plus this city has a little of everything. I bet you'll find it, whatever it is," the Cadet said from across the table. He intended to go right back to eating, but a thought soon occurred and he swallowed the croquette he'd just popped into his mouth whole so he could get back to talking.
"Oh yeah, but speaking of shopping! I didn't get a chance to tell everyone earlier with everything going on at the beach, but I ran into this biiig carapaceon, and found some cool shells and all these sea pearls. Nadia said they're probably valuable, so I was gonna share 'em with everyone! We could all go on a regular seeker shopping spree and check out that ship." The monster hunter gestured widely as he spoke, including touching his fingers together in mockery of a crab's claws. He thought that there were probably enough pearls to split a small handful with everyone, including their newcomers and even save some for Link and Hat Kid too.
“
Oooo, shopping! What fun!” Rubick said as he clapped his hands together. He had wanted to look for some items to fill in for his missing repertoire of abilities, but he had precious little opportunity to do so in the past. Now it seemed he would get his chance.
With the group’s next activity decided upon, everyone hurried to polish off the remainder of their meals, although not so fast that they couldn't savor every last bit of this hard-won feast. Princess Peach, thinking that she could make good use out of the coins stored in her new Inventory, elected to join everyone on their trip to the merchant vessel. Those less inclined to accompany the shoppers on their excursion could, naturally, turn in early, but from the looks of it a visit from the Argentum Trade Guild was a rare treat as the circus coming to town, and not something to be passed up lightly. After paying for the Seekers’ meal Nadia was left with only a pittance of gold pieces, but if Ace succeeded in his plan to pawn off the pearls, she’d at least have a little something to spend. Once everyone was ready the large group set off at a leisurely pace, too full of good food (and in some cases, potent alcohol) to do much but take their time.
Ms Fortune
Location: Deep Blue Seaside - Limsa Lominscuttle Town
Level 9 Nadia (28/90)
Word Count: 954
Now that it was moored in the ocean waters just outside Limsa Lominscuttle Town’s harbor, everyone could really begin to appreciate just how massive a vessel the Argentum Trade Guild was. In fact, its size prohibited it from pulling into and docking at port, so once it arrived Limsa deployed a ferry service operated by volunteer shipgirls that pulled rafts filled with eager traders to and from Argentum. If not for the place’s rather rustic, copper-and-wood aesthetic, in fact, being dragged toward its bowels might have been intimidating. Even discounting Goldmouth, the colossal, whale-like Titan that floated in placid serenity overhead like an enormous dirigible, the ship was easily comparable to a cargo freighter, but this boat went far beyond the confines of a mere vehicle meant for transport. Instead, the immense merchant ship managed to achieve the status of miniature city in its own right, featuring not just the warehouse and floor space necessary to house and sell a wealth of goods, but its salvaging industry and its own residential area, complete with onboard dining, entertainment, and more. It even had its own flight deck up top, and an entire dock down at water level below, fully retractable into the side of the ship should inclement weather or a rogue sea monster make an impregnable hull a necessity.
When Nadia, already awestruck by the scale of the place, first stepped foot from the entry port into the belly of the behemoth, she looked up to see layer upon layer of spacious upper floors accessible by stairs and connected by well-lit catwalks. The patrons of Rumbletum Canteen, the Bower Lounge, and Lemour Inn were so high up that she could barely make out their features. Of course, the main event, and the reason why her group came here in the first place, lay directly ahead: the spectacular Argentum Bazaar.
There were so many shops that Nadia found herself struggling to take it all in. Even at their best, the open-air markets of Little Innsmouth had nothing on this! Everywhere she looked she found crates and barrels stacked so high that they more or less formed the walls between the stores. Right away the feral spotted ornate pottery, casks of exotic liquor, silks and rugs, various clothes, pastries, seafood, and produce, maps, sacks, bags, furniture, weapons, armor, trinkets and collectibles, and so much more, all cast in the cozy, warm glow of lights strung together across hanging cables above. Names like Cleo’s Cosmetics, Honeycomb Sweets, Strummer Instruments, Nopox Hobby Store, Reedirait Bookstore, Whiteside Salvaging, Shroomblade Smithy, Shynini’s Accessories, and Noodler’s Delight confronted her from every side. She, like all the shoppers from Limsa Lominsa, found herself so spoiled by choice that for a moment she didn’t know what to do with herself, so she decided the best thing to do would just be to wander around.
Nadia soon observed that practically every shop appeared to be run by a rotund, fuzzy creature. While she mistook them for mascots or something at first, a little listening-in quickly revealed that no, the
Nopon weren’t just people in their own rights, but merchants of remarkable uncanny sense despite their cutesy appearances. They came in all colors, with hair that didn’t always match their fur, and most of them wore clothes of some stripe, but all sported stubby little limbs and a pair of larger, dextrous wings they used to handle their wares and their customers’ cash, the latter of which they seemed to covet with greed that was thinly-veiled at best. Nadia’s time spent in Little Innsmouth gave her a sense for when the Dagonian locals were trying to fleece outsiders, and if anything these guys seemed worse, offering dubious prices, whimsical embellishments, and hard bargains. Still, Nadia found it hard to take the idea of them being tricksters seriously. After all, with their round little bodies, funny outfits, and oddly endearing speech, they were just so cute!
One of the most eye-catching displays, however, sat amidships between the dividing wall that kept the public out of the warehouse block and the bazaar itself, flanked on either side by a giant marble statue of a hand whose palm overflowed with coins. Resembling a circus tent with its wooden supports and red-white striped awnings, the
Grand Exchange featured a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree counter around its central shelves, manned by a full contingent of staff, and yet it still managed to seem rather small compared to the gargantuan crowd around it. A cacophony of voices rolled out from the throng across the bazaar, a chorus of offers to sell and requests to buy, prices, and currencies like gil, gold, zenny, and platinum. And as if that wasn’t chaos enough, a few of those present present seemed to be solely interested in starting rows of fires along the floor, even at the feet of the traders, all of which caught practically the instant the would-be arsonists plonked down a few logs and burned to ashes without actually igniting anything or anyone else, which came as a major relief to Nadia when she realized.
In short, the Argentum Trade Guild offered an absurd amount of merchandise for how little money Nadia Fortune had left to her name. Still, she could hear her bed back at the Mizzenmast calling out to her almost as much as this incredible marketplace. Between her reduced funds and flagging stamina, she didn’t know how long she’d be able to last before heading back. If she was going to buy just one thing among the vast smorgasbord on offer, she needed to get cracking.
Member
DracoLunaris
AlmostEternity
BunniesOfDoom
TokyoPewPew
Drifting Pollen
Massasauga
Dragonydas
Morgannis
Xaltwind
CitrusArms