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Look, Sooner or Later You'd See Someone You Know (Alicia)
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Dec 7, 2016 6:30:53 GMT
Another advantage she’d discovered in the process of figuring out the extent of Mercurialdramon’s shapeshifting was that she found out how to precisely control what color her metallic body was displaying. So, when Isaac made his comment, she was able put on quite the luminescent blush. Never mind the fact that she might’ve actually blushed had she been in human form because he was pretty darn good at the act. Which honestly made her wonder who gave him his job training off hand. Not that that was important right now.
“A-Ah, of course. Some coffee would be nice. I could go for a nice pick-me-up.” And of course, there was the topic of the games themselves. “I’m afraid I can’t really say much on… on what preference I have with games. I’m not enough of a gamer to be able to know for sure. I’m sure you’ll find something good though, sir.” Now it was time for the reveal.
“Ah… I do believe I’ve won this one. But I appreciate such endearing words.” She admitted softly, turning the card to reveal the club to Isaac. Exactly what he’d thought she would actually pull, but chose not to call. “I hope it’s not too much trouble though? Handing out a freebie like this…” She mused, concerned. While it was hardly anything significant, a freebie was still a freebie. Oh well, who was she to question it more than that?
If it was that much of a problem, he wouldn’t have offered it at all, she figured.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 7, 2016 6:46:15 GMT
Coffee, huh? Isaac had hoped a little bit more detail, but he didn't mind. When he decorated her play area with a few different add-ins for her drink, it'd look all the nicer. It seemed like she was leaving a lot up to his preference today, but that was good. It was teaching him to improvise and get better at reading people's tells. Sure, this might have been cheating a bit because he knew Alicia so well, but progress was progress!
He put on a show of feigned surprise as the club was shown, his expectant grin falling into a shocked look. "Ah, bested again! Well played, Princess," he said. "Oh, but please, there is no need to concern yourself with whether you're troubling me or not. To please is my pleasure." After all, customers liked having free things! A free coffee handed out now and then was nothing compared to making a customer feel like a million bucks and inspiring them to keep on coming back. And even if that wasn't the case, Isaac would have been happy to pull a few strings for someone like Alicia. "Follow me, please, so I may show you to the game room."
Alicia wasn't much of a gamer, so he knew one of the more intense choices probably wouldn't have been a good option. Then again, neither was he, so a simple competitive game would have probably been a good choice. Thankfully, this cafe was pretty much filled to the brim with old copies of Super Smash Bros. Brawl! He started the game up and dramatically presented her a controller. "For you, my princess. Please, feel free to mess with the controls while I bring you your drink." With that he bowed and walked away, heading to the kitchen to get brewing.
It wouldn't be too long before he returned, coffee in a fiery red cup being balanced on his plate. He gently set it down on the end table near their console set-up, placing some add-ins such as milk, sugar, creamer, and cinnamon next to it. "I could tell you'd want a pick-me-up, so I made sure to pick a stronger blend. How would you like me to prepare it today?" he asked.
Man, if he was this good at giving Maia the royal treatment, she'd be having a good Christmas for sure!
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Dec 9, 2016 2:55:03 GMT
Honestly, she wasn’t entirely sure what she was doing now. Hopefully the fact that this had gone on much longer then she expected wasn’t too blatantly obvious. Running on improvisation for so long was a lot harder then it initially appeared! Still she thought she was handling it well enough. Still, the faux-teen smiled and Isaac was certainly quite the partner in such an impromptu production.
So with the little game room set up, Alicia followed Isaac. And she admittedly couldn’t help but giggle at the overly dramatic way he was handling everything. How could she not appreciate such over the top efforts? And the choice was certainly a good one. She knew the Super Smash Bros series from few times her brothers basically did just that on the various versions that had come out over the years they lived under the same roof.
“Well isn’t this a cozy surprise…” She mused to herself while Isaac was out, picking one of the characters and re-familiarizing herself with the controls. Isaac would come back to the faux-teen playing a slow-paced practice match with Bowser as her character of choice. With her Digimon forms, it wasn’t as surprising as it would be for anyone else. Though perhaps it would be surprising to her current ‘persona’ as it were. Oh well.
Though with him having returned, she paused and looked over. “Ah! Thank you. Nothing too complex though, just a single creamer to take the edge off the bitterness.” she answered. Then she yawned a bit, which had come mostly unbidden, blinking. “Oh… s-sorry. Guess I needed that more than I thought.”
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 9, 2016 3:12:57 GMT
"Ah, a big tough dragon to watch over a Princess, I see?" Isaac joked as he returned. He knelt by the end table as Alicia made her request, nodding and taking the creamer in hand. "A great choice! Now, if you'll give me just a few more seconds, I will join you shortly." He gently poured the creamer into Alicia's cup, taking his mixing spoon in hand and giving it a few thoughtful swirls through the coffee.
Ah, there was an idea! Once the creamer had settled into a nice, circular shape he made a notch inwards. Upon seeing that yes, it would hold shape like that, he made a few more in the same vein. Normally that would be the start of making a flower, but Isaac had the feeling Alicia would've preferred something a little bit different. With all of the shallow notches he was making along the edge of the creamer, the latte art he was working on started to look less like a flower and more like a gear. "I do hope this is to your liking, princess," he said, smiling. Unlike the suave smiles from before, there was some genuine pride in this one.
"Ah, lets see. Who will I be choosing today?" Isaac mused out loud, switching between various characters indecisively. But really, was this ever a contest? There was only one character Isaac usually had in mind when it came to Smash, and it was his main man Luigi. Upon picking him he sat on the couch next to Alicia, sighing a little. This was the first bit of rest he had gotten today! "If you ever need anything else, by all means feel free to ask. I am still your helping hand today, after all, even if we're both taking a break for a bit."
With that said he flicked indecisively between Luigi's palettes, waiting for Alicia to kick this game into gear. Or ask him. Either way, it would be horribly presumptive to rush a guest!
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Dec 9, 2016 7:22:47 GMT
Alicia smiled a bit. “Well, it certainly felt like a strong pick.” She answered back. Never mind that the Koopa King wasn’t exactly one of the best characters. But that was for competitive gaming, this was a casual bout between good friends and surrogate siblings. So, she felt fine in picking a character she knew wasn’t that great. Besides the power-packed style Bowser was known for was something that fit her, as Isaac very well knew from their sparring match some time back.
There was the matter of her coffee though, and she took the hot beverage gratefully. That was even before she saw the little creamer ‘gear’ that Isaac had made. It was honestly an adorable touch and showed just how well the young man beside her knew her. “G-Goodness sir… Are you reading my mind or something…?” she asked, eyes wide. Then she took a careful sip of the caffeinated drink and sighed happily. “Mmm… just perfect…” the faux-teen mused, taking a deeper drink. Perhaps a fair bit deeper than one would expect with a piping hot cup of coffee.
Given she was in a form that could spew super-heated mercury as an attack, Alicia kind of lost her sense for heat as much as she had for cold. Though one could play it off as just having a special way with hot things. Much like the dragon turtle she was taking as her character for the game. Speaking of that game.
Alicia smiled and nodded to Isaac, a silent indication she was ready to go. Taking the lead this time, she was feeling a little silly and took the brawl to Luigi’s Mansion. Mainly because Isaac had picked Luigi. Very slightly because maybe she was kind of vindictive toward the place because sound effects from the game of the same name had been used in one of the April Fool’s pranks she had endured and she wanted to smash the place up too.
With that, the fight was on as the Koopa King squared off with ol’ Green ‘Stache.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 9, 2016 7:33:40 GMT
Isaac could tell that even the real Alicia was shocked by the little touch Isaac had made. He was already working hard on going the extra mile for his customers, even the ones he didn't know. The ones he already knew about, like Alicia, were incredibly easy to work with by comparison. He smiled warmly as she admired the gear, commenting "It was a lucky guess, wasn't it? Almost like we know each other from somewhere." Sure, he was reusing Elliot's lame as hell line, but he couldn't pass up the opportunity to joke about that with Alicia.
His smile remained warm as he saw Alicia drink it, although his look shifted into one as he saw her slam the drink down at terrifying speeds. That drink had just come out of the coffee maker! How the heck was she doing tha-
Oh, right. Mercurialdramon.
"My, eager, aren't we?" he joked, a slightly teasing tone to his voice. "You'd be surprised how much of an individual mark we leave on our coffees, so I'm very glad to hear you're enjoying mine so thoroughly," he added. Sure, the machines did most of the work, but each employee had their own little touches and preferences. It was one of the things that lead to preferences forming, especially once employees started tailoring the cups towards the customers who ordered them.
While nominally the game was Super Smash Bros Brawl, to any onlookers it would look more like an especially chaotic episode of Flip This House. Bowser and Luigi were almost attacking the mansion more than they were each other! Or, at least, that was Luigi's plan. Isaac was having stupid amounts of fun just tearing the place apart, but that would have left him very open to a backstab from Alicia if she decided not to go along with his plan. He wasn't very good at the game himself, and Luigi's floaty controls weren't the easiest to get a handle on, but he was still enjoying himself quite a bit. "So, what have you been up to today, princess? It would be a shame not to hear from you more just because we're playing right now."
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Dec 9, 2016 7:57:55 GMT
Indeed, it seemed that for the moment both fighters were very much content to smash the place up. One could argue that in character Luigi had very good justifications for wanting to dedicate more time in tearing the mansion down. And Alicia of course had her own reasons. Though given the point of the game, if the green plumber strayed a bit too close she might have ‘accidentally’ smacked him with a jab or two. Nothing to actually attempt to take a stock off of Isaac but a little something that kept with the original intention of the game.
“Yes… maybe we do know each other. It would be quite the coincidence, though.” Alicia mused in response to the incredibly cheesy line, winking to Isaac and giggling. She certainly appreciated the joke, that was for sure. “But I have my own job too… and I’m assuming you know what it’s like to have someone who’s so mad that nothing you do can make the day any better. Or something similar at least… It happened a lot today, a bunch of people were raving and ranting about how something of theirs was broken… That’s probably what sets them off the most…”
She sighed to herself and smiled. “It’s nice to have some way to vent all the frustration though… thank you sir.” With that she shifted a bit closer to Isaac, smiling and giggling more. Maybe she could mess with him a bit more while they were in character like this? It was a tempting idea. Was there a way she could justify it… She hadn’t exactly been asking him about how things were going with Maia to be honest but if he was still having trouble being comfortable around her…?
… Oh great, now she had an excitable ice maiden egging her on. Why’d she keep forgetting those two were always around?
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 9, 2016 8:06:41 GMT
Isaac winked back, finding it hard to resist the urge to laugh again. Anyone else in the back room probably would've thought they were crazy, but this little game was fun!
He paused to consider Alicia's question. Did he ever have customers like that? Well, there was that one hellish lady who came in twice a week, ranting, raving, and blaming employees for everything she did to mess with them. She was awful! And apparently not even the worst customer to show up. Thankfully, though, she was the only bad one he spotted on a routine basis. Usually he just hid in the break room when she came by, lest she ended up picking him out of the crowd and ranting at him over how she spilled her own coffee. And to think that was his first shift. It was almost as bad as his first "shift" in the Digital World.
But when on shift, he couldn't play favorites. With the exception, of course, of acting like his current customer was his favorite. He waved off the concern, saying "Everyone here has been a delight so far. I may still be new to the job, but already I feel like I have done plenty to brighten their days," he said. "A pity. I wish I could do more to brighten yours. Who would dare rant at such a sweet princess?" Even under all the flowery butler-talk, it was clear Isaac's concern for Alicia was still there. "Well, for as long as you're here, my ears are all yours."
He didn't seem to notice as she scooted a little closer to him. Or at least, he didn't yet. For now he was still focusing on taking down Luigi's Mansion and occasionally Bowser. If there was any mischief in Alicia's mind (and gee, who in the world could have put it there?), now would be a golden opportunity to unleash it.
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Dec 18, 2016 12:36:40 GMT
The faux-teen sighed softly, smiling. “Sure…” She mused, looking at him with a knowing grin. She wouldn’t call him out on it, but she was about eighty percent certain he wasn’t telling her everything under the guise of them being just an employee and his customer. Maybe she’d ask him later when they weren’t constrained by the circumstances they found themselves in. Oh well, moving on.
“Haha, just taking time out of your day to play a silly game with me… that’s done a lot to put some sunshine on a dreary day…” she admitted, and that really was the truth. Being able to just shove everything aside for a while to do whatever was always helpful. “Heh, random question… have you had to fend off the screaming hordes of fans?” Now that was a bit of a joke for the sake of the joke.
”Come on… do it…” came the devious voice in her head, who she could swear was bouncing on the tips of her toes in anticipation. ”You know you want to…” She really was a corruptive influence, Alicia decided. Why was she going along with this again? ”Because a sputtering and stammering Isaac is hilarious, why else?”
”Please don’t listen to this rapscallion anymore… She’s caused Isaac enough headache for one day. Besides what would Maia do if she ever found out? She smack you at the very least, dragon forms or not.” Sol cautioned, sighing in resignation already. ”Or at the very least just do something… less. I don’t know…”
“Mmm…” Alicia mulled that over as she maneuvered Bowser closer to Luigi after her latest bit of mansion renovation. Then she decided to do it. “Sorry, but…” Trailing off and resting her body lightly against Isaac’s, she looked over and leaned in, planting a feather light kiss on the boy’s cheek. It was only for a second, and it just might’ve been possible to brush it off as the figment of one’s imagination. But she did it. “… You’re so sweet, I couldn’t resist the temptation…” And that confirmed for him that yes, she did just do what she did.
And then the screen resounded with an explosion, breaking the moment. In the same moment as the brief smooch, Alicia had introduced Luigi to a full charged forward smash, sending Bowser’s horned head slamming into the poor plumber’s body. And given how massively powerful the Koopa King was… It was no surprise that the move wound up netting a KO.
Of course, now it was time to watch the fireworks that was Isaac’s reaction.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 18, 2016 22:48:46 GMT
"Well, it's my pleasure to be your sunshine for today," Isaac said, smiling sweetly. He was amazed how much easier comments like that came after practice and time spent loosening up. Even if this job could be embarrassing at times, it was doing wonders for his confidence. Then again, when someone was fawning over him, it was a lot easier to feel confident. Or, in this case, acting confident while acting like he was being feigned over. The hundreds of layers this plan had may have been starting to hurt Isaac's head a little. But running through it with someone he cared about and felt comfortable with helped.
He couldn't help but laugh a little at the screaming fangirls comment. "Can't say I've been so fortunate yet," he joked. Sure, it would be a way more unfortunate circumstance than a fortunate one, but he had to keep putting this in as positive of a life as possible. "Usually we end up having a few customers that request us, but never really hordes. Only the most senior of our ranks usually boast that privilege." Like Asher, for example. But then again, Asher was a unique case altogether, and for every girl who came to the restaurant exclusively for him there were some who never wanted him anywhere near their table.
"Of course, there are times when I've been recognized. They have been . . . interesting, to say the least. Although not always work-related." Between the tone in the voice and the look in his eye, it was pretty clear he was pointing that one right at Alicia. Probably thanks to Halloween. Ever since that Leo costume, he had still been turning heads from time to time. This butler cafe job wasn't exactly helping with that. It was certainly a new feeling, having that much attention placed on his shoulders.
And then some very strange attention came to the forefront indeed. The controller dropped from Isaac's hands as Alicia kissed him, the boy letting out a small squeak of shock and confusion. He didn't even register Luigi going flying away, too busy trying to mediate the blush spreading across his face as he tried to process what the hell had just happened. His surrogate big sister, who was like six years older than him, had just pressed up against him flirtatiously and kissed him. And they had just made a truce, too! There was supposed to be a practiced response to this sort of thing, but the shock of the situation made it hard for him to grab it off of the top of his head.
He turned to Alicia, face bright red and eyes asking "Why!?" Slowly he tried to pull the practiced response out, even if his current state made him a bit more stuttery and unsure than usual. "I-I understand I may be hard to resist, Princess, b-but unfortunately we do have rules against such contact. Regardless, it means a lot to hear I've been such a help for you today." Isaac flustered levels were currently at a maximum. The question was how far Alicia and Kisara would be willing to push their luck.
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Dec 19, 2016 3:59:16 GMT
Well that was amusing to say the least. But that was already pushing the envelope a fair bit too far. Time to tone things back down before this got way to awkward for the both of them. With that in mind, the faux teen pulled back, setting her own controller down and giggling. “Ah, I’m sorry, I-I should’ve known…” she stuttered a bit, flashing a big blush of her own. “I won’t do it again, I promise…” And that was the truth both in character and in reality.
Now back where she’d originally sat when the game began, she looked down and towards Isaac. “Forgive me…? I’m really sorry…” And she certainly looked like she meant it, pouting sorrowfully. At the very least Isaac couldn’t hear Kisara giggling all the while. The ice maiden was having quite the blast.
”Aaaah… I wish we could’ve gotten away with more…” The spirit woman sighed softly, smirking. ”Oh well, is what it is. Thanks a lot, Alicia.”
”Yes… Truly this is worth thanking our host about. What part of this could’ve possibly gone horribly wrong?” Sol snipped sarcastically, before raising his voice to a deep roar. ”Both of you are hair brained numbskulls sometimes!”
Alicia managed to avoid wincing at the roar, and Kisara just yelped and fell over in her mind. The redhead imagined that her eyes had turned to confused swirls at that. Oh well, as long as all he was doing was yelling… It couldn’t be that bad, right?
She was more worried about what Isaac might do in retaliation, if anything.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 19, 2016 4:10:53 GMT
Okay, that blush had to be intentional. She was a pile of mercury, if she wants she could've turned every part of her body into spiders. Obviously, she was trying to milk the demure "I'm sorry" look to try and disengage from this awkward situation. Or maybe turning up the emotions a bit to reflect genuine embarrassment, since the usual signals wouldn't be present in a giant blob of mercury. Regardless, Isaac was still confused and a little bit discomforted, but he managed a smile nonetheless. After all Alicia did for them, he couldn't really justify staying mad at her. Especially when all she was doing was pranking Isaac, even if in quite the uncomfortable manner.
"Hey, don't worry about it," he said, trying to keep his voice warm and reassuring despite the nerves. It maybe half-worked. "Probably my fault for being too easy of a target anyway, eh? Just keep it in mind for next time." Briefly, Isaac found himself cracking up as he tried to imagine how Elliot would react to that. Physical affection got him super blushy as is, but if Alicia whipped up a circumstance like this? Man, who knew what Elliot would think! He was torn between two options; laughing and sharing the idea, or telling Alicia to never even think of trying that.
Nevertheless, that kind of interrupting thought helped calm Isaac down a bit. His blush started to fade as he scooped up the controller, quickly sneaking a point-blank uppercut on Bowser. Ha! Green fire! Even if not a KO, it was a clear intent on Isaac's part at striking back. "But if that's how you were trying to cheat, turnabout's fair play! Don't think I missed what you were doing there, Princess~!"
Atmosphere saved. Mood salvaged. Even with that huge stumble early on, Isaac liked to think he stuck the landing there pretty well. Maybe Alicia was putting his skills at this job to the test more than he had previously thought.
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Dec 19, 2016 6:40:11 GMT
The faux-teen giggled a bit as Isaac gathered himself again. Oh, thank goodness, he wasn’t all that upset with her over it. Even though he really had every right to be. Well, all’s well that ends well? “Of course, sir, I’ll remember for next time.” If there was a next time that is. This was all a ploy by Kisara at the start so who could say if she’d ever do this again? On the other hand… It was actually kind of neat to be someone else for a bit so who knew.
Of course, she was rudely interrupted by the telltale keening sound of a sweet spot Super Jump, followed by Bowser turning howling as he flew off and became a star in the background. “Ah! Why you…!” The Steel Spirit Wielder grinned, snatching up the controller again as the game transitioned into a proper throw down. “It’s on now!”
Alicia giggled brightly as she refocused on the game, smiling brightly and periodically glancing at Isaac as they went. One way or another this game was going to close out soon. And Alicia really didn’t care if she won or loss at the moment. It would be interesting to see how it all played out.
”Well… that’s quite the mood whiplash.” Sol commented off hand, with Kisara nodding in response.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 19, 2016 6:53:05 GMT
And so, what ensued could only be described as a Brawl.
Of course, Alicia had the privilege of being one of today's last customers, and by the time she left after a fairly extended stay it would've been just about clock-out time. It probably didn't help that both parties had some changing of their own to do, Isaac back into his street clothes and Alicia back into her actual body. With that all said and done, was it any wonder that the two were able to catch back up right after shift? As she headed home, Alicia would probably hear a familiar voice approach her.
"Ah, it's great to see you so soon, Princess!"
Of course, Isaac could barely hold that with a straight face. Now that he was off shift, Isaac couldn't contain his laughter at that overblown statement. "Oh man. What a day today, huh?" he asked, sighing a little with fond relief. "How'd you like the cafe? All things considered, I don't think I did half bad for a new guy. That was one of the first shifts I've been trusted to work solo." With Asher's endorsement, of course. Other managers, like the scary lady, were still a bit skeptical. But after results like today's, Isaac hoped he'd be in a far more esteemed standing.
Of course, upon seeing Alicia, Isaac had to peer at her to make sure there aren't any other subtle imperfections. No strands of grey or immobile hair. No odd splotches on the skin. No signs that she was an imperfect copy created by a liquid metal Digimon. Bit paranoid? Maybe. But he might have been a little bit concerned that Alicia was enjoying her Mercurialdramon form a bit too much. As much as he said there were no real, major risks to spirit users transforming, that could not have been healthy!
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Dec 19, 2016 7:27:19 GMT
Alicia smiled softly after the shift was over. Isaac catching up to her was practically a given after her stunts. And no, there was no masquerading in a liquid metal mecha dragon body. She had in fact reverted from her Digimon form. Still, she turned to face Isaac, and laughed along with him after he failed to contain his mirth.
“What a day in deed. Kisara, Sol, and I were all completely caught off guard. She was just trying to mess with me alone first but then you showed up and things happened… Sorry again. You really were doing good despite me tripping you up like that though.” Alicia quipped. She held a hand out for him and hummed as she continued. “It’s a nice little place. I think Maia would enjoy a visit once the cat’s out of the bag.”
The redhead tilted her head, considering something. “Hey, here’s a random off the wall idea. Think after Christmas, I should talk Maia into visiting and use my little ‘disguise’? Or would that be more than a little too much?” She grinned crookedly at that, snickering. It seemed like she wasn’t serious about actually doing that.
… Or was she?
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