The Alkemist ~the RP~

[Faulty Ambition]

Era popped up in the midst of the Prima fans. His furry ears rotating vaguely like periscopes, his his attention seemed to be more focused than usual. He seemed almost sober, just from the sight of his ears poking out above the crowd of fans. This did not bode well.  

[silentdraconis]

Die, one ear on the crowd, grabbed a tray and started filling the chaotic calls for drinks. She didn't get much practice, but it was a skill she had found she couldn't lose. The sight of Era in the middle of the penguin horde made her pause, the orders fluttering out of her head for a moment as she wonder what he was up to, but she quickly got down to passing out the glasses. She paused by Era only long enough to murmur "No snacking on paying customers" in one of his ears before she danced back through the crowd.
She really wasn't sure what he was up to, but she was slightly worried. At least Rowen had the food down, and she had drinks covered...
But what was Era up to? (She didn't really think he'd eat her customers, especially since they had so few.) Well... She opened the box of chocolates she'd gotten on the day traditionally reserved for such things and picked out one she suspected was caramel filled. She didn't know who it was from, but she suspected it was one of her Rabids who was working out-of-town.
And she did like chocolate.

But what was Era up to?  

[Rowen McNeill]

Rowen returned after about 7 minutes of streight sandwich-making with two varied, and very full, platters of fish sandwiches. He set them down on a sturdy-looking table (one bolted to the floor just for use when riots and mobs were present) "There... Fish Sandwiches..." He sighed, and stepped back, wondering if there was anything he should be doing.  

[ByakoAssailant]

Byako Random Event Extension
A couple of the viking penguin gunslingers set a chest in the middle of the room filled with gold stuff and an old ships log of ships physician kenton alkemi
"seconds please!"
the gathering of viking penguin gunslingers that loved prima cheered heartily  

[Rowen McNeill]

Rowen arched an eyebrow at the chest, but before he could get a good look at it he heard the viking penguin gunslingers call for seconds. The young man sighed, then headed back into the kitchen to make up two more platters of assorted fish sandwiches.  

[Faulty Ambition]

"Score!"
Era voice burst out from the center of the group as the chest was set down.
Within seconds an incredibly furry figure with beastly horns and a hideous visage burst out of the crowd, the chest and various records from the last battle Prima was involved in clutched in its massive claws, and ran up the stairs out of sight. The sound of the top floor's door being slammed shut echoed softly even in the bar.  

[silentdraconis]

Die sighed as Era ran off with the chest. "I'm sorry about that," She said to them. "I can try to get it back, but... well, you saw. I hope he hasn't shredded it..." She hadn't seen what exactly was in the box, just Era running off with it.
She ate another chocolate, wondered if he was okay, and got the customers another round of drinks "On the house," she said with a smile before tucking her tray back out of the way and heading to the back. "Rowen, could you look after our customers for a moment? I'm going to see about their box..." He would get a bonus at the end of the month.
If Die remembered, that is...

She headed upstairs, nominally to get the chest back for the first customers in a while, but also somewhat concerned--he was usually quite good at swiping liquor.
Die eased the door open, using her key if necessary, and glanced around, looking for her Finder. "Er~a~?"  

[Rowen McNeill]

"Huh- What?- Oh- Sure." Rowen nodded to her as he finished up the last of the sandwiches, then took the two platters back out to the table, where the first two still sat, now completely empty.

The young man set the platters down, and carefully removed the two empty platters, returning them to the kitchen and washing them before he put them away.

It was odd, he didn't know anything about pay or the goings-on around him, and may not have even cared that much.

I mean, he had open access to a small library of good books, food, and occasionally the arcade in the back. It was a pretty sweet deal, even if he never knew what the blazes was going on.  

[Faulty Ambition]

The door creaked open at Die's touch, a sliver of light preceding it across the wooden floor. The light from the opened doorway spilled out across the floor, illuminating the opened and empty chest in the center of the room. It was heaving slightly, as though out of breath after a struggle. The beast who had carried it up was no where to be seen across the room, nor was the large map of the city.  

[silentdraconis]

Die entered, pausing by the trunk, looking down at it for a moment before looking around again. Her map was gone, a half-dozen pins scattered on the floor. "Era!" At least she knew where everything went... still, it would take the better part of an hour to put it all back together. She checked both offices, leaned out the window of the one sporting a stylized dragon on its frame, and twisted to look up, her ears catching a sound that shouldn't be there.
Die muttered something under her breath and pulled back inside, digging in her desk for the bottle of whiskey left there for convenience's sake. she slipped it into her pocket and climbed out her window. Her two small green wings extended and grew (as did her tail) as her claws found easy purchase in the rough red brick of the Alkemist's building. She lunged over the ledge bordering the roof in one fluid movement accented by the whipping of a sinuous tail, feeling quite glad that her office was on the back side of the building, and not the front. Die dusted herself off, crossed her arms over her chest, and glared, the steady flicking of her tail-tip sitting in substitution for the sound of one foot tapping.  

[Faulty Ambition]

A low guttural growl echoed softly across the rooftop to meet the proprietor's arrival. In the middle of the roof squatted a ghastly far-covered beast, its monstrous form hunched over the map. The growl was the only indication that the beast had noticed the beauty though. A white tube sock with three blue stripes along the ankle lay discarded near the new arrival's feet, lifeless and pathetic. A quick glance at the beast would reveal that it was still clothed fully in its deep blue and gold with brown boots. No socks missing there.

Besides the unexplained sock, there was one other oddity about the rooftop. Besides the growl and the tap-tap of the proprietor's foot, there was no sound. Well, there was a slight bit of ambient noise, but nothing coming from the roof. And this was very unusual, for an area around the beast.

"There!" was the shout that shattered the silence, delivered in a great roar as the beast whipped around to point in a new direction and insert another pushpin into the map, connecting it to the others with colored string.  

[silentdraconis]

"What are you doing with my map?" Die finally asked, looking over one furry shoulder so she could see the pastels and bright red thread. It seemed pretty obvious he was marking places, but from what?
And why was he in his fluffy form? He hated it. Which reminded her...
A flask of whiskey emerged from one of her skirt pockets and was offered around the shoulder she was peering over.  

[Faulty Ambition]

"Updating," came the gruff reply from between the fangs. "Done."
His sharp claw reached up and grasped the bottle, swigging it down in a single gulp.

Howls of agony echoed across the rooftops, scattering pigeons blocks away.
When the echoes subsided, there was no beast in sight, only Era clutching the tattoo on his neck in pain.  

[Rowen McNeill]

Rowen blinked, looking up from his game of FFII (for the PSP, of course) and frowned. Somebody certainly was in pain.

The young man considered trying to help-- it sounded like the noise had originated somewhere in the building, after all. After a thoughtful moment he shrugged, then turned back to his game.

If they needed his help, Die would tell him.  

[silentdraconis]

Die winced at the agonized bellow--it was excruciatingly loud in her sensitive ears--but did not move away, eyes still studying the additions he'd made to her map. One silver-tipped hand hesitated briefly before resting on his shoulder. She had never actually seen him transform before--or heard, for that matter. He had waited until she was out doing something or other the last time. She wasn't exactly sure what would have happened if she'd touched him during the change back--and he'd been in enough pain she hadn't dared find out--nor was she sure if it would hurt him now, but he seemed like he needed it. Like he needed the comfort of a (partially) human touch.
"You okay?"
It was possibly the first time she'd ever expressed concern for his well-being since he'd come to the Alkemist.