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[alphacraft]

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[jouvente]

[ Post mansion reunion shenanigans, here for some one on one time! But Isabeau is here to knock on Odile's door. ]

[alphacraft]

[ It doesn't take long for her to answer. She's been taking advantage of the quiet to add more notes to her notebook. ]

Yes?

[jouvente]

Hey M'dame, doing good? Holding up okay?

[ Predictably, Isabeau is (in part) here for the good 'ole expected Check-in. ]

[alphacraft]

[ It's extremely expected, and a little comical considering how much Isabeau went through to save her and Siffrin. She cocks an eyebrow. ]

I'm doing well, thank you. And what about you? How are you holding up, after everything?

[jouvente]

[ Isabeau puffs out his chest, a fist lightly tapping against it. ]

You know me! I bounce back quickly! [ Which is Isabeau's way of making light of it. Very convincing with his reassuring smile and confidence, right? ] But you know, if you're in ever need of another huuug~ I'm riiight here.

[alphacraft]

How generous of you.

[ She most assuredly doesn't need a hug. Isabeau might, but that's firmly outside of her comfort zone. ]

I don't need a hug, thank you. But if you feel like getting a drink, I suppose I could join you.

[ Things are weird. She wouldn't mind a bit of non-hug bonding. ]

[jouvente]

[ That's alright, he knows the limits when it comes to Odile, and other ways they can adapt to some of that bonding. Which she so conveniently brings up and ]

Crab yes! It feels like it's been forever since we've managed to sit down and have a drink together! Let's do it!

february, expect ISAT spoilers within

[theuniverseleads]

[With the brand still spreading outside, the inn was decidedly the safest place to hole up. Loop doesn't love the idea of just waiting, but there were already others working on the problem, and it would be embarrassing if the Researcher had to pull them out of it again... or worse, if she saw another memory of theirs. They shudder to think about what else might've been shared while they were under.

They're not thinking about it, though, so it's fine! Just like how they're not thinking about how they can't even sense stardust's presence anymore, or that neither he nor the Fighter have answered any of their Calls, or if the calls are even reaching them at all. Nope! Not thinking about any of those things! Not even a little!!

They need something to distract themselves, so they busy their hands folding little paper cranes, trying to make them tinier and tinier until their fingers hurt trying to get all the folds right.]

[alphacraft]

[ It's been an uncomfortable couple of weeks for Odile. Their house was just starting to get comfortable again, and now it's not just unsafe but misplaced half of its residents. She didn't have to look long to see that the brand was beyond her abilities to stop safely, so she couldn't even look for her missing friends. She could only hope that wherever Siffrin and Isabeau were, they were together.

She's not exactly chipper when she runs into Loop, but she is glad to see them still here, still safe. ]

Folding cranes? Do you plan to fold 1,000 of them?

[theuniverseleads]

[Loop freezes in place when addressed, as if they'd somehow be in trouble for quietly folding paper in the corner. They find it in them to relax after a moment, though, putting down their latest crane alongside the others. They meet her gaze with a curious hesitation.

... one thousand cranes. Something about the number nags at the back of their mind, but only enough to tell them they shouldn't think too hard about that, either. Classic.]

Hmm... No, I'd better not. [they really gotta stop accidentally starting Wish Craft rituals like this] Are you familiar with the practice, Researcher?

[alphacraft]

Didn't you know? It's a Ka Buan tradition.

[ Knowing what she knows now, she wouldn't be surprised if they had simply forgotten.

... ]

Do you mean to keep calling me that, even now?

[theuniverseleads]

Is it, now! [clapping their hands together like they're totally not bitter about yet another thing they can't remember about themselves] How quaint! I guess that's where I picked it up!

[aaaaand this is already off to a terrible start, wow! They really know how to make a conversation blinding awkward! And they were doing so well before, they weren't flinching at her gaze anymore, they were really starting to believe they might be able to fit into their little family... and now, here they are, being told to draw the line again.

They know they won't be able to stomach the easy out, so they just laugh it off like it's a joke.]

Is Madame better? I can try changing it up, if you'd like.

[alphacraft]

Hmm.

[ She'd thought they were adjusting well, getting more comfortable, but it's hardly the first time she's been wrong. If they won't call her by her name, then she doubts they'd be comfortable being called by their own. She won't ask, then. ]

No, back to the drawing board I think. I'm sure you can come up with something better than 'Old Lady'.

[ She takes a seat next to them and eyes their origami work. It's impressive how small they managed to get. ]

🥚

[nitrotempered]

I HAVE EGGS! [ In comes this rowdy boy, loud, with two plates of eggs for this poor person. ] SIT YOUR ASS DOWN AND EAT IT RIGHT NOW! YOU NEED TO PICK WHICH ONE IS THE BEST.

[alphacraft]

[ She flinches at the sudden shouting, stares at the plate, then squints at the boy as if perhaps there's a problem with her vision making things nonsensical. Unfortunately, the problem with her vision is that there's a very loud child in the middle of it.

She sighs. ]

...What is this about.

[nitrotempered]

Competition: I need to prove to the old man that my cooking is better. [ The one egg dish made by Wolfwood; Sunnyside up with a soft yolk - it tastes like eggs should taste. Then, the other made by Bakugo was scrambled with a light garnish and presented neatly. It tastes okay. Normal. They both taste like eggs should taste. ] So chose.

[alphacraft]

[ She raises an eyebrow, but picks up the scrambled eggs. This might be entertaining. ]

Which old man would that be?

[ To a teenager, the minimum for 'old' may be around 20. She watches his face, trying to figure out which dish is his. ]

[nitrotempered]

The hell should I know? He looks gruff with an ugly face and a tail. Has a burn scar over his right eye and a ton of other scars, too.. Why does it matter - just eat it. [ Listen if shes got ~ PERCEPTION ~ she can tell Bakugo's is the plate with scrambled eggs because there is some left over granish that he put on the scrambled eggs, somewhere on his clothes. Otherwise, surprisingly, he actually holds both plates with respect and care. ]

[alphacraft]

[ That isn't very descriptive at all, but it doesn't sound like any of the people she would consider taking sides with. She's got plenty of points in Perception, and more than a few in Poker Face. She tastes both plates and makes a show of consider each one. ]

Hmm. I think I prefer the scrambled eggs.

[CALL ODILE?]

[charlastan]

[So, in the wake of...everything that was May, Stan realizes there are a bunch of folks he hasn't seen in a while. Loop is one of them, and weirdly probably the easiest to try and get a hold of under normal circumstances, since they taught him how to CALL LOOP. Plus, he can do it without his family knowing he's fussing over someone else's well being while he's supposed to be resting! Everyone wins!

So he puts his hand up like a telephone, thumb to his ear and pinky to his mouth, and thinks really hard about wanting to talk to Loop...

...But nothing happens. Even after a few tries.

He's still kind of high-strung after everything, and runs through the mental rolladex of what happened to them, but then a thought occurs. Maybe he can try something else, and check in on someone else at the same time. Loop is her kid, and he's pretty sure she knows how to do the magic phone call thing, so...worst it could do is not work, right?

So, he awkwardly pretends to hang up the "phone" and then picks it up again - except this time he thinks really hard about wanting to talk to Odile.]

Hello? Did this work? [A pause.] ...I'm gonna feel real dumb if this didn't work.

[alphacraft]

[ She was reading a book and enjoying a nice cup of tea. She manages not to spill it on herself as the sudden sound makes her jump. ]

Stanley?!

[ No, that was in her head. She makes the hand sign. ]

Stanley? Is that you?

[charlastan]

HA! It actually worked!

[Yes! He loves when his dumb ideas actually work!]

Oh right, uh. Yeah! It's me. I tried calling Loop earlier and it didn't work so I figured, y'know. Might as well give it a shot?

[Then, a little more seriously--]

Did they take off, or something? I know the other kids did.

[alphacraft]

...Ah.

[ She's a little disappointed. She'd hoped for a brief moment that Loop might be there, connecting them. But, huh. It never occurred to her to try that with anyone else. Then again, she hasn't felt the need for it, either. ]

They're missing, if that's what you mean. I haven't been able to contact them either.

[charlastan]

[Aw, shit. He was hoping that wasn't the case.]

Oh, uh. Sorry to hear it. ...You holding up alright?

[He doesn't say it out loud, but they both know why he's asking - because Loop was the last of her "kids" here in the Grove.]

[alphacraft]

[ She's doing pretty badly, actually. She has all of her usual worries over the many things she can't control right now, but she's also gotten... depressed. It isn't a state she allows herself to stay in for long, usually. But usually there are things she can do to take hold of the situation.

She hasn't felt this powerless in a long time.

Her tone is as casual as ever. ]

As well as can be expected.

Did you need Loop for something?