Logs:At the Farmer's Market

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Cast

Arthur Phoenix,
Lif Loracks,
Nevermore Usher

Setting

A Farmer's Market

Log

The farmer's market is not too crowded at this point in the afternoon--most of the people desperate to get the absolute best of everything came early in the morning, but there's still some good picks around. Lif's standing by a stall where a woman and her teenage kids are selling handmade soaps with a range of scents from strawberry basil to morning coffee (with spent grinds in the bar for exfoliation). Their mantle's grown a little stronger recently, occasionally sparking with small zaps of light and sound, like a mosquito hitting a bug-zapper.

For Artie, this was his first real summer in Philly which also meant it was his first farmer's market. Conceptually it had sounded weird to him at first. People selling stuff they'd grown or made as if other people couldn't do the same. Then he remembered how he owned a store where he sold and made things and grew plants. Granted the plants weren't for sale there but the point stood.

What was more, his stupid ass liked cooking and what better than local in season vegetables? And so here he was meandering the stalls looking at the wares, a cloth bag on his shoulder and an overly large wicker hat on his head looking like a goofball.

Looking over a rather large squash, he catches a small spark out of the corner of his eye and double takes. "Lif?"

She turns to look over her shoulder, grinning at him.

"Hey, Artie. Come smell some of these with me?" She's wearing a T-shirt today that reads I'm So Excited, I Wet My Plants with a small image of a succulent under the text, her hair worn back out of her face in a braid. "I'm trying to decide which I'm bringing home--there's a sale on them, so it's 5 for twenty bucks instead of five bucks each."

He blinks a moment, doing math. "Five for the price of four? Neat." He finally pieces together as he comes over.

"Woah... That's a lot of soap..." He whispers once he can see it all. "Uhm... Wh-which one do you like s-so far?"

"I like the coffee one a lot, but there's also one that sort of smells like licorice? Here, sniff this." They hand him a bar, grinning broadly. "Aniseed, something, maybe fennel? I like it. How've you been?"

The wizened takes the bar and gives it a deep whiff before turning away a bit to sneeze.

"Oooh. Excuse me. Yeah fennel. It's fun to cook w-with." He says passing it back. "Uhm. I've been p-pretty good. It's been f-fun this summer. Except the fl-flood stuff b-but whatcha gonna do r-right?" He asks with a shrug.

"How 'bout you? How's it been? D-did your sapling take root with th-the queen?"

"Everything in Dover turned out real well, though this isn't the place to get into details about all of it. Maybe after I pay for the soap we can walk over to those picnic benches near the food trucks, and I can fill you in?" Their smile lingers, as they continue to try the bars. "But in all, it was good, really good work."

"Oh. O-ok." He says with a nod before picking up another bar. "Hmm... Bl-blackberry preserves? Why preserves? Why not just b-berry? Anyhow, w-wanna smell like pie?" He holds out the fruity scented bar.

"Mmm and strawberry b-basil sounds nice. Do y-you have a big veggie garden at home? Is one of the st-stands yours?" He queries looking around.

"No, I don't have a veggie garden. I live in the dorms on campus, but I do have a plot in a community garden. I'm mostly using it to grow herbs and sunflowers this year. If you ever need some basil and dill, fresh, just let me know. I have about a metric shitton of each. Parsley as well." She takes a whiff of the blackberry preserve bar. "Probably called preserves because it smells sweeter than pure blackberries on their own. I like it, though. Alright, one more."

Artie's eyes brighten. "Oh heck yeah! I l-love fresh herbs! They m-make food taste so um... Bright? I tried m-making one of those uhm... Window sill gardens but I used all the herbs too f-fast," he explains with a wan smirk, plucking up another soap.

He gives it a whiff and frowns. "Ew... Not this one. It smells itchy. Like... Spicy g-grass." And back into the stack it goes.

"Maybe we need to get you in on the community garden scene too, so you've got more space--and a bit more of a jaunt out, so you can't just grab it all from the windowsill at once. What sort of stuff do you like to cook?" They give him a thoughtful look.

"Everything! I really like cooking. It's super fun. Especially when I get to share the stuff I make. I kinda like simple stuff with just a few ingredients the most cuz then you can really taste the parts and let the aubtle bits shine." He explains excitedly, easy to tell since his mantle makes things seem brighter as he goes on.

As he chatters he picks out a pale violet one and smells it. "Ooh. L-lavender and stuff. How 'bout this one?"

"And hmm... I've never done b-bigger gardener stuff before. B-but that's a good idea. Wh-where is the garden?"

She smells the lavender one and shakes her head slightly. "A little too feminine for me. I steer clear of a lot of floral scents these days because I don't...uh. Not strictly a woman and wearing florals feels weird for me? You know how it is..."

She finds a bar that's cinnamon, orange and clove scented. "This might be nice in the fall, right? As for the garden..." She gives the address and the nearest cross-streets.

"Oh. Th-that does smell realy n-nice. It reminds me of this c-cider recipe I know. You put in oranges and c-cinnamon and stuff and its k-kinda bright but aort of savory and warm. P-peel and all. R-really good. Do that one." He agrees with amile.

He tries not to look a little sad at the talk of feeling out of sorts. He dis understand, or at least he liked to think he did. The changes of a durance left everyone out of whack in some way as as he could tell. Mentally, physically, and otherwise and coping seemed a lifelong endeavor.

"This is neat. I n-never thought of having a seasonal soap before. B-but I guess when you're kinda in t-tune like you..."

Lif puts the five bars they've picked out in a neat pile, and pays the woman running the stall in cash. Once the bars are wrapped up, they tap Artie lightly on the shoulder and begin walking over to a picnic table. "Aren't all of us kind of in tune with the seasons, if you think about it? I mean, sure, yes, we have an affinity for one most strongly, but."

Following the would be lorax over to the tables he sits down and shrugs. "Idunno. I g-guess so. B-but I don't kn-know if i vibe with the other s-seasons. I don't get Winter at all and I'm not s-spooky enough inside for Fall. Spring does look fun sometimes though which... I guess y-you get huh?"

"I definitely get. Though it kinda surprises me to hear you don't think you vibe with Autumn. On some level, and please excuse me if this is rude to point out, but you seem like you have some personal experience with anxiety, and figuring out how to work through your fear."

One of his brows hikes itself up and he tilts his head to look her way.

"Uhm... W-well I-I uhm..." He stammers a bit. "Y-yeah I guess b-but it's just... Well. Everything is scary? Esp-especially people but b-being scared isn't a reason to not do stuff. Being scared was how I got stuck There for so long. And staying scared n-never fixed the problem s-so I just l-learned to put fear into other feelings is all. The Autumns though..... They face fear and learn from it. I think. That's why they're so smart."

"Mmm, that's one way to approach it, I suppose." She leans in slightly, resting her chin in her hands and continuing to watch Artie. "Do you think I'm scary?"

His head tilts the other way as he considers. "I... Suppose yea? E-everyone is in th-there own way. Anyone c-can hurt you and ev-everyone has things about th-themselves you never know. S-sitting like this isn't bad but I also know you could just y-yell at me or... Burn down stuff I like i-if you wanted." He explains, perhaps overthinking the question.

"...Hi, water elemental, I'm actually not really someone who leans toward burning things down, in abstract or in practice. Beside, burning things down tends to be really bad for air quality." She lets out a bit of a laugh.

"Ok. That's fair." He says with a slow grin. "B-but do you think you're scary?" "Am I scary?"

"I'm not going to say you're harmless, or that I've never been scared while we've been training, but I don't consider you a threat to my me, if that makes sense." They shake their head. "On some level, I trust you to behave with a basic level of courtesy you've already demonstrated."

Arthur breathes a sigh of relief hearing that. The absolute last thing he ever wanted to be was scary to his friends.

"Phew... I-I was afraid th-there for a second. B-but that's what I mean right there. I w-want to be able to trust p-people to be nice but s-so many people aren't. S-selfish and greedy and mean... A-and I'm w-weird and st-stammer s-sometines and..." He sighs, unsure how to word that part of his feelings.

"D-did you ever consider being an Autumn?"

"I mean, I considered all the courts when I first got out, but dismissed Winter and Autumn pretty quickly. I had a driving goal, something I wanted to do, and I thought the Spring court would be the best to help me bring it to fruition. It's only pretty recently that I realized how wrong I was. That I need to take an active approach, instead of a diplomatic one, if I want to affect the world seriously." Her mantle flares with a volley of sparks and zaps.

"Hmm... B-but couldn't any of the courts manage th-that or is it just the way y-you wanna go about it that's changed?" He posits coyly.

"L-like... If all the courts were running a race, they might find different methods to cross the line, b-but they could all still m-make it."

“What I’m talking about isn’t a race, though. And while I spent all that time dithering about with Spring’s tactics, things kept getting worse.”

She shakes her head, leaning back from the table a little. “I know I’m not a typical Summer. I know I have a lot to learn. After Dover, I sat down and had a talk with Devon, Alice and Peter, about what I can do for the court.”

With that, Artie leans back a little and his brows knit together a bit with concern.

"Sure... B-but ai don't think you h-have to be a st-stereotypical Summer to fit in. I th-think having someone like you is r-really helpful actually. C-cuz um how do they say it? 'Wh-when all you have is a hammer?' I d-don't think we're all meatheads or whatever, but sometimes punching a problem away feels like it'll s-solve everything, but there are easier or e-even better ways sometines and overpowering an issue ian't always best. People like you n-not only get that but you l-look for those other solutions. We could've just had a whole war. And with a little talking and Gentle green thumbery... Y-you stopped it. With help from your friends. You believed in your ideas and m-methods and they worked. The Big wigs saw that right?"

“They did, I’ve been given a new court role, at least until the end of the season. Longer, if I can prove I’m useful on a consistent basis. I’m now an ‘Adept of the Zenith’. Who knows, maybe it’ll catch on with some of the other odd specialist types we have. Bailey, for example.” They chuckle. “How about you, how do you plan to progress up the ranks?”

"Bailey? Wh-who's that? I don't think I've met them." He asks trying to place the name.

At the question about progression he looks out towards the market again before holding his face in his hands for a second. "I don't know. I've been hoping to b-become a Hunter for a bit b-but I haven't learned enough hedgestuff yet I think. Maybe. I... H-haven't asked and since I got in trouble I didn't wanna... Try for now."

“Bailey’s a scarecrow Elemental, a real expert in dealing with the Hedge. They ride a crow-griffin.”

There’s a small pause and they tilt their head to one side. “What kind of trouble did you get into?”

"A scarecrow... With a crow friend? N-neat." He replies with a small smile before settling back a bit to explain the rest.

"Did you h-here about the Rat hosts? Well I h-helped with that issue and well... They have to b-be on fire or else they pop into a bunch of sm-smaller rats. But d-during the final push to get rid of them I h-hit some who w-weren't ablaze yet. I was trying to just knock them d-down b-but they were squishier than I thought I guess and a few popped and got away." Artie recants. "It was an accident b-but. I think it made some m-mage people mad..."

“Aha. So you need to work on pulling your blows? Maybe you and I oughta fight sometime and you see if you can, like. Not kill me when you do.” There’s a hint of tease behind the words. Not much; she’s trying not to harm his ego too much. “But, uh, yeah I can see how it might pass off the mages. I don’t know too many of them personally, but I’d definitely rather stay on their good side, myself.”

Down the lane comes the Midwestern Variegated Goth (Nevermorius Usherae). They've got a couple bundles of herbs , a bunch of fresh garlic cloves, and a couple containers of mushrooms with them, and they're looking at each of the various booths with interest. When they see Lif and Artie, they smile and wave. They've got a new She/They pin, with a slightly different design.

Catching on, the Art man's smile widens a little, though his eyes still look a touch sad. "M-maybe if you want. I'll use a n-nerf stick ok?" He jokes.

And then he catches sight of Nevy "Oh! H-hey there. I haven't seen you in a wh-while! How's stuff. You look a bit... Savory umami-ish." He quips pointing at the aromatics and fungi.

"A-as for the m-mages, i do want to say sorry b-but... I don't know them very well or how mad they are. I j-just hope I didn't turn them off from other L-lost in the future..." He finishes to Lif.

"D-do you know Nevy by the way?"

“I do know Nevy. Good friend, great hugs.” They offer a friendly wave to the megagoth, smile crooked. “And I’m just about as curious what’s for dinner, seeing those ingredients. Mushroom risotto, perhaps?”

"Huh?" Nevy follows their eyes to the various purchases and gives a lopsided smile "Oh! The herbs and garlic are for... we'll say, professional purposes. How are you two doing?"

"Oh. I would get some g-goat cheese and make a nice french omelet w-with that stuff myself..." He jokes for a second.

"I'm doing ok I th-think. Just vibin' with some good sunnertime. How've you been. Is that a new pin?"

"Prof...oh. Does garlic actually do anything, in that sort of context?" She seems surprised by that. "Also, Artie, that omelette sounds amazing, and I'm going to invite myself over to your place for brunch someday."

They take a deep breath and give a slightly strained smile. “I’m... good.” Another smile, this one a touch wider. “Yeah, a friend had hatched into a baby genderfluid enby. I figured it would be a nice gift.” They shrug at Lif. “Not always the way it does in stories, but it comes up often enough that it feels worth it to have a good stock on hand. Safety first, right?”

Artie squints a little at Nevy's reserved smile. There was more there but he wasn't sure how to press so he let it go for the moment.

Cuz someone said brunch.

"Eeeeee! Really?! Do you mean it? I love vrunch but no one ever is around so i never get to make it but I would LOVE to make a big brunch for my friends. Quiche and omelets and those mimosa things and french toast and fruit. Oh i could make this cran berry strawberry conpote I've been meaning to do and maybe a bacon wrapped loin. Oh my gosh." He squeals like a schoolgirl, his mantle flaring in the waning light of day.

Lif, meanwhile, is far more willing to press. They used to be a Joyeux, after all. They fix Nevermore with a long quiet look, their blue-green eyes soft and calm. "You're allowed to not be good with us, you know."

And then they allow their attention to drift back to Artie. "All of that sounds amazing, but you've got to leave something for your guests to bring, because a.) it's rude to show up empty-handed and b.) the host shouldn't have to do everything for a big meal like that."

Nevy purses their lips. “I... read something pretty unpleasant. I’m still dealing with it. That’s the short version.” They turn to Artie, pushing that smile back. “Did I know you were a cook?”

He pauses with his mouth half open ready to say more, his eyes wandering as he searches for a counterargument.

"Uuuuuhhh.... Well... Ok I guess. But... Brunch..." He murmurs the last word, juat the itsy bitsiest bit put out. "I suppose potluck brunch is a good friend meal. And would mean just a few less dishes..."

He shifts tothe goth again. "Uhm... Maybe? I guess you've never been to our um... People's parties before. I love making food and clothes and metal stuff for the record. I'll really try making juat about anything. It's really cool using your hands to just... Produce useful stuff."

"I don't think I knew that you do clothing, myself. Next time there's some sort of formal event worth dressing up nice for, I may need to tag you for help figuring out how to dress. I've, uh. Had trouble in the past figuring out what feels right for me, sometimes, you know?"

Nevy considers that. "Trying to work out what best suits your current conception of gender?"

Artie blinks a few times, shocked. "What?"

"I... Whut? Y-you don't know? Lif. I'm a tailor. I own a whole business and make clothes for like... Job." He explains stunned that it had never come up. "I design t-shirts and stuff too and sell pins and other little accessories but like commissions for whatever. You gotta see sometime. I would totally make that shirt," he points at her tee. "So like... Please dom't forget next time you need a nice whatever. I reaaly really love helping people find the best stuff to express who they want everyone to see. Ask um... Lux. I made them some pretty fishnet stuff a while back. And apparently I'm cheap. Oh! Do you know Finley? I've made them some masks too. Super cute ones." He goes on qith a vibrant grin remembering those designs.

"...I'm sorry, Artie, I've only ever seen you within the context of our community, and that hasn't been very much tailory. Shit, I'm going to have to talk clothing at you. Because Nevermore's right, it's a lot about the gender piece, but there's other bits, too. But, yes. Wow, I'll definitely remember that." She grins, lighting up visibly.

Nevy grins. "Do you have pictures of anything you've done, Artie? You have me curious now, too!"

He nods vigorously, absolutely happy to help.

"Oh. Yeah. I started taking some pics a few months back after some people asked. I was supposed to start an Instagram... Lux's i-idea." He explains as he rifles around for his phone.

After a few flicks and clicks he pulls up a small album. "These are Lux's fishnets, and this was a Frozen themed dress for a 6 year old's birthday. Her mom says she has to bribe her out of it," he smiles as he explains, it's clear that not only is he really into making people happy with his work, but whwn he's excited he stutters far less.

"And here's a couple prom dresses I had to whip up in May, this fancy guy needed a new tailor for his suits, and here's some of the drag attire I've helped with at a local club. I hated how the pads left lumpy lines in some of the dresses so we fixed that..." He babbles a little going through the pics showing attire of all range of colors and sizes, shapes and styles.

Lif leans in, fascinated, pausing Artie at some of the suits and asking questions about the cuts and fabrics. She's clearly drawn in by the design, but also by how eager Artie is when talking about this. It's a very different side to see of her fellow Summer, and one she's eager to encourage.

Nevy nods. "Some good work here. Do you do repair work?" They give a lopsided smile. "I've had my coat for a while. I want to make sure it lasts."

The wizened is more than happy to chatter about his work like the giant nerdy idiot he is.

To Nevy he nods. "Of course. A lot of my day to day winds up being repairs and alterations. Late last y-year I had to fix an old wedding dress. This family passed it down and this was the third generation use. I thought it was kinda weird c-cuz I always thought people liked picking out their wedding dresses. It had the poofy shoulders and I didn't think it was for her at all but," he shrugs. "It's what they wanted."

"I know my mother was saving her wedding dress for either my sister or me to use. Probably my sister, she was pretty and there were lots of boy interested in her." There's a bittersweet smile on her face when she talks about her sister.

Nevy considers Lif's expression, but doesn't dig. Instead, they say to Artie, "I'll be texting you later with some pictures, if that's cool. This coat's held up SUPER well, but... well."

"Aww... That's sweet. In s-sentiment at least. Wh-where did you guys l-live? C-can I ask?" He wonders softly, knowing full well the past was a tough subject all around.

"And ok, Nevy. And don't worry. Time is j-just like that to stuff. And if n-nothing else I do know a little trick..." He amirks.

"Nebraska. I grew up on a farm--me and mom, and my step-dad and my half-sister." They look thoughtful. "My sister was Taken before me. I went looking for her."

"Oh...." Nevy looks heartbroken. "That's... I'm sorry. Did she ever...?"

"Oh..." He says in a small voice. "That's... Really brave of you."

They look up at Nevermore, making eye contact briefly. "No. At least, not as far as I know."

They bite their lip. "I'm... sorry."

Artie sighs sadly. "Life is just stupid sometimes. But... M-maybe she did get out. Sh-she really could be anywhere if she did. S-so if it's ok with you, Lif, I'm gonna just h-hope you two get to meet back up on this side someday. Maybe share an ice cream." He offers a , hopefully comforting, smile.

"Thank you both. I didn't really so much mean to be a downer. We were talking about wedding dresses, yes? Have you thought about using the fabric from the poofy sleeves and redesigning the dress to suit this bride better personally?"

Nevy shrugs. "It is how it is." They look to Artie, curious.

"Huh? Oh. N-no I didn't, but it's already done. It was December, which I thought was even weirder cuz the wedding was in April." The smith explains.

"I g-guess I kinda wish I had though. Would've made this nice like... Chiffon sleeve thing out of em." He sighs again at opportunities lost.

"Wait... Nevy, what do you do for a living? I d-don't think I ever asked."

Lif's attention turns to the medium at large as well; they might know the answer, but it's always interesting to hear how people respond to the question in their own words.

"I work at a bookstore to pay the bills. I also make art - I sell prints of my personal work, do commissions, that kind of thing. Pen and paper, mostly, with some poetry mixed in." They hesitate, then pull out their business card with the details of their instagram and stuff. Because shameless self promotion waits for no one

"Oooh. That's awesome! I wish y-you could do art full time though. Wait... It's not Shelf Indulgence is it?" He asks taking the card bedore he has a realization.

"Shelf Indulgence? Is that a bookstore? Whoever named it should be hit for that pun." Lif shakes their head with a wry little smile.

Nevy raises an eyebrow and shakes their head. "No - but I should stop by there for the pun alone. No, the place I work at is called Book's. With the apostrophe." They wait to see how that's received.

Artie grins. "It's a pretty cool place. They have a lot of spooky books and um stuff about mela... Physics? Quantum space psycho- magick. Pew pew." He says with finger guns trying to cover up his botched word. He wasn't sure what it was supposed to be but he knew he'd said it wrong.

He then scratches his head. "Book's? Like... The books own the store? Or is the owner named Book?"

"Metaphysics." Lif helpfully supplies the word. "Sounds like your store has some competition, Nevermore."

Nevy looks thoughtful. "Kind of? I mean... I honestly have no clue if Mr. Book is marketing to... this kind of crowd, or if he's just really weird. Either way, it sounds like I definitely want to try visiting Shelf Indulgence on my day off."

"Yeah. That." He says pointing towards Lif. "If you g-go and you see Alexis, tell her Artie sent you. Or Devon. Though he doesn't work there..."

Then he looks confused. "Wait you work for a guy named Mr. Book who... Owns a b-bookstore. You can't m-make that up. That's cool. Do you get an employe d-discount?"

"I mean, maybe he's someone who picked his name, like one of us or a mage. I'm a fella with the surname 'Lorax' who works for the EPA, after all."

Nevy nods. "When I asked, he just gave me this look and told me to get back to shelving things." They shudder. "He's... good at giving Looks. But... I do get a little bit of a discount, yeah." They give a lopsided smile. "I mean, not enough of one..."

"Oh.... Yeah. Like how my name is Phoenix." He nods, the idea dawning on him.

"Maybe he practices in the m-mirror. So he gives off b-big boss vibes." Artie suggests pulling a face in an attempt to look stern... But on his baby face h just looks slightly constipated perhaps. Maybe if he had a walrousy moustache?

Lif, meanwhile, squares her shoulders and manages a very solid Disappointed Look in Arthur's direction, looking for all the world like That Teacher Who Knows You Could Have Done Better If You Applied Yourself.

Nevy shudders exaggeratedly and points at Lif. "Like that. Yes."

"Ow... My feelings." Artie pouts at the look. "Why're you so dis-disappointed Lif? H-how are you so good at that?"

The look evaporates immediately, and she lets out a bit of a laugh. "Call it up from your wrath, not down from your head. Feel it burning inside you, and then focus it all on the person you're looking at. Confidence definitely plays into it, definitely, a lot."

Nevy chuckles slightly. "I swear, Mr. Book has exactly that look."

"Oh... But.. M-my wrath is a deadly laser. I don't wanna laser Nevy. They're really n-nice. I bet they organize shelves real good too." He teases with a nudge.

They tilt their head to one side. "If all you've got is a laser, you're using your wrath inefficiently. There's science about it, waste heat and stuff."

Nevy rolls their eyes. "And I'm not a delicate flower, here."

Moaning a bit, the smith takes in a deep breath and closes his eyes for a moment concentrating on his Wrath. It's certainly there but, his little molten heart isn't quite in it all the way as turns his golden gaze onto Nevy. Artie definitely looks angrier, a burning look in his eyes beneath black brows practicaly touching, the faintest whiff of smoke in the air.

Lif gives Artie an approving nod, though, even if it's not a perfect look of complete 'fuck you' wrath. "Impressive."

Nevy nods. "No, it's... it's really very good. Really scary! You should be proud." They sound not at all terrified.

Pursing his lips, Artie crosses his arms and pouts more. "See? Glaring is stupid. I t-told you I'd be a bad Autumn. N-not even scary when I try. Hmph!"

"Glaring isn't all there is to them, seriously though." They shake their head, then glance at Nevermore. "You, friend, have Seen Enough Shit to not spook easy, huh?"

"I work retail," Nevy says with a wistful smile. "The depths of my soul are cauterized into little more than cinders."

"Bah!" He spits at the air and the placating. "I'll just b-buy a special angry face mirror and then one a these days I'm g-gonna show you both."

"Arthur Phoenix, you are welcome to try to glare me down. But just remember if you do, I might do it back to you." And that faint chlorinated smell in the air grows stronger, and Arthur sees those phantom sparks again.

Nevy glances between the two. "Are you really trying to hang any amount of self-worth on being able to glare one night-shift bookstore cashier into submission?"

Artie squints at Lif, not backing down before turning to Nevy. "Yes. Being able to do that m-means everything. Everything!" He poorly explains.

She gives Nevermore a bit of a smile. "It's what the glare represents. It's what wrath means to us, I think, is the point of the exercise and why it matters."

Nevy frowns thoughtfully. “What does it mean, then? Because... I’m sorry. I don’t see it.”

"Mmm..... I.... I don't know how much we're sposed to t-tell you about our culture. Wh-what do you know about us already?" He asks, leaning in to whisper his question.

Lif turns their attention to Nevermore as well, eyebrows both raising.

Nevy thinks that through, then reaches into their purse to toy with something. There’s a quiet clink of glass on glass. “Enough to take precautions.” They glance around. “And to realize that if you’re asking the question, this probably isn’t the place for the conversation.”

"Then i g-guess we could talk about it again later. Maybe over brunch. Where we should have a spicy wing challenge. Or maybe the Death nuts..." He contemplates, distracted by the prospect of brunch.

"To prove we are tough. Yes... Hmm... But what pairs well with hot fire n-nuts... Eh. Could ruin the whole theme..."

"I can handle any spices you throw at me. My mother was Brazilian, I grew up on food with actual flavor." They smirk.

“I know how tough I am. Which is not very, but thank you all the same.” Nevy smirks. “I sometimes start crying after eating at Chipotle.”

Artie's jaw drops. "I make food with flavor." He espouses. "And it's almost n-never brazilian. Though have you ever been to a br-brazilian steakhouse? So m-much meat. Mmmm.

Then he stares at Nevy. "Chipotle... Really? What's even on their food? Paprika? W-we gotta toughen y-your buds up."

"Remind me to make you a pot of moqueca or feijoada sometime. Feijoada's like chili, sort of, but better. Though that wouldn't be best for brunch, I don't think. Oh, no. I'm going to have to find more opportunities to hang out with you or something." She grins broadly.

Nevy chuckles. “If I hadn’t dated a Mexican girl for 8 months in college, I wouldn’t even be able to do Chipotle. You can’t underestimate just how white my family is.” They sigh. “But I probably need to get this stuff home. Lots to do with it all.”