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WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, ERIDANUS SUNGAZER.
FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 099.23.886.00 *** Archmage has joined 099.23.886.00 <Archmage> Hello, this is Eridanus Sungazer. <Archmage> In the event I am currently unavailable, please leave a message. <Archmage> I will answer back, promptly. If I feel you are worth the trouble. | ||||
<CheeryCherry>
I thought trolls had problems with that. Did you get something from Mana?
<Archmage>
I have a surprise of my own.
What say you noon for tea?
<CheeryCherry>
Noon for tea sounds great. We'll meet you there.
<Archmage> โ [ACTION]
โ
[The rest of the week, however, rolls by rather uneventfully for Eridanus. He toils away at work, and spends his evenings enjoying the sunsets he hasn't been able to see for many months.
That is, until the weekend finally comes. As they've arranged, Eridanus arrives at the Kit-Tea-Kat cafรฉ, at exactly noon-sharp. Though he's dressed in a summer suit, it does nothing to hide the very dramatic change in his appearance.
Eridanus Sungazer, appears to be a manticore. Rather than opal protrusions and gauntlets encasing his hands, he wears the fluffiest of pure-white manes, and sharpened felid claws with pink paw-pads on the undersides of his hands. Even his feet, typically elongated into a shape more reminiscent of a rodent rather than a man, have transformed into the hallmark petite paws of a housecat.
He awaits Riley (and her friend's) arrival outside, seemingly enjoying his rare opportunity to soak up the sunshine while he does.]
no subject
There's just one problem with all this, and that's that Riley informs Cairo of it with a little surprise chirp, like— ]
And the cafรฉ we're meeting my dad at's really nice, and I can bring Maple!
[ At which point Riley becomes aware that she...did not inform Cairo of this development. Egg on her face. Oops.
But, it's fine! It's fine, it's all...sorted out, eventually! For real!
They walk most of the way. Riley wants to...point places out as they do. At the moment, she's telling Cairo about the venue. ]
...And the breakfasts are pretty good, too. I've never really been there for dinner before, but it's open? Maple usually gets too exhausted after a few hours, so I'm never really...you know, there that late.
no subject
But it's fine. Cairo can smile and panic internally. She can do the meet the parents things. Really. It's not a big deal.]
Isn't having that many cats around, like, a health code violation? It feels like a health code violation.
[People eat people here and she's worried about cats maybe being a health code violation. Cairo has priorities and they're bad. That and she's actually displacing her irrational worries about meeting Riley's father figure into the closest reasonable thing she can worry about. Everything's fine, Cairo's fine.]
no subject
[ Riley's...okay, she's not good at hiding the things she's nervous about, per se. But she's had practice with it, making it seem like she's only mildly stressed about something instead of completely freaking out. Cairo, however, is like...an expert. The master of the go with the flow technique. Everything Riley's learned about how to mask her fears, she's learned from Cairo.
All this to say, she's got no idea Cairo's nervous about this. Okay, she could have told her before about all this, she wasn't happy about that. That's her bad! But now? She assumes Cairo's fine with all this as they approach cafรฉ. Maple in his soft carrier is already mewing in excitement; he knows this place, it's the nice place where he gets to play. ]
The cats aren't in the kitchen, Cai...
[ She trails off as she spies someone standing outside. A manticore, it seems, which is apt. He looks familiar, but she can't quite...
Wait. Wait— ]
Eridanus?!
no subject
It also means that when Riley shouts his name from half a block away, his head is quick to swivel in her direction.
Immediately he strides towards them in long, graceful steps, his arms held up wide and welcoming as a warm smile cuts across his mature face. He looks far more like Erin now than he did as a troll, that's for sure.]
Riley! [He exclaims, his attention wholly on his 'daughter' for the moment,] my, it feels as if it's been months since I last saw you! I've missed you, my dear...
[His words trail as he finally notices Cairo proper.]
Is this the friend you wanted me to meet?
no subject
Well, he's already like twice as good as Riley's birth parents so Cairo tries to relax slightly. It doesn't really work. Her posture is still very rigid in a way that Eridanus might recognize: it's pretty similar to the way Riley will sometimes freeze up. Sometimes, you pick up habits from your best friend and they're... maybe not good.]
Cairo. [Wary, considering.] It's nice to meet you.
[It would have been nicer if Riley had explained much of anything about this, instead of simply saying they were going to meet someone. Cairo's hair isn't even really done, just kind of pulled back hastily with a headband. It feels like she looks unkempt, which is stupid and she knows it is but at the same time it feels like meeting anyone that Riley considers a parental figure deserves better. Whatever. It's fine. It'll be fine.
For all her faults, Riley's a pretty good judge of character. If she likes this guy, he must be okay and Cairo should try to not be rude.]
no subject
She forgets herself, for a moment, as she lets herself be swept up in a great big hug. ] Dad— oh, it's so good to see you...
[ And she pulls back, because it's not just them here. ] Umm, yes!! Yes, uh, and Cai, this is Eridanus. He's been, uh, taking care of me, ever since I arrived.