backyardbbq | Shop Visits! (Open post!)

Shop Visits! (Open post!)

[Maybe you stumbled upon the front gate to a strange house while walking in your neighborhood. Maybe you found it nestled between skyscrapers in a downtown area. Or maybe you didn't stumble across it at all, and instead fell into the backyard or something. The way you got there matters little. What really counts is that you're there for one reason: a wish.

A want. A desire. Something you can't get on your own. Something you want so badly that you would do anything to get it.

Well, you've come to the right place.

There's plenty to see in the house. The foyer is nice, and the kitchen is well-stocked. There's several other rooms as well: a sitting room, a dining room, a couple bedrooms for the people who wander upstairs to look, and a rather luxurious bathroom too. Several rooms open to the outside as well, so it's easy to come inside by many different paths.

But ultimately, you will end up face-to-face with a screen that opens into a room with a table and two chairs which overlooks the backyard.

And in that room, you will find the shopkeeper.]

[What happens now? Well, that's up to you, isn't it?]

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If that's what you dragged me out of bed for, then you better have a good story.

[But Watanuki is a courteous host, even when he is so rudely interrupted from his nap/sleep/whatever he was up to, so he will head off to the kitchen. He expects Shura to follow him though, even if she's wet right now. In fact:]

Maru, Moro, bring some towels.

[The sound of two pairs of feet can he heard scampering around upstairs once Watanuki calls out that order.]

Mm~? You look awfully uncool like that, haha!

[Oh yes, this is really quite fun. Maybe it'd make up for what happened before.

And of course, she'll follow, raising her arms up and clasping her hands behind her head. She leaves a damp trail, and she vaguely wonders who he's calling to. Familiars? Probably. She's not entirely convinced of just what he is yet, but it wouldn't be unusual for a demon or spirit to have lesser familiars]

['Familiars' isn't technically incorrect, but it's a bit complicated.

For now, Watanuki enters the kitchen and gets her the glass of water she had asked for. Right from the sink too, and with no ice.

There's a few bottles of various kinds of liquor on a rack against one wall, but Shura's not getting any of that for the time being. Annoying guests have to earn their booze.]

Here.

[One glass of water, as requested.]

[w o w rude, but whatever. He gave her what she asked for, and so she can't complain too much when she accepts the glass and takes a drink. She won't even give the liquor a second glance. She's had plenty enough already, after all.]

Ufufu, you really can grant wishes, cantcha~?

[Was he warned previously about her obnoxiousness? Someone probably should have mentioned that.]

[He wasn't, but he really should have been.]

Of course I can. It's my job, after all. Anything worth doing for a living is worth doing well.

[Right about then is when a pair of girls run in, each carrying a couple towels.]

"Towels for Watanuki's customer~"

"Towels for Watanuki's customer~"

[They both say it in a singsong voice as they drop the towels at Shura's feet. Watanuki, however, just sighs. This is a headache, but an expected one.]

[Poor Watanuki. It's only going to get worse.]

Oh! [Shura is definitely not expecting a pair of cute and lively girls to pop out. Just what was this guy...]

Ahhh~, I didn't think you'd be a playboy! Lookit them, you should take a lesson on customer service from them!

[Not that Shura came here as a customer. If she was more honest, she could admit that she wanted a place out of the rain to lick her wounds, but that's a bit much for her to admit to anyone other than herself. But towels are nice, and she sort of grope her way down to grab one of the towels, sloshing the water in her glass enough to spill some of the contents to the floor.] Oops~~

"Watanuki's a-"

Don't even think about it.

[The two girls just go 'awww' and visibly wilt as Watanuki shuts down their chanting.

He also watches as the water spills on the ground, and his eyebrow twitches a little, but he says nothing. Instead, he makes a 'come here' gesture to a nearby mop, and it flies over to land comfortably in his hands. Then he starts mopping up the water.]

You still owe me a story, you know. One explanation for one glass of water, that is the price.

[Oh ho, so he was that kind of guy indeed, giving gifts without warning of the price that might be attached. Well, it wasn't like Shura hadn't suspected that before. She takes the towell to her hair with her free hand, idly rubbing it at her wet hair.]

So mean! It ain't like they'd be lyin'!

[She's just going to test her boundaries a little more, not answering his demand. And even then, she's considering just how little she can get away with saying. Heh, maybe if she annoyed him enough he'd snap that mop of his in half?]

No, but they don't need encouraging.

[He will go ahead and shoo them off, since they're being a distraction. He has time to gather payment for that wish before the payment is extracted from him, but he would still rather collect it early. Especially since Shura seems to be a pain in the butt about it.]

They have their own work to do anyway. Don't distract them.

[So he was admitting that he was a playboy? Goodness!]

You're the one who called 'em down~

[Which obviously justifies her encouraging their mischief. Of course it does. Shura's a giant been in the tush, and she's going to make sure he knows it so he can move on from whatever little plans he had for her. She drinks the water casually, continuing to not tell him anything at all about what brought her here.]

Because part of their work is bringing me things I need.

[God, she's insufferable. She has to be doing it on purpose, he decides.

So he's going to push right back at her, and starts to slip back into that tone he used the first time they met. The slightly smug, aware of everything voice. The one he uses when he does business.]

Did the date go so badly that you decided to just come here and take it out on me?

[Shura says nothing in reply to that. She just chokes on the long drink of water she was taking, having meant to down half of the glass like that. It means there's water going down the wrong pipe, and she sputters, too agitated to form a better response than that. Jerk.]

[Bingo.

And to prove it's not his future-seeing powers that did that:]

A twenty-something woman dressed up nicely, but seeking shelter from the rain in a wish shop instead of with her beau? It's not hard to guess what happened.

[Shura wipes her mouth with the towel, scowling at Watanuki as she hacks up the last drops of water. It'll take her a moment to form a reply, but she snaps it out.]

You're a swindler, ain'tcha? Pullin' somethin' like this...

[A supernatural con man. Well, that was most demons out there, so she shouldn't be surprised. She was just about convinced that he wasn't the average demon, but she can return to her original assumption.]

How can I be a swindler if I am not selling you anything. I was making an observation, nothing more.

[With the water mopped up, he will walk over and put the mop back where he had gotten it from before. Then he turns to look back at Shura.]

Here is another observation for you: you're a forward woman who doesn't seem to have any reluctance in going after what she wants. Someone like you should have no trouble at all finding a suitable partner. And yet here you are, in my shop, harassing me.

I can't help but wonder why.

[What was this? Was he trying to bamboozle her or something so she'd ask for something else while she wasn't thinking straight? Shura's eyes narrow, and she drops her hand down from her hair. He has her on the defensive, and that is completely unacceptable. First off, did he understand that most decent men were already taken??]

You're the one who's chargin' me for a glass of water without mentionin' a price, y'know. Most people would give it out of courtesy.

Least, most humans would.

[Sure, they'd grumble or complain, but it was better to hydrate a drunk and send them on their way than to risk them puking on their front door.]

[He just smiles at that.]

I have already told you, I am a human.

[And he's getting her out of her comfort zone, which is nice. He likes it a lot better when he's the one catching someone else off-guard.]

[he is the worst and she hates him]

Yeah, and I still don't believe it ♥. You're not a hundred percent human, if that really is the case~.

[It would make sense if there was some demonic heritage somewhere in his line. ~~A magical girl isn't quite the same.~~ Regardless of how or when that would have happened, Shura wants out. She hasn't finished her glass, but she'll set it down on the counter anyway, looking towards the door.]

Thank ya for your hospitality, but I've had enough.

[So she's still not ready then. Alright, that's fair. Watanuki is nothing if not patient.

He indicates to the front door after seeing her set down her glass.]

You're free to leave at any time, of course. Though, if I may make a request before you go?

[Excuse, Shura's perfectly ready for everything?? Just not for this cryptic guy's crap. No one was ready for that.]

What.

[She replies flatly, brow furrowing. Clearly, she doesn't want to hear him out.]

Don't waste your time on someone not suited for you.

[Does he know about the marriage-dates-thing? Or is he just making an inference based off of his observations from tonight? It's ambiguous, like many of his messages, so Shura can take from it what she wants.

But regardless of what he means there, the air will get heavy as he speaks next. Not just from the weight of the words he is about to say, but it feels like an actual, physical weight upon the room. As if an unknown force is pressing in, focusing attention onto the conversation.]

'Time' is the one thing that unites every living species across every world in existence. Some live longer than others, but regardless of the actual amount someone gets, there is still a limit. Eventually, everyone's time runs out.

So don't waste it. It's the one resource you cannot, under any circumstances, get more of.

[Time is a precious thing to Shura. She had wasted so many years because she saw little point in making the most of such a short life. Building walls and sharpening her tongue to fend off any potential intruders, she did her best to keep people at a distance. It was just better that way. She hadn't been as successful as she might have hoped, but in the end, it was those bonds that gave her the will to save herself.

So it's a sensitive spot, one that she doesn't anticipate him finding, intentionally or not. It has her bristling, a little more sober than before, a cold shiver going down her spine.]

Goin' on like an old man, what's up with that? What, you tellin' me I should just ask you for a decent guy or somethin'? You really are just a hustler.

[She won't be conned into doing something stupid like that.]

'Sides, I ain't got your twenty grams.

[She does, though, and it glitters at her throat.]

Of course not. I'm not a matchmaker.

[He WOULD grant that wish, if she asked, but she might not like the idea he has in mind for that if that's what she ends up asking for.]

Time is rather precious to me, that's all. I thought I might pass along the same warning that was given to me many years ago. It felt like something that might help you.

[See? He can give help without strings attached when he wants to!

Then he indicates to the brooch pinned to Shura.]

Not that it matters much, if you aren't going to make a wish, but you did bring the twenty grams with you anyway.

[ Her glare remains sharp. Great, now she was getting unsolicited advice. It was one thing to get it from Shiro. He had been her teacher, after all, no matter how much it hurt her each time her threw her out. But this guy? It just pisses her off. ]

Tch.

[But wait, what was he talking about, she brought the metal with her? She didn't have anything like that on her, not even Fang's scabbard--

Her hand lifts to her throat. Her brooch? But that was just nickel or something, wasn't it? Shoot, she had worn the stupid thing on missions before. She'd have to be more careful with it. ]

What are you even tryna' convince me to ask for? You have to know since you're already makin' demands.

If you decide to make a wish- and that is still a pretty big 'if', as you do not seem intent on making one at the moment- it will be needed. I cannot enter your world, not without drawing unwanted attention to myself. So if you want a wish to be granted, you would need to bring the materials here.

[More vagueness on his part. Because while he did see a vision of the future, and of Shura's wish, it is just one of many possible futures. She could still refuse the wish, or ask for something else entirely.

Watanuki has a feeling that won't happen, though. He doesn't invoke 'fate' as much as Yuuko did when she was around, but even he can see the signs of fate intervening. And their meeting twice now? Definitely fate. Though he's still not sure what this fate will bring for them, should Shura not lose her spine and run away from it all.]

The brooch would be payment for your wish, of course. Unfortunately, if you do decide to make a wish, I will have to ask for payment upfront from now on.

Shop Visits! (Open post!)

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