Open - Iván's Curry House | Page 5

As @Alphabet Chocolate bounced around the restaurant, Majolica got more and more annoyed.

Who is this woman, hehe? She can't really be Ivan's Mom... hehehe, she's bouncing around the restaurant and being loud! Mom's aren't like that, she's just pretending she's his mom and is actually a baby! Hehe, it's obnoxious! An obnoxious little Clown Goblin! If she really was Ivan's Mom, then she would know how to act in a restaurant! She would be more like Janet! Hehe, Janet definitely has a stern mother aura! Hehehe!

As Alphabet continued to bounce around the restaurant, Majolica got ready to say something.

She's going to scare away all of Ivan's customers! Hehe, that's no good! He worked very hard hiring people and setting this place up! Hehe, now this baby Clown Goblin is going to ruin everything because she can't sit still, hehe? Why is Ivan so timid when she's here! Hehe, He should speak his mind and tell her to calm down! This won't do! Hehehe.

"Hey."

Majolica stared straight at the strange woman with a firm, but non-threatening eyes.

"Hehe, you're making a scene, and also disrupting the other customers. If you really are Ivan's Mom, hehe, then you should be old enough to know how to act in a restaurant. Hehe."

Majolica took a sip from her silly straw drink, then in a very adult like manner placed on a coaster to her side. She looked up at alpha again.

"So, Stop. Hehe."

@Iván Carl @Alphabet Chocolate

 

“Oh no, don’t…” Don’t invite her over, she wanted to exclaim, but the highly disturbed girl— @Alphabet Chocolate, she called herself of all things— was already pulling up a chair. Sliding up in a chair, to be more exact. Janet was forced to sit like a popular girl with the new kid at a middle school cafeteria. Outrageous. Trying to be subtle, the brunette scooted away slightly, just in case of projectile vomit. “Do you really think that’s his mother?” she whispered behind her hand at @Corvella , casting another alarmed glance at Iván’s alleged maternal figure.

She quickly changed her face to a tolerant smile as Corvella got up to order dessert and left her and Majolica alone at the table with the odd newcomer. “Yes, quite good!” she added onto the conversation like a bad actress in a commercial reading her lines from a teleprompter “Delicious curry!”

The strangeness didn’t end. Where a semi-normal conversation began, the girl was suddenly up on her feet again and dragging @Iván Carl over. It looked uncomfortable. Janet covered her face from view with one hand, made her sternest, most alarmed face and mouthed DO YOU NEED HELP at the stinky illusionist again. If it was a ploy to get Iván and Corvella together, an unrequited romance Janet certainly hadn’t been aware of, even that seemed to be spiraling out of control.

I don’t know what to do. She’d been pretending to keep eating despite having cleared her plate, but when the new girl ordered everything on the menu…? Janet set her knife and fork down, dabbing her mouth with the napkin and sending another desperate glance at @Grand Witch Majolica . Thank goodness, the pink-haired witch stepped up and showed her true colors as the Ops Commander, addressing the situation with a shockingly firm tone. I’ve never heard her sound so mature before! Janet still hesitated to speak herself (she was still a little afraid, to be honest…) but she nodded supportively along with every hehehe like a good witch posse.

 

The Potential Terrorist The Crazy Little Lady, @Alphabet Chocolate

Darko then stared as the girl vomited on the table. He just shook his head: this should be a long day in the cleaning department, and he's the only member of that one. More so when she voraciously ate the venus flytraps that was on the ground. Everything was settled: this person before him was a special kind of crazy.

From the nasty crimson-colored barf which did not smell of blood, to the eating of the flytraps which was disgusting to say the least for Darko as well as could be poisonous, to the nasty rainbow-colored drool on the head-chef's clothes while she hugged him, to the "son" epithet that she ascribed towards Ivan, to the "grandson" epithet that she ascribed towards the rest of the customers in the restaurant... Darko was getting too irritated in the craziness of this girl that he could not move from where he was standing. For once in his life, he had never met another person as clownlike and as idiotic as this person before him, although that eagle man from Brisshal could compare. As he was thinking, she should get out of this curry shop really quick. But he would not do that without satisfying her, since it would be a stain to the honor of the curry shop if he would have such a crazy girl traipse around Stokbon telling everyone that she had been scammed. And so he would just serve her order... wait did she say just curry. Darko did have this curry recipe, it really looks bad, smells bad, but tastes so great. He would dub it: The Nasty Curry. Well it should be easy to prepare, as he had the ingredients at hand, and so he would just need to cook it. He was then about to leave when the girl placed yet another order: all the items in the menu for the amount of gold she placed on the table. It would seem so large, and so the bill would fit, even many times over. And suddenly he thought of another idea to extricate the owner from the grasp of the girl.

"All right, the gold dictated that a full-course meal will be set for all of the people in the shop. Should you mind if it would take some minutes for each dish to be served, and for the generous patron here, a special full-course meal will be served. But as you wait, you will be served a drink to your satisfaction. You can choose from red, white, and rosé wines, and our special drinks for those who do not drink alcohol. Let me take note first what drinks do you want, and what dishes in the menu do you want served to you. But first..." He then grasped the hand of the girl which was grasping Ivan. "May I borrow the head chef first? Unfortunately some of the dishes in the menu can only be cooked by him. So would you please...?" As he said those words, his right eye glowed purple, and a similar color of an intricate pattern of lines of runes crisscrossing each other with constellations in the middle of those lines would start to reveal itself from the ceiling slowly in a circle. Darko clearly saw the girl as a threat, and if she would not stop, something will happen.

 

Stop? The very notion of stopping almost drove Alpha to a fit of laughter; the mere thought of ever giving pause as foreign to her as the sea would be to a desert scorpion. Yes, there were times when she stilled in her tracks from primal fear or instinctual worry, but there was never once had she ever had to restrain herself. The world outside of the game—real life—had never before felt so distant and detached from her. Moments she had spent facing consequences for her actions were long since forgotten and, ever since she started playing the game, not a single person had ever told her no directly to her face before. Not even Vermilion, whom she owed her life and loyalty to, had ever rejected her outright.

Surprisingly, it wasn't fury that greeted the bold proclamation and the hidden threat underneath Darko and Majolica's words. The sight of the Yladian witch filled Alpha righteous steam that would've burst out during any other time. Maybe it was because of Ivan's presence, who she didn't particularly want to offend, or maybe it was because she was just in a jolly mood despite the vomiting and deaths of her flytraps that had tempered it, calming her rage like music to a beast. Either way, she held her hands up to mollify the chef, hoping his grip would loosen as soon as she let go of Ivan.

"No need to get your panties in a twist!" Alpha teased, a bit disappointed at having to let go of her precious, dear son. Alpha was a tactile person by nature and, without Hector accompanying her, it seemed as if she had no outlet for her more affectionate urges. "Urgh, you sound like my mom," Alpha groaned, grabbing a chair and plopping down to face the grand witch. As it were, the rails and stile of the chair was facing her front and her back was left exposed to the brisk indoor air. She didn't turn to face Darko as she waved him off: "I'd like a cup of milk! Chocolate milk! And, uh, curry? And that ant thing that Ivy was talking about earlier—that sounded cool. Well, if you're gonna take Ivy then you gotta promise to feed him three times a day and water him hourly! He's high-maintenance, you know."

Content with the advice she had given Darko in regards to properly taking care of Ivan's nourishment and well-being, she focused back on Majolica with a strange, indecipherable gaze. "You," she started and, for a moment, felt lost on what to say. There was just something about the taller girl that both irked and interested Alphabet Chocolate in equal measure...so much so that her comrades went unnoticed underneath her critical eye. She was enraptured by the mage's presence, ensnared from causing the chaos she loved in order to solve this mystery. "What's your name...maybe I'll recognize it. There's just something about you." Her eyebrows furrowed, wholly concentrated on placing this girl in her mind. After a minute without connecting her with any specific event or person in her mind, she let out a sigh in frustration and marched on.

"Well, you're Ivy's friend, right? I don't really like spoilsports and all but I guess as long as you're protecting him, it's fine. I like him a lot! He's like the family I never had," her voice was suddenly light again, the previous conflict and enigmatic expression on her face wiped clean. "Well, I do have another family, but you're a bit too tall and boring to join—no offense! In other news, how'd you guys meet? You're Ivy's social circle, right? How about this! Let's just talk for a bit and then I'll leave, no fuss about it! I just wanna get to know what kinda people Ivy's hanging out with these days and I'll be out of your hair, out of sight! Compromise! Can't blame me for wanting to know if he's got some good friends to keep him upright these days! I mean, I'm pretty sure you guys are awesome enough if Ivy likes you and you totally care about his shop and everything...but I'm honestly pretty curious!" she left her obvious dislike of the witch unsaid and found comfort in feigning friendliness. Alpha didn't like getting bossed around but there wasn't much she could do with Ivan here and Hector gone. The girl was a threat to her continued friendship with Ivan (and, by the looks of it, there was a chance that the waiter was a threat as well).

Ivan was her friend. And while she was alright with sharing him with others (as long as she was his best friend), she wasn't thrilled that his other friends didn't like Alpha's spontaneity. And that meant that there was an obstacle (or two) she had to get rid of. Somehow. Someway.

She grinned. "Don't be shy! A friend of my friend is my friend, right?"

@Iván Carl @Darko Ljubicic @Janet Reilly @Grand Witch Majolica @Corvella

 

It's only thirty minutes passed since Corvella first entered the restaurant, and someone had already booped her nose and tried to marry her of to the owner of the establishment, the Poison Ivy. Is this a punishment the gods of Terrasphere had befallen on her? She quickly turned her face towards the other, realizing the situation has turned pretty intense. Everyone especially Majolica didn't feel comfortable with @Iván Carl's mother. "Uh, black slime? That black slime? No, I guess." She frowned upon the restaurant's choice of dessert.

It seems that @Janet Reilly doubted that the small girl in front of them is really Iván's mother. With her index finger raised, she explained to Janet. "Because Iván called her 'mom', of course she has to be his mother! They might look alike, if we ever get to look at what's behind that stinky mask." She slowly nodded to acknowledge her own magnificent deduction, superb indeed.

To her surprise, @Alphabet Chocolate bought meals for everyone on the table out of generosity before quickly went to bring Iván back to the table. Why is she playing the girl-introduced-to-parents role here suddenly? But disappointing Alphabet after she bought the food for them would be so rude, she decided to play along a bit. "Oh, we met—"

Getting fed up with Alphabet's antics, Majolica decided to step in. Even when she's deadly serious, there is still that hehehe slipped between sentences. Corvella switched her view quickly between Majolica and Alphamom as the tension ensues, before dropping in a topic to hopefully calm both. "Iván and us are group of friends brought together by @Grand Witch Majolica! Together, we all will get strong and destroy all evil!" She explained, trying hard to sound very excited. Due to the secretive nature of Witch Ops, the knight shouldn't reveal unnecessary detail since Majolica is already in a bad mood. So, is Iván her son or her friend?

 

Iván narrowed his eyes at @Alphabet Chocolate calling him Ivy. No one has ever called him that before. Come to think of it, no one has ever called anyone named Iván, or even Ivan, Ivy. At least he has never heard anyone call him, anyone named Iván, or even anyone named Ivan Ivy. Hmm. Maybe it's just him. Maybe someone else somewhere out there does call him, anyone named Iván, or even anyone named Ivan Ivy. Maybe it's not just Alpha. Maybe where Alpha came from, that was the norm. Wait, norm and Alpha in the same sentence? Fat chance. Fatter than Iván's real-world uncle Albert.

"Making curry is a great way to spend life, mom," Iván did not appreciate his mother, err his mentor mocking his chosen field, his preferred craft, his decided lifestyle. Making curry in this game was something that made him stick out, which was a good thing, considering this was a world of knights and archers and wizards and old men pretending to be tiny women. With the exception of his co-curry-makers, he was a bright light in the sweeping darkness of economically challenged adventurers. He had a restaurant to his name, his own curry house, and that's something anyone, especially a parent, could be proud of. That smell wasn't just curry, too, so it was a whole 'nother thing. This mask and the ant juice are a bad combination... Maybe I should use my illusion magic to make people ignore it? Eh. Too much work.

Gah! Alpha was surprisingly strong against Iván. Or maybe that was just Iván's fear of Alpha giving her strength to move him around effortlessly, feeding her physicality to drag him wherever she wanted to, which in this case is apparently towards @Corvella who apparently was not a fan of dark chocolate. Why?! Why indeed. Why was Alpha specifically dragging her son, err student towards the knight. Iván was caught confused by what was happening. If this was any other person, he'd have considered all logical and rational possibilities. But this was Alphabet Chocolate, and Iván's brain was already hot-wired to throw logic and reason out the window when it came to her. It was understandable, but it was also a terrible excuse to overlook the fact that logic and reason did have their power over Alphabet Chocolate. Just not all the time.

How did we meet? The confusion continued to dominate Iván, heart, mind, body, and soul. Iván finally caught the concern emanating from @Janet Reilly 's very being, and he replied by mouthing the words HELP ME to her, realizing only a few seconds after, that his entire face was covered by a mask that had been the Spire's spa guardian's face, which meant that whatever was truly going on with his face, the only thing anyone else would ever see are those five holes in all that red. But his mother, err mentor was not done tormenting her son, uhm student, and so Iván instinctively turned his head back towards the master illusionist. Wait, she's paying for everyone's food at this table? Alpha has money?!

Before he could even react to Alpha mentioning how charmed he apparently was when it came to the knight, the @Grand Witch Majolica suddenly spoke, her words made Iván feel a little bit wary of what might go down between the two powerful female-looking creatures. Again. Oh, no. There was hope that the curry house would last until at least the end of this season, maybe a few days or so after the whole event with Tertoria and such. But, without knowing anything related to the previous statement written here, Iván was starting to worry that the curry house might not even last a week.

And then @Darko Ljubicic came to his aid. Again. For the nth time. Wow, Darko should really get a raise. Probably figuring out her two-on-one disadvantage, not counting the Witch Ops members that Majolica had at her disposal, Alpha finally relented and let Iván go. Iván just stood there, eyes at Darko's hand on Alpha's hand. He hoped nothing would end up exploding because of that, because of all of the commotion. Maybe he should run now. Then again, if an explosion did occur, taking out anyone within the area, would that be such a bad thing? He was still hopeful for a second meeting with the otherworldly being down in the Spire. Maybe this was all fated to happen. Maybe they should all just explode now.

"I'm not a plant, mom," Why was he continuing to indulge her strange fantasies?! What was Iván doing?! "...or a pet." Stop it, Iván! Stop calling her your mom! She's not your mom! Or was she. Maybe not biologically but technically Alpha did teach Iván most of what he knew about illusion magic, maybe even magic in general, and to an extent the game even. Wasn't that what a mother would do? Teach her son all that he needed to know about the world before letting them go out and discover their own path? What.

The situation seemed to have diffused when Alpha decided to befriend Majolica and others instead of start an explosive brawl, the latter now a pretty good option for Iván, all things considered. "I'm going back to the kitchen and make..." Alpha ordered everything for the Witch Ops table, right? And a cup of black slime milk, curry, and ant thing... Oh, no! Is she reading my mind?! "...everything." Without wasting any more time, Iván quickly scurried to the kitchen, disappearing quickly like a skinny model's fart.

 

Jasper was starting to feel drained. He picked up the job at the Curry House because he felt that it was an interesting endeavor. Getting to practice his skills at growing various plants and exploring the wildlands of flavor. His blood practically boiled with excitement and his tail never wagged harder. However, magically growing plants and putting together a herb and spice garden took a heavy toll on his energy levels. Jasper tried covering it up with pure enthusiasm.

The current plants he was working on was ready. Jasper now had enough spices for the new curry dish he envisioned Magical Fireball Curry. The ghost peppers, rice, and other curry ingredients found a spot in his basket. Before he stepped into the kitchen. Jasper liked this place more than he was willing to admit. @Iván Carl may have been a killer on his heightened senses yet he felt like the man was a good guy. Even going as far as letting Jasper become a chef at his place. Not to mention his boss could out cook him (just by a little bit). That kept Jasper motivated to stay and try new things.

Getting started on the sauce of the dish, Jasper filled a large pot with water. He set the pot on a flame to boil before adding the turmeric, cumin, coriander, ghost peppers, and special mushrooms. To become the base of the sauce. Jasper covered the pot with a lid, so the insides can simmer and properly mix. Wanting this to be the spicy curry possible, Jasper took out some Colchis meat. The fire-breathing cows was a pain in the next to slay (An adventure on its own that took him and six other people to bring down). Still, the meat was entirely red even when cooked and carried a spicy and smoky tang to it. Perfect for this curry.

The scent of spices started to refill his area of the kitchen as the lid bubbled. Jasper was so deep in thought he tuned everything else out as he mechanically prepared his other ingredients for the dish. The Colchis meat and the vegetables were slowly added to the pot when ready. The blood red dish started to take shape and Jasper had a difficult time stirring as the excess water boiled out and the meat, rice, and vegetables thickened the curry. The strong spicy smell stung his nose, giving him a sense of pain and arousal. It just hurt so much in a good way. As if a fire was distilled into the very dish of the curry. Lighting his skin ablaze and burning his senses to a crisp. Jasper could feel the pure power from the curry. He believed it was ready to be eaten.

“Hey, boss!!! I made a new curry. I bet it would taste great. I used the psilocybin mushrooms to amplify the magical properties of the Colchis meat. Bringing out a new depth of spice and flavor to the dish. I call it Magical Fireball Curry! It is a dry curry that I believe will not some socks off” He excitedly told. He whispered the next part to himself “if the mushrooms do not cause massive hallucinations.”

“Alright who would like to be the first to sample this dish? The first plate is on me.” He enthusiastically yelled to the surrounding patrons. He preferred to use the customers as guinea pigs. Just in case the spices used caused an adverse effect, it would be easier to document and correct if he tried it on others. Jasper knew the psilocybin would enhance the flavor but would it cause the people to trip balls. It was better to watch and see first. Jasper was 66% sure he could cure any hallucinations before it got too bad.

 

"Then at least one of us is acting like a mom, hehe."

Keeping her eyes fixed on the woman she had now named "Clown Goblin" Majolica spoke to @Iván Carl with a steady gone.

"Hehe, is she really your Mom, Ivan? Hehehe, I mean that literally. Not mentor or trainer, hehe, but your literal mother? Hehehe, it's good that you make friends and meet people, Ivan. Hehe, I think having friends, whether they're in our group or not, is a good thing. Hehe, that goes for everyone. I think everyone should have a lot of friends and people they can rely on, hehe, but that doesn't mean that I have to like the friends of my friends."

Using some magic, Majolica gently pushed the plates and drinks between her and @Alphabet Chocolate aside. Now there was nothing between them.

"Hehehe, I am The Grand Witch Majolica. Commander of the Witch Ops Battalion, and enemy of all that threaten this world. Hehehe, If you would like to know about the people Ivan associates with, hehe, then you should ask him."

Majolica quickly glanced at @Darko Ljubicic then locked back on to Alphabet.

"Whatever this... clown goblin, hehe, offered to pay for or buy me... cancel it. I'll eat and buy my own meals, hehe."

The sound of Majolica's broom, which had been admirably sweeping the restaurant since The Grand Witch had decided to ignore the Bandit Goblin Gardner, stopped. Floating upward it maneuvered itself silently behind Alphabet.

Majolica's face went dark.

"And before you make yourself comfortable, hehehe..."

The Grand Witch's eyes met Alphabet's with the same gravity of a rattlesnake hissing and shaking its tail.

"I didn't say you could sit there."

As Majolica sat, eyes fixed on Alphabet, a shout from the kitchen offering a free sample plate rang out through the restaurant. Unflinching, Majolica remained silent watching the girl in front of her.


@Iván Carl @Alphabet Chocolate @Corvella @Janet Reilly

 

Alpha pouted as Ivan began to scurry back to the kitchen, leaving Alpha with the strange group. Despite Ivan's claims to the contrary, she was certain that being watered daily was more of a beneficial bonus more than anything and, with her maternal feelings in full force, Alpha couldn't help but wish the best for her child. @Corvella was definitely her favorite and Alpha couldn't help but want to pinch the girl's cheeks and promise her a strong dowry. She'd even place a down payment on the couples' future house if she had to; the girl was everything Alpha dreamed of in a daughter and she be damned if she wasn't going to get it! "Oooh? A group against evil? That sounds super cool!" Alpha enthused, honestly enthralled by the prospect of a heroic organization of justice. It reminded her of the Justice League or Power Rangers and the stars in her eyes shone in pure delight at the idea. "Haha, if you ever need back-up then you should totally give me a call! It sounds fun; I could be your sidekick! Pow, pow, pow! Bang, bang, bang!" Alpha laughed, her hands in the shape of a finger-gun, shooting an imaginary flying targets in the air.

She looked the older woman up and, after a minute, leaned over to give the woman a pat on the back. "I've met plenty of people before! Lots of them were super strong but they all died," she thought back on Beretta and Eldhi and Ursa and Terry and Naixi and everyone else she couldn't save. The thoughts were sobering but the endless sea of joy that was Alpha didn't dry up and she merely leaned back, with no chair to lean onto, and flicked her pointer finger at Corvella. "Permanently! Thing is, you can't just be strong to fight evil! I mean, it's a game and everything, but sometimes there are things here that're just...real. Really real," her words and her carefree tone were at a dissonance with each other. "Sometimes," she started, leaning in and tapping her head with her finger. "You gotta be unpredictable! You gotta bring chocolate cake to a war so you can throw it at your enemies as a weapon! You gotta start a flea market with real fleas. Buy a thousand fleas in a jar and mail it to your worst enemy! Give them a flea infestation! If you fight against a giant, flaming Hulk, then you gotta throw more fire at him! Smile, because it confuses people. Nothing's impossible and life's chaotic so all you gotta do to succeed is to become the unexpected! No one's gonna see you coming! And if no one sees you, that means you're invisible. And if you're invisible, then that means that being unpredictable gives you the awesome superpower of invisibility, which makes you one step closer to being a hero!"

It was a logical fallacy that rarely passes Alphabet's mind, much less her mouth, but she supposed that the air was tense enough anyway with her own mutual dislike towards the witch and waiter. And isn't it a mother's job to give parental advice towards her children? Corvella was already her daughter, whether the woman knew it or not. It was just a matter of time, so was there really a problem with giving her some tips just a tad bit earlier than expected?

Alpha puffed up her chest, proud at succeeding in her maternal duties. With that out of the way, she turned back to the @Grand Witch Majolica, only to find all the dishes and cups pushed out of the way. There was nothing separating the two of them, other than a dining table. "Ah, you're the leader of the superhero group? Oooh, that means Ivy's a superhero, isn't he? Aren't secret identities a thing anymore?" she pondered for a second, giggling at the image of Ivan wearing skin-tight spandex.

"Hey, just think of the meal as a congratulatory gift for your awesome service to the community! Fighting bad guys? You guys have to be hungry, right? Don't worry, I'm not gonna ask you for a favor or anything!" her voice was sweet like the best slice of cake and pie, unnaturally chipper for someone close to a confrontation. Her obliviousness was obviously faked, even to the most dense of observers. From the corner of her eye, she could see a broom making its way around the place before slowly skidding to a stop somewhere out of her line of sight. Alpha held her hands up once more, all her weapons comfortably stashed away in her inventory.

"I'm not that bad, you know! I just wanted to see how my son's doing, no need to get all swept up in the moment," she chortled at her own pun. "There's a bunch of other guys you can use your magic on! I mean, what about all those shoplifters, loiterers, and evil masterminds plotting world domination? I'm just here for fun! I'm not hurting anyone and it's just a game, y'know! I'm innocent, your honor!"

With Majolica's last words, Alpha decided it was time to depart. With Ivan in the kitchen for an indefinite period of time, there was no reason for her to stay in the stinking curry house. She stood up. "There, the seat's empty now!" she blew a Bronx cheer, sticking her tongue out childishly. As she turned, the food she had ordered completely forgotten, she gave them the only farewell she could muster with the heating pot of irritation that ran beneath her skin. "Make sure Ivy's safe, won't ya? I gotta go restock on my candy supplies; I barfed the last batch right on out! Oh, and tell him to message me more!"

Her wave was stiff and insincere. "We'll probably see each other again, y'know! Maybe it'll be a reunion on a battlefield! I mean, I love superheroes too, so why not? Anyhow, see ya later alligators! Alphabet Chocolate is out of the house! See ya later Corvy, Majolica!"

​

Hidden: alpha's true colors

Hidden: alpha's internal thoughts

And maybe they would meet each other on the battlefield but she highly doubted that they'd be on the same side. Ivan was her child and her best friend and, as much as Alphabet Chocolate enjoyed sharing treats and games and friends, she always had that top spot reserved to herself only. The mere thought of any of her friends thinking her as anything less than the best filled her with a vile, angry hatred that slunk in the deep crevices of her heart and through the most insignificant parts of her mind.

Ivan. Roland. Cain. Seigi. Vermy. Blank. Magi. Everyone. She clawed at her neck, leaving red welts as her nails slid by. They were hers. And, when all the Chaos Shards were collected, she'd do anything for them. They'd be protected. Loved. Cherished. She'd keep them, Terry and Hector, and everyone else in gilded cages so they could be by her side forever. And they'd have ice cream every day, watch bad movies, and have so much fun and they'd never, ever leave.

Until now, no one really threatened that plan of hers. Until now, she had no real enemies other than ones by association; where her only enemies had been the enemies of her friends rather than her own or by pure circumstance. Majolica would be her greatest threat, her biggest foe, and largest obstacle...

In spite of the rage and anxiety that wouldn't subside, even hours after stomping out of the curry shop, she felt a dim, long-forgotten part of her light up. Hope.

She squashed it down. Why was she feeling such a thing? It made no sense and Alpha resolved to leave it at that. There were sweets to eat and that seemed to be a better option that to wallow over dumb emotions that belonged not to Alphabet Chocolate, but Katherine Sutton. It seemed as if that mission in the Stokbon Mansion had more lasting effects than she initially suspected.

#brexit​

 

Rias was very excited when @Iván Carl placed a plate of curry in front of her but the excitement she had before slowly started to leave her system because...It is like a normal curry, like the one in real world, I don't understand why that other girls was so happy to recommend that.... Looking at the curry she would take the spoon and mix around the rice trying to find something special or different about it before she heard the witch talking of course. Her eyes immediately fixed on the (@Grand Witch Majolica) because the speech was originally referring to her no matter if new people joined to listen! Whatever she said made the archer smile because of the amusement in the witches voice, she was so enthusiastic when explaining what the Witch Ops is and the members that were currently in the team, referring to some of the names and classes, that you could hear it in her tone how proud she was about it ~

However before she could ask anything more she noticed the change in the atmosphere when a new costumer entered. Rias didn't know anything about that lady so she couldn't understand the insults that were directed her way and she wasn't going to participate when she didn't know the reason. Simply taking back the spoon she had a taste of the curry and her eyes opened surprised. "Oh my god..." She muttered with her mouth full before taking about spoonful. And another. And another one. The curry was gone before you could spell 'Stinky Iván's Curry House'! Her cheeks full from the food as she sat there with eyes closed enjoying the heavenly taste...if you took a closer look you could even see a pink-ish aura floating behind her with hearts and flowers jumping around.

 

Iván popped his head back out to the dining area from the kitchen when he heard the @Grand Witch Majolica ask him about the true nature of his relationship with @Alphabet Chocolate. He stared at the Witch Ops table, specifically at his commander, before looking at Alpha. "Yes, she's my mom," he deadpanned, the words creeping out of his mouth without his brain's notice. Thankfully, it wasn't too late to fix that mistake, somewhat, and he continued speaking, "...but not literally, technically. She's my mentor, my trainer. She taught me a lot of the things I've come to know in this game. And she even saved me from tomato and cheese people. She's basically my in-game mom, except she looks more like my child." She did. Alpha was tiny and childlike while Iván was stinky and horrifying to look at. Anyone who didn't know them would, at first glance, immediately think he was going to eat that little baby. NPCs can be very judgmental.

He was going to say more about his relationship with Alpha but then @Jasper yelled at him about a new curry before yelling at everyone about the new curry. Iván was momentarily and ultimately distracted, his full attention pulled from the on-going tension between the Grand Witch and the most powerful illusionist he had ever met to his fellow curry master's creative concoction. Iván could smell the awesomeness emanating from that curry. If he could, he would have kissed Jasper...so he could steal his curry and have it all to himself, though he would probably get punched first before he could ever move closer to the shirtless Caenis. Why was Jasper shirtless anyway? Where was his shirt? Could he not afford a shirt? Maybe Iván really was the one paying everyone else. That would explain why Jasper was shirtless, he probably failed to pay them. On time. Again. Maybe.

"Maybe those female-looking creatures at that overcrowded table would want a taste," he muttered under his breath before wishing he hadn't because maybe then Jasper would've just given him the curry all to himself. But no! He must not. The customer above self. That's a pretty darn good motto. Or something.

When he turned around to look at the aforementioned table, Iván saw Alpha walking away and out of the curry house. He motioned towards her, as if he would run as fast as he could to stop her and hug her and tell her he missed her and that Lassie had been a good boy and and and... Wait, what? No! What's even a Lassie? Iván shook his head before tilting it to one side. He felt both relieved and saddened about Alpha leaving. Was it something he said? Was the curry not good enough?

Yeah, it was probably @Darko Ljubicic's curry. Iván narrowed his eyes, staring daggers at Darko. A customer that leaves without finishing their food is a customer that leaves without paying! It's a travesty! It's blasphemous! It's something that all good curry masters know to avoid! Maybe Darko didn't deserve that raise after all. Wait, what was he paying them with again? Was he even paying them?

What the hell is that pink-ish aura floating behind that archer with hearts and flowers jumping around? Iván turned to the archer (@Rias), scowling from behind his mask. How dare she interrupt his frazzled thoughts?! Wait, what was he thinking about again? Bah! Probably something inane. The only useful thoughts are about the otherworldly being from down in the Spire. Everything else is a distraction, a terrible useless distraction. Everything else except curry of course! Because curry is love. Curry is life. Or was it the other way around? Man, how many cups of coffee did Iván drink early this morning. Wait, did he even drink coffee? Oh, no, that was ant juice. He drank a lot of ant juice. That would explain a lot of things.

"Hello," he deadpanned from out of nowhere, appearing right beside the archer from out of nowhere. "May I interest you in some ant juice?" Hehehe... Yes, some ant juice... Say yes, sweetling. Say yes! Iván kept his face, hidden by the red mask with five holes, once the face of a deadly predator itself, on the archer like some scary, spooky, creepy dude from the hood...wearing a hood. Yeah, that's a terrible thing to end with but ant juice bay bay!

 

Being apathetic often came with a few perks. Not caring about the tension in the room was one of them. Jasper could feel a slight tingling pulse in the air. It made some of his fur stand on edge as if the room had a weird undercurrent to it. Jasper looked at the sources (@Grand Witch Majolica and @Alphabet Chocolate ) two women looked to be in an argument of sorts. Not that Jasper cared. Still fairly new to the game he had a sixth sense of knowing who was stronger than him. He felt those two could level the restaurant if they felt like it. Jasper had enough sense and self-preservation to leave it alone. Hopefully, the boss could handle it if the situation arose.


But Jasper heard his boss mentioning the two ladies would like a taste. If Jasper was the type of person to doubt his cooking skills he would not have brought the dish out in the first place. The magical fireball curry could be what the two needed to distress the situation. Jasper trusted his boss enough to go with the man’s decision. So far in the game, Jasper had a total of five people he trusted. His boss is one of them. Listening to @Iván Carl suggestion Jasper walked towards @Maj and @Alpha carrying two plates of the curry. His shirtless torso glistening with a sheen of sweat that emphasized his digital muscular features. One of the two hurriedly got up and left before Jasper could reach the table.


Keeping in mind that this was a service gig, Jasper tried to keep a professional smile on his face. “Excuse me, beautiful angel,” Jasper announced as he stepped to the remaining guest. Feeling the tension in his body crank up, as if he was touching a live wire. “I hope a lovely lady of distinguished taste such as yourself. Would not mind partaking in this new dish I have made. I believe a dish as spicy as this should be eaten with a gusto. An inner fire if you will that I believe reflects a burning nature such as yourself. It would bring me immense pleasure for me if you wish to try it. Of course a lady as beautiful as you do not have to pay a dime for it.” The words sounded beautiful and flowed from his tongue easily. If not for the fact that the professional smile Jasper kept on his face becoming a deadpan expression when he stepped in front of her. It may have been a killer flirting technique in his book. He placed the curry down and gave a nod of his head. “I understand the Young Lady may have had an altercation with the other guest. But I hope the madame will find the curry to her liking.”


Flirting with girls was easy to Jasper. He had no interest in them so he viewed them objectively. Like if you would call a chihuahua cute or a cow pretty. The interest was purely shallow and held no actual substance to it. So he turned back around keeping the other plate of curry in his hand. Jasper did not feel like following her out of the shop. He was able to at least get one of them a plate of the delicious food. Why bother to chase after the other? If he even caught up the food would be too cold and not as tasty. Jasper refused to serve bad food. Like poisoned food and such yes. Jasper would just make sure it tastes delicious as well. So it would not be bad food just sickening food. Which had a great deal of difference in his book.


Making his way to his bosses location. Jasper decided on giving the last plate to the bosses companion (@Rias ). It was best that the curry plates Jasper was giving were more of a sample portion. The lady had already eaten and may not be able to finish another regular size portion. “Pardon my interruption. I was hoping the beautiful young madame would not mind partaking in this curry I have created. I dare say the delectable taste would invigorate the very soul of a peerless maiden such as yourself.” Jasper placed the carefully crafted curry down before turning to walk away. All the needless flirting started to wear down his very spirit.

 

Corvella just sat on her chair, unsure what to do when Alphabet decided to leave. It seems that @Grand Witch Majolica's dislike wasn't something personal... Did she know something they all don't? But Iván's mother was so kind to us, and even bought us free meals! On the other hand, she tried to marry Corvella off to someone stinky that she barely knows. Maybe Majolica didn't like that, maybe. Oh, it turns out that Alphabet isn't actually Iván's mother. Maybe Corvella won't get forced to be married off to the curry man after all.

The presence of a new waiter, no, cook broke the tension of the table. The blonde quickly put her hand over her mouth, holding her jaw from falling. A shirt-shirtless waiter? This must be this restaurant's gimmick, the secret weapon! Not only that he has a killer abs, but the cook is also equipped with a killer smile. Is this guy employed out of his good looks to counter the stinkiness of the restaurant's owner? No, Corvella! He's trained to do that! Instead, you should focus on the free meal!

The free curry presented on the table was mostly directed to Majolica, as it might cool her off from the earlier tension. Regardless, Corvella slid the plate across the table to her direction while nodding and acknowledging @Jasper's words, even if those were not meant for her. "Thank you for the food!" If it's in the house, it will be on her stomach. Unfortunately, the blonde seem to miss the word 'spicy' coming out from Jasper's sweet compliments. She proceeded to quickly put spoonfuls of curry inside her mouth before the others try to stop her hauling the free food.

It took like six, seven bites before the blonde registered a sensation inside her mouth. Her face, especially her cheeks quickly turned red before she jumped off her chair a little. "Water! It's. So. Spicy!" She should have listened when the handsome cook introduced the 'Magical Fireball Curry' (More like, Supernova Curry). She grabbed the bottle of rosé wine on the table and gulped down the rest of the wine. After putting some leftover ice from her drink inside her mouth for a while, the heat dissipates. The meat is really, really great. If only she could appreciate the taste of it more before it becomes spicy in her mouth. It's very difficult to judge which curry taste the best when each of them excels in different aspect. This one is strong-flavored, keeping your body awake to feel flavor of all the ingredients combined into this curry.

Corvella stood up from her chair to approach one of the staffs. She's going to need a lot of water if she want to enjoy the curry more. Meanwhile, the plate is left on the table if anybody else wanted to try. She doubt Majolica would like the spicy taste, though. "Excuse me, can I get wa—" Suddenly the room blinks before her, half a second it becomes pitch dark and now it's bluish-pink. Did they activate the disco lighting mechanism? Her face is still red, but it's obvious that it isn't because the spicy curry. If someone look at her eyes, they would find her stare is completely blank like a tripping person, which she is. It might be the side effect of whatever it's in the curry, but it feels great. It's like the clouds split open and welcomed her into the stairway of heaven, complete with angels chanting angelic things. She still need to grab more water, though. The tripping knight continue to walk until she stumbled on the @Iván Carl.

"Hello, water please." she mumbled. Rather than actually moving to get her order, the person she thought to be the owner of the restaurant suddenly turned around to face her and removed his red mask. Light shined on his face as the person revealed himself to be a handsome angel behind his mysterious mask. Not believing what she (thought she) saw (in her tripping brain), she reached out to touch the face of the devilishly handsome curry house owner. She could even smell the fruity fragrance the from the man. Is this the guy whom Alphabet want her to marry?

In reality, she's actually touching and wiping Iván's red mask.

 

Majolica loosened up when Alphabet Chocolate left. Something didn't smell right about that girl, or maybe it wasn't smell, maybe it was aura. Whatever it was, it was something palpable to Majolica. Like when you try to do something you enjoy when you're very sick, but then after your get over the illness, that thing you used to enjoy just reminds you of the illness. It was something like that, intangible, yet... it was just something about the girl and her personality...

Later, after speaking with Bradwynne, Majolica would realize what it was that she had sensed. It was dissonance. According to Bradwynne, Alphabet was infused with it. After Majolica's experience with the black fog, it now made sense to her what it was she didn't like about Alphabet Chocolate. There would be no doubt about it. That girl was her enemy. Maybe she could be saved, like she hoped Bradwynne's friend could be, or maybe she couldn't. Either way, through one method or another, Majolica knew she would eventually have to remove Alphabet from the game-board. But, that would have to be later. Right now, she was still too weak.

While Majolica sorted through the event that just happened mentally, the other cook walked up the table and put plates down in front of them. Majolica didn't like the way he was talking to her. It was gross, and why wasn't he wearing a shirt? This was a restaurant, shouldn't cooks be weeing shirts so they don't get hair or sweat on the food? The Grand Witch wanted to gag.

Majolica looked down at the food. It smelled spicy, and as she had stated earlier, she didn't like spicy food. Hence her Candy Curry that had been specially made. With a grimace, Majolica looked back up at the cook.

"Hehehe, I don't like spicy foods. Why aren't you wearing a shirt? Hehe, are you a very poor Gross Goblin? I don't think shirts are that expensive, hehehe. Or, are you just a really really gross person.. hehe. You're so... old... hehehe... why are you talking to me like that? Hehehe, super gross."

Moments later @Corvella dug in to disastrous effect. Whatever the cook had put in the food had drugged her. It was like another Alphabet Chocolate had appeared in the restaurant.

Feeling tired, Majolica turned to Janet (@Janet Reilly ).

"Hehe, please cure her. Hehehe, our gracious cook has put something unsavory in the free food. I'm sure it's natural, hehe, so you should be able to cure it. Hehehe, it appears I need to have a word with a cook."

Standing up with a pleasant smile, Majolica turned to Ivan.

"Hehehe, you know Ivan... like I said before, hehe. It's good to have friends..."

The gentle tone the Grand Witch spoke in belied what was actually happening. As she spoke slowly, silverware, drinks and plates began to float upward, defying gravity. Suddenly, the air grew heavy and thick, as if humid.

"...but I don't necessarily have to like all of your friends. Hehehe, I'm going to make a suggestion to you. Hehehe, I suggest you go back to the kitchen and have a word with your cook. I suggest, hehehe, he come out and apologize for drugging Corvella. I also suggest, hehehe, he apologize for trying to drug me. Hehehe, it's already been a troublesome day having to deal with your other friend, hehe, and my mood is beginning to sour. Hehehe, so, I'll ask you once nicely, Hehehe, and if the problem doesn't get fixed, I'll deal with it. Personally. Hehehe."

With her last word, the room went pitch black, even though it was daylight, even though there were lights and a fire going in the kitchen, the darkness was all-consuming. Outside what looked like claws and fangs of shadow battered at the windows.

From within the main room, and outside the windows, and above them, and in the kitchen, Majolica's voice slithered out of the darkness like snakes preparing to strike.

"Hehehe, this isn't illusion magic, hehe, and I am not joking."

With a finger snap, the world was back to normal. The utensils, plates, and glasses that had been floating fell as gravity returned, but before crashing to the ground they suddenly stopped and gently set themselves down.

Majolica sat back down and crossed her arms. Annoyed, she loudly slurped the remnants of her drink through her crazy straw.

She then turned to @Rias while smiling authentically.

"Hehehe, sorry about all this! Hehe, today's been weird. Hehehe, usually everything's a lot less hectic! Hehehe!"

@Rias @Corvella @Iván Carl @Janet Reilly @Jasper

 

Still enjoying the flavour in her mouth from the majestic curry she would let herself zone out for a while to allow the taste lock in her memory...that was an experience she would like to remember for a life time but first she had to caprute the moment. However not a while after something interrupted her private space and made her eyes narrow as she looked up at the creepy figure (@Iván Carl). Again? Is she the only one that smell that...is she the only one who thinks that he's creepy as well?! And why does that 'ant juice' sound so creepily-scari-ish from him??? "Ant juice?..." she smiled not really wanting to mess around with foods that had that kind of names but the way his mask stared down at her send chills to her whole body. "Guess I'll have one...small...cup of juice...then!" Rias wasn't sure how big or small the cup for that drink was so she made it clear from the start that a small one! would be just perfect. "I have to say though...the curry is just a dream~ I wonder how you managed to make such a great taste from a game...perhaps my brother would be interested in knowing you and your cooking skills since he's a cook as well~!" Adding something off-topic to set her mind off the ant juice she would place her both hands on the table and smile politely since that was the only thing she could do...guilty for thinking he smelled bad without actually telling him.

Her eye caught a male walking all the way to her table...as usual one question stood out in her head...why he naked...with a smile. It was very convincing receiving a curry plate from a bare chested man (@Jasper) and of course not an unpleasant view specially because he took good care of his body and looked on point~
"Ah~! Thank you, sir. I'll gladly have a taste of this one it looks spicy...perfect for this mood." Okay she messed up with her speech...Rias was a bit distracted by the abs and muscles in front of her eyes...and who wouldn't? Watching as he walked away she would take the spoon ready to have a taste of the new curry and notice the sudden change in the air as well as the tone of the Witch.

Eyes on the @Grand Witch Majolica as she started to become more and more angry because of the whole thing getting to her, the atmosphere she created was indeed scary and intriguing at same time for the young newbie archer. She was amazed and frightened at the same time seeing what kind of powers Majolica had and of course lucky that this powers wasn't directed her way!
"Hmm...miss Majolica I want a hundred percent, surely, positively join your team! I am ready to go through the trail and become stronger! If you need me to become stronger first THEN I'll have it as my goal to join your side!" She suddenly said loud enough for maybe even more that the witch hear her as she already stood up and placed her foot on the chair, creating a positive and determined position. She liked that power, she liked the unique personalities of the members from Witch Ops and who said you have to be a witch to join one? Majolica already made it clear that an archer like her can join! "Of course...I would like to participate in the training camp first and see...if I can be of any good..." She added after a second slowly setting her body back on her chair realising she might have made a scene again.