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[clottedcream]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, CremeConsul. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 536.05.022.03 *** CremeConsul has joined 536.05.022.03 <CremeConsul> Greetings! You have reached Clotted Cream Cookie. I'm afraid that I am away at the moment, but if you are in need of private counsel, please leave a message for me and I will respond as quickly as I am able.

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<purevanilla> during his conversation with caviar

[purevanillacookie]

Hello Clotted Cream Cookie! Are you doing well? May I have your ear for a moment?

<CremeConsul>

[clottedcream]

Hello, Pure Vanilla Cookie. Yes, I'm doing alright. Is something the matter?

<purevanilla>

[purevanillacookie]

Oh no, my friend, there is nothing the matter. I simply wished to check up on you, and see if you have spoken with Captain Caviar Cookie lately?

<CremeConsul>

[clottedcream]

[... ah. This. Though, that phrasing makes him wonder.]

I... have not. Is he alright?

<purevanilla>

[purevanillacookie]

[It's no secret what the two had been through, but even if Caviar hadn't asked him for his help, Pure Vanilla believes it is time the two try to recover.]

Oh, he is as well as he can be, I would say, but I was wondering if you would be up for aiding him in the repairs of his ship? There are several spots you would be able to reach far easier with your form, and though the Captain may not say it, I believe he would appreciate your company, and to get to know you better as a Cook- well, as a person, and not as the Consul.

Sometime during the AU event, midmonth Septemberish

[charmpagne]

[It's been just long enough that Sparkling has taken note that things are a bit...strange on the peninsula right now, as it were. Not that that's an unusual occurance- that happens often here- but he simply can't understand how he's been affected personally. Yet, people keep reacting to him oddly, as if what he's saying to them is strange...the same thing happened with Pure Vanilla, who swore that he's meant to be a Vampire.

A Vampire! He can't imagine it.

For by Sparkling's memories, he's been a Merman for almost two years now. The little cove connected to the sea in the basement of the Grapevine simply makes sense. Of course it would exist. Why wouldn't it, when two Mers live in the vicinity? Two Mers that are really only safest from this constant rainstorm while in the water. Trying to do basically anything outside right now is basically impossible, after all...and since the bar wouldn't be opening up for another couple hours, Sparkling decides to take to the depths where he's the most comfortable.

He's already at the water's edge as it laps a bit more roughly than usual against the rocky alcove where the opening of the cave meets the sea, peering out into the turbulent waves. He's also already in the midst of transforming given how the water is washing up over his feet, prompting him to quickly get on his knees and dunk his head under the water before he can't stand up any longer. He peers through the surf, searching for any familiar flashes of gold and green.]

CC? [Yes he says it like Cee-cee.] Are you down there?

[clottedcream]

[Strange things have been happening, indeed! While he can't tell that he's been affected himself, Clotted Cream has certainly noticed a change in his fellow cookies. Pure Vanilla's changes have been subtle, but noticeable, like something just slightly wrong that he can't place. Sparkling, on the other hand, has changed monster types entirely.

He isn't the only Mer in the Grapevine anymore, and something about that just has him feeling elated. Even if Sparkling claims to have been this way the whole time, it's easy to ignore that and chalk it up to this month's occurrences. There's a social itch that he hadn't realized he'd been feeling, and having another Mer in the house just feels... right, somehow.

Being beneath the waves is the most comforting place for him with the weather as it is, and so he's taken to just... staying there, most of the day. And that's exactly where he is now, in the bottom of the alcove, shuffling through a pile of things that glitter and gleam in the light that filters through the water. At the sound of his name being called - and the nickname, which makes his heart soar, knowing he is close enough to have earned a nickname - he looks up, and spotting Sparkling up near the surface, he quickly clasps something in his hand and ascends, smiling brightly.]

Sparkling! Are you not getting prepared for the evening?

[charmpagne]

Oh, I probably should be! [Sparkling] But I wanted to come down here instead! The bar runs like a well-oiled machine at this point, so there's not that much prep that needs doing. It's fine!

[Back when he first opened, a lot of the initial opening stuff he had to do himself...but now he has employees that help him out with that, so it's a lot easier for him to actually live his life instead of devoting 150% of it to his work.

Which is why Clotted Cream will see the very, VERY long koi fish Mer suddenly slip headfirst into the water, his body snaking into the salty brine after him so he can meet Clotted Cream in the middle.

Pretty much immediately, he bumps their foreheads gently together, nuzzling his temple against the other's.]

What are you up to down here? Organizing your collection?

[clottedcream]

[It's true that Sparkling seems to have an abundance of hands ready to help him out with the Grapevine. Definitely not a bad thing. The two of them are alike in that regard, all too eager to bury themselves in their work and let the world flow by. This change, in that regard, is good for Sparkling, he thinks.

Being graced by Sparkling's full presence - and what a full presence it is, that water form is long - is an honor that makes his heart skip a beat. Much less the, ah. Much more affectionate gesture. His cheeks flush a light, dusty pink, and he laughs softly.]

Something like that. I was looking for something.

[Oh, he hasn't really prepared himself for it, but... well. He's already holding it. It's hard to hide the fact that he has something in his hand. No time like the present.

Clotted Cream pulls his hand from behind his waist, cupping both of them together as he opens his fingers and reveals a small pendant, gold in a circular wave-like design, inlaid with small diamonds and a pearl in the very center.]

I... wanted you to have this. For your collection.

[or to wear if he wants to it's no big deal really]

[charmpagne]

[Sparkling, meanwhile, is constantly moving even as he makes it to Clotted Cream. He swims in a circle around him, the rest of the length of his body trailing after him in a wide arc that sort of loops around both of them, all the way until he's made a complete circut and is facing him again, with one hand propped up beneath his chin.]

Oh? And what might this "something" be?

[He's curious, if the way he tilts his head is any indication, drawn in by the promise of something sparkly like any of their ilk would be. It isn't until Clotted Cream actually pulls it out from behind his waist that Sparkling gets a proper look, and given how close the other Mer is, he can probably see the light glint off of it, reflecting in Sparkling's eyes.]

Oh...oh this is beautiful...

[He reaches out tentatively, as if he's not sure if it's really okay for him to touch, before he moves to carefully take it from his hands.]

Are you sure you want me to have this? It looks rather priceless.

The day following The Incident(tm)

[charmpagne]

[Due to the shortages and riots going on, the Grapevine had been closed for a few days both while Sparkling was busy in Djävulenstad and immediately following to give him a chance to get the bar ready to reopen. The timing couldn't have worked out better, considering how much ends up happeining in the following days. Violence unprecedented between humans and monsters breaking out in the streets, discontent brewing...despite all of his attempts to maintain a safe home away from potential dangers such as this, Sparkling can't plan for everything.

He's had nightmares before, on all sorts of subjects, circling and mashing together every terrible thing that's happened in Ryslig so far, but this time? This time, he dreams of Clotted Cream, broken and bloody, dying in his arms. There's nothing he can do but wake and assure himself that it's a dream, nothing more than that, and that Clotted Cream in reality is currently recovering on Pure Vanilla's sofa.

It's miserable. But he can't simply stop because of it.

The Vampire goes about his day as normal, and though the plan is to avoid Bavan entirely, there's something he wants to do that he simply can't do here at the Mile. Luckily for him, the ability to take the form of mist to travel means he can get in and out of the city without encountering the humans at all. He has something to pick up, which he does so and leaves without lingering for a moment more. He does cover up as a precaution, both from being recognized and the sun since he has to come by early evening, but it works. People are too riled up to notice his clawed feet as he moves in and out of the shops, and he's human passing enough otherwise so long as he keeps his ears covered.

By the time he gets back to the Mile, it's dark. It's morning for Sparkling, evening for everyone else. He isn't sure if Clotted Cream is awake, or if he's napped intermittently throughout the day. Regardless, he knocks softly on Pure Vanilla's door before letting himself in. It's quiet as he makes his way in, so he stays as quiet as he can just in case Clotted Cream is sleeping...at least until he notices the Minotaur piled up asleep in the corner on a rug nearby, which causes Sparkling to sag with relief. Alright. Maybe he'll just leave it and go, then...

He tiptoes up, placing a vase filled with yellow roses on the table near the couch. It's within eyesight of where Clotted Cream would be resting, so even if he is asleep, he'll see it when he wakes up.]

[clottedcream]

[Since the attack, Clotted Cream has spent his time flitting in and out of unconsciousness. His body needs the rest, it says to him, and makes his head feel light and his eyelids heavy. The majority of the first day was spent asleep, actually, but it's done wonders on his body's ability to heal already. Part of it is likely the fog, too, but sleep? Sleep is invaluable.

Tonight, though, he's only dozing. With how much sleep he'd had in the past 24 hours, his body is willing to make an exception, and since the sun went down he's been mostly awake while resting his eyes, briefly taking a moment to ask for his laptop to put a brief message out but otherwise resting, as Pure Vanilla has mandated.

Luckily for Sparkling, he's dozing once more as the Vampire sneaks into the room. The noise of the knock and the door opening only rouse him halfway, like a whale rising to the surface for air only to submerge again. Funny enough, it's the sound of the vase being placed on the table so close to his head that makes him finally open his eyes. He assumes at first that it's Pure Vanilla, come to bring him something, but spotting the sheep curled up in the corner makes him question. It's clearly not Pure Vanilla, so that must mean--]

... mmh. Sparkling...?

[charmpagne]

[Ah. Sparkling tenses a little when he hears Clotted Cream speaking, though he can't deny the way his heart soars to hear his voice. He knew he was probably okay under Pure Vanilla's watchful eye, but still...he's been worried sick ever since. But letting Clotted Cream rest was their first priority so the Fog could do its work, so he was fine to begrudgingly leave him to some privacy...

Well. Perhaps not now.]

Oh, yes...it's me. I'm sorry if I woke you.

[He's still speaking in something of a whisper, not wanting to wake Pure Vanilla as well. After making sure the vase isn't going to fall or get accidentally knocked over where it is, he steps around the side of the couch so he can kneel beside where Clotted Cream lays, offering him a smile that's the best he can muster, too perfect and too manufactured to be entirely real.]

I was just dropping something off...I can let you get back to sleep, if I did.

[clottedcream]

[Oh, it is Sparkling. His heart flutters in his chest and his lips curl up at the edges. It feels like it's been both no time at all and so long since he's seen Sparkling's face. He wants to sit up and see it again.]

No, no. I've been awake for a while, I was just dozing.

[Clotted Cream moves to sit up, but he's still quite sore, and he winces sharply as the movement pulls on aching muscles. Oh, he's going to need help for this.]

The pillow, please. If you don't mind.

[If he has it behind his back, he can sit up with no problem.]

[charmpagne]

Hm...? O-oh, yes! Of course, let me...

[Sparkling quickly moves to grab for the pillow already laying on the couch nearby, carefully situating it behind Clotted Cream's back for him. He'll even take a moment to fluff it up a little bit for him, making sure it's secure so it won't slip off.]

There. Does that feel alright?

Oct...let's say 22ndish| this thread will get NSFW you've been warned

[charmpagne]

[For the last week, their life had been confined to a small, immobile magic house that they're honestly lucky to have to begin with. Had Pure Vanilla not asked Mana for the hut when he did, they and quite a few others would have been completely homeless. It's not an ideal setup even slightly, but it's manageable...and Sparkling is thankful for it, make no mistake. He'd glad that not only do the Cookies have somewhere safe to ride out this disaster, but Beat and his household as well.

But it's difficult. The living space is cramped, tensions are simmering, and both food and water are scarce. Sparkling hasn't been far from Clotted Cream's side since they'd escaped the pier, but even then he has to go out searching for supplies at nighttime when able. Staying put just is not tenable, especially for him when he has to be drinking blood daily. Even if he just leaves for a few hours at a time...

Tonight, though, Sparkling decides to invite Clotted Cream along with him. Logically, having him stay at the hut would be ideal- safer- but he's known him long enough now to be able to tell that the other is not doing terribly well, and it isn't just from the lack of fresh water. Getting out from under the others for even just a few hours would do him some good, which is why he's walking arm-in-arm with the Mer down one of Bavan's many wrecked streets.

It's eerie. It's very quiet in the city with little signs of life, because what humans and monsters haven't evacuated are holed up in the Mall or other safehouses, trying to keep others out as they hoard their meager supplies. To that end, it means that all of the stores along the strip have been completely looted, but there's still a chance things could be missed. They have to look, just in case.

Sparkling comes to a stop at a corner where it's uncomfortably dark, the lack of electricity meaning that the streets have no lights to see by. It makes going inside even less appealing, but they have no choice. It wouldn't do now to come back empty handed, which is why he gently urges Clotted Cream with him towards the store, all of its windows broken out.]

This way. There might be something left behind here.

[clottedcream]

[Sparkling is right, honestly. While fresh and safe water has been rough to come by, between bottled water and falling rain, he's at least surviving. Avoiding drying out on land, and all that. But really, when your body craves the sea, desperately wants to swim in it to the point that it feels less an urge and more of a necessity and you can't, it leaves an uncomfortable void in its wake. One that only grows deeper by the day, and it's putting him on edge, making him very subtly irritable when normally he's anything but.

It makes sense that Sparkling would notice it. It's a very vague thing, but is still evident in the way that he tenses at the slightest loud noise, how he seems a bit more inclined to tap his foot in the air when he sits with one knee over the other, fingers splayed across his lips and a furrow in his brow like he's in deep thought.

When you normally have the sea as your back yard, to swim in whenever you please in peace and solitude, losing it is difficult. Even more so when it's been the go-to place when things get stressful.

Going out tonight is a godsend. It will help him work off a bit of that stagnant energy, and hopefully be productive in the process. Yet another of the things he lost when everything came quite literally crashing down: there's only so much work to keep his mind preoccupied.

Clotted Cream follows Sparkling's lead on this one. Sticking to the shadows is a safe bet, and staying close is even better. Bavan looks... nothing like it once did, and it's surprising how quickly everything around them just went downhill. Like nature itself has had enough, and is taking everything back. Add in the broken storefront windows and how silent and dark everything is, and it's uncomfortably eerie.

But supplies must be found. They have no other choice.]

Keep your ears open. Your senses are better than mine.

[But he's small, relatively, and he's quick. Making it to the store is the easy part. Judging whether or not anyone is in there is the real challenge.

There's a piece of steel rebar in his free hand. He grips it tightly, ready to swing if he has to. He's no fighter, not like this, but desperate times call for desperate measures.]

[charmpagne]

[With how much wildlife has overtaken Bavan in such a short amount of time, it's quite literally becoming an urban jungle. It isn't just destruction they have meeting them, but these awful vines twisting up and around everything, mushrooms coming from god knows where, and of course all of the sinkholes and gaps in the concrete caused by recent earthquakes. In fact, they felt a small tremor on the way here, so there's a chance it could worsen if they stay too long. Yet, Sparkling feels no real urgency to get back just yet. He wants to stay with Clotted Cream for a little longer.

Just Clotted Cream. Nearly losing him twice in one week has left him rattled.

Into the store they go, and they're met almost immediately with disappointment. Not only have the shelves been picked clean, but a lot of them have been knocked over into the aisles. What cans and bottles remain are broken or already opened, and even in desperate times Sparkling isn't sure they can trust eating something potentially expired. He tries not to let the negativity set in though as he methodically goes through what they find piece by piece, turning cans over just in case he misjudged them at a glance.

But it's slow. His arm is still broken, trussed to his body in a makeshift sling, and his free hand he mostly keeps held tight to Clotted Cream's, as if he's afraid the Mer may simply vanish if he lets him go. As they make it towards the back of the store, Sparkling comes to a stop, closing his eyes for a moment.]

...nothing here, either. Maybe...we should take a break.

[clottedcream]

[... nothing. Absolutely nothing. While that's good in one sense - no humans or other monsters to contend with - it's demoralizing in another. So far, they've got nothing to show for the time they've spent tonight. Nothing but once perfectly good cans, spilled across the floor.

His hand squeezes tightly around the rebar, but the rest of him remains just as lax as ever in Sparkling's touch.]

... if you need a break, please, let me keep watch.

[Sparkling is injured, after all. Maybe there's a bit of displaced and undeserved anger at the Naphil that guards the hut during the day for not healing Sparkling's injury, even though he knows realistically that such a thing doesn't come without consequences, but there's so much for him to be angry about right now, and that's just a convenient target. It's innocent if it isn't acted upon, right?]

[charmpagne]

[Oh. He...wasn't expecting him to offer that. Not to say it isn't appreciated, but...Sparkling lets his eyes scan the the rest of the store, ransacked and disheveled as it is. Clotted Cream being on edge has not gone under Sparkling's radar, but he seems to be especially touchy today compared to what he's been used to. It's a touch worrying...and also, he has to admit to himself that he really doesn't want to be alone right now. He had Clotted Cream come with him for a reason, after all, and half that reason was privacy.]

Clotted Cream...

[It's the first time he's said his full name in a while instead of truncating it with a nickname, his thumb brushing over the scales along the back of his hand.]

Actually, I...I was hoping you would sit with me. It's alright if you'd rather not, I just...

<KrisKringle>

[getmeoutofthedraft]

Ho ho ho! Your Secret Santa recipient is Donatello Hamato!

Get Donatello a present by December 26, and if you can't figure out how to deliver it, you can drop it off (clearly labelled, please!) at Crowe Clinic up until the 24th.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT DONATELLO:
- He's a cat
- His brother's a turtle
- I don't know, you figure it out.

Backdated to Dec 4th

[charmpagne]

[Sparkling had always intended this to be a surprise.

His memories of spending time with Clotted Cream as a merperson had been blurry, at best. It seemed like a life he personally didn't lead, as if he were recalling a vague dream he'd had but not much else. Nothing truly substantial. He's sure that Clotted Cream remembers it more than he does and, well.

Sparkling just so happens to have a surplus of coins he's not currently using. Why not put them to good use?

It's early in the morning as he plunges into the sea, dropping himself in from the dock instead of taking the path through the cove, knowing that Clotted Cream is probably already there. He intends to swim from the docks up to the cove the long way around, so he can try to get the jump on him.

Now the question is: Where is he?}

[clottedcream]

[Clotted Cream is indeed already at the cove! Though only about half as often these days as he used to, he does tend to sleep here, lulled by the gentle roll of the waves and the safety and security of the cave. It's his territory, it's where he hides his treasure trove. It's a home away from his home away from home, so to speak.

This morning, he's already in the process of the near-ritualistic inventory taking of his hoard. Because of this, he's not exactly paying as much attention to the waters around and behind him, much of his focus aimed towards ensuring everything is as it should be. It would be, for once, quite easy to sneak up on him. How fortuitous for Sparkling!]

Mm... Is there a gem missing from this pendant? I could have sworn...

[He's even mumbling to himself, rolling a gold pendant between his fingers as he inspects it.]

[charmpagne]

[Ah-ha.

Sparkling smirks, his tail flipping behind him as he swims slowly closer, ear-fins perked forward as he listens to his boyfriend mumble to himself. He struggles to remain quiet as he cuts silently through the water, leaving a minute trail of bubbles in his wake. Of course Clotted Cream is tending to his hoard, like the fastidious person he knows him to be.

It gives Sparkling the perfect opportunity to sweep his tail around him in a large arc from behind as he pops up in his peripheral vision on his left side, grinning from ear-to-ear.]

Would you like some help?~

[clottedcream]

[At this point, Clotted Cream's focus is such that anything popping up in his peripheral would have startled him. The swish of Sparkling's tail catches his attention, making him jolt, but a quick glance that way tells him nothing.

And then a familiar voice is on his other side, and when he turns, there's someone there. Someone that shouldn't be. His fins flare instinctively from the sudden surprise, but even beneath the surface of the water, the flush that floods his face is obvious.]

S-Sparkling?!

[No, it can't be. Sparkling is a Vampire, he wouldn't look like this - wouldn't look like he did that one week a couple of months ago. It can't be. Is this another event? It is about time for the fog to roll in--]