An Offer You Can't Refuse [Done]

[Bee]

Vishne had wandered over to the dilapidated apartment he used to call home, carting a few basic food staples and some fresh-baked pastries. He knew Aiolos was lurking somewhere, but the house's main occupants were his aunt and baby sister, and he really didn't trust either of them to be able to feed themselves regularly. If he didn't have consistent proof that they did in fact inhale and exhale, he wouldn't have trusted either of them to breathe on their own regularly either.

Which wasn't to say that he didn't love them. He was bringing them cupcakes frosted to look like turtles, after all, which was an expression of adoration in its purest and most sugary form. It was just that they were both dottier than an acne-ridden teenager in a polka dot dress.

And neither of them were even home, apparently. Or maybe they were squirreled away in a lab. Or out indulging kleptomaniac tendencies.

Or maybe they were dead.

It was really hard to say.

Aiolos was in the kitchen, though. Vishne set the couple of bags down and proffered a cupcake.

[Dark]

Aiolos took the cupcake. Accepting Vishne’s offerings was easier than watching him pretend not to sulk for the next hour, and although Aiolos would never admit it, he rather enjoyed the sugary confections. He didn’t quite understand why Vishne had felt compelled to frost it to look like a turtle--it was rather disturbing, actually, and he took a bite out of it so it would stop staring--though he supposed Minh and Thalia would think that it was cute. They were a rather odd pair. Especially the little one; there was something not quite right about that one in the head.

He didn‘t bother to speak until he had finished the cupcake. “They’re all out. I don’t know where; I don’t know when they’ll be back.“ He had been enjoying a rare moment of blissful silence, and while Vishne was the least annoying of the extended family, he was still intruding on the moment. Not that Aiolos had to expected it to last long, and at least it was only Vishne.

“So you have a girlfriend, now.”

[Bee]

Vishne went a little pink, and was pleased that most of his face was pink anyway so it wasn't really noticeable. He nibbled a cupcake and nodded. There wasn't really much to add to that except "Yeah, she's great," so that's what he did. He needed to stop being so timid. It was just Aiolos. No need to fear the (former?) psychopathic Ace. Still. He sort of wanted Senka here to do the talking so he could go hide and bake something.

Or that Minh and Thalia were here. Thalia, at least, would be happy to supply most of the conversation. Though the conversation was just as likely to be about sparkling fish as anything approaching coherent.

He licked some frosting and tried to make with some sociable behavior. He liked Aiolos, after all. "Has Aunie Minh kept you busy helping her in the lab, or have you developed any hobbies?"

[Dark]

Aiolos felt mildly irritated as the presumption that his only worth was had by playing lab assistant to Minh‘s mad scientist--which wasn’t at all true, as he wasn’t keen on being blown up by volatile chemicals, unless Vishne meant to imply something kinky, which was an entirely different story--and the implication that he lacked hobbies. He read, didn’t he? He might have learnt late in life, but he was certainly making up for lost time. And he did plenty of other things, too.

“I make coffee.” Very good coffee, he was of the opinion. Ever since Minh had introduced him, he’d been rather taken with the sugary, caffeinated beverages, but one too many bad lattes had forced his hand and led him to experiment with making his own concoctions. It was a rather enjoyable process, and the scent of roasting coffee was--soothing.

It sounded rather bland spoken out loud, though.

[Bee]

Trying to push this conversation forward was rather like trying to inch a train car forward along the tracks using nothing but one's own strength. Vishne tried to give it another push.

"It's great with pastry," he agreed, staring intently at the crumbled remains of his turtle. "I don't make good drinks as often as I should. Usually just throw the pot on and let nature take its course, you know? I fail a little in that regard."

A lot of regards, actually, but that was neither here nor there. He knew what he knew. And what he knew were delicious baked goods. That was a decent contribution to the world, he felt; eventually, Corvie science would prove that warm croissants cured cancer, and the grateful people of the world would make him their god.

Or something. The plan was a little vague. He had time to iron out the wrinkles.

[Dark]

Aiolos refrained from commenting. Frankly, it was amazing that Vishne was good at anything, and a lack of proficiency in preparing palatable coffee was not surprising in the least. At least the kid could bake--it must have been the Fates’ way of making up for him sucking at everything else.

He starred at Vishne, contemplating. Aiolos wasn’t actually sure what Vishne did for a living--and didn’t particularly care--but the kid could make a half-way decent pastry chef with the right motivation--might as well take advantage of his one actual talent--and he could make a good career out of it. There was always a demand for pastry. And coffee.

Pastry and coffee. They went together rather well, actually. People generally liked at least one of them, if not both, and seemed willing to pay ridiculous prices to acquire them.

“Ever thought of opening a cafe?”

[Bee]

The thought had crossed Vishne's mind, of course, but he lacked the initiative or, really, the balls. (It was a chronic issue he was trying to remedy; he was enjoying very modest success.) The responsibility of opening one's own business! Managing accounts! Falsifying those accounts to hide your business partner's illicit expenses! Ordering supplies! Being in charge of underlings!

Somehow, every time he imagined it, it just sort of snowballed into him having a nervous breakdown and ending up under a pedestrian bridge on Main Street with a tiny sack of blow and a cardboard box, where even the most disease-ridden hookers wouldn't give him the time of day. It wasn't the life he wanted for himself. Clearly.

"In idle moments," he said, instead of pouring out his irrational daydreams, because it would doubtless irritate his Ace comrade. He paused. He raised an eyebrow curiously. "Why?"

[Dark]

Aiolos continued to stare at Vishne, head tilted slightly to the side as he thought. He hadn't had anything particular in mind when he had asked, but an idea--a scheme--was slowly taking shape, and he found himself rather fond of the dastardly plan.

As an Ace--his limbs trembled inperceptably with rage--he was considered less--no magic, no rank is a society where caste was everything--a waste of the air he breathed. He couldn't find employment, and he most certainly wasn't allowed to own property, but--

Aiolos had a distinct advantage over others labeled Ace--he flexed his very human fingers, and let the ghost of a smile slip across his visage--but even so, he couldn't risk anyone discovering his secret, and that was where Vishne would come in. Vishne, a very respectable Jack of Hearts, who could most certainly own property.

"I have a proposition for you, Vishne."

[Bee]

Vishne listened carefully as Aiolos explained his business plan--the practical upshot of which was that he was going to own a cafe in name, but Aiolos was going to run it, and Vishne was going to do his baking thing all over the place under his purview.

This sounded like a pretty good deal to Vishne; his overactive sense of doom worried miserably about what would happen if anyone found out an Ace was running the show, but Aiolos had a lot of stabby-rip-stab-stab at his disposal, and the possibility of anyone suspecting a human of being an Ace was pretty much non-existent. His sense of doom was more or less soothed.

He was used to getting bossed around anyway. Appearing to be in charge was okay so long as he actually wasn't; he wouldn't know what to do with himself. Oh, wait, yes he did: he would go bonkers.

"I think," he said, "that I like this plan."

[Dark]

It was probably a good thing that Vishne assented so readily, because if he had refused he would have found out rather quickly that he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter; Aiolos had made up his mind. Forcing Vishne to consent could have been rather entertaining, granted, but Aiolos had more important things to dedicate his time to at the moment.

“We need a venue.” The location had to be one where coffee and pastry would be welcome, so the merchant district was probably a good bet—thought property tended to be more expensive in that area. They’d lease a lot to begin with, but even then they were looking at a rather exorbitant amount and his funds were rather limited at the moment—though he was sure Minh would take care of any difference if he asked.

They’d have to start looking at properties post-haste—they were limited by their needs.

“Let’s go.”