escordvi | [OPEN] May Catch-All

Entry tags:

[OPEN] May Catch-All

Who: Fantomex and you!
Status: Open
Where: Various locations
What: Some General prompts and MANTA prompts
Warnings: No trigger warnings except for Jean-Phillipe's sarcasm

Eltrut | Surasthana Cafe | OTA
[Admittedly, Fantomex sticks out among even the ecclectic denizens that call Eltrut, and really all the leviathans of Escordvi. He's yet to finish a job, and thus the only cloths he has available to him is the white and black striped jump-suit he ~~died~~ arrived in, though his mask would complete the ensemble, he's stuck in only the body suit. His hair is black, wavy, and looks to be in need of a trim. He has shaved recently, as evidenced by the clean face, and he's sipping an espresso near a window while reading through a copy of Treasure Plane by Roger Lucas Stetsenton. He wagered if he was supposed to be a pirate, he'd need review precisely what one got up to. He was a jewel thief, not a swashbuckler after all.

After a moment, he looks to the demitasse, moderately impressed, and when he speaks to whomever might be listening nearby, his voice is baritone and accented with French, though anyone familiar with the French might note it sounds slightly off, the accent.]

Passable espresso. Now all that's missing is a croissant. A shame, really. It's almost a charming cafe.

[wildcard]
(Want to meet Fantomex but don't like the idea of the cafe? Throw up something of your own! If you'd like to plot something out, my CR workshop post is here, and I'm also available on plurk at

vikael, discord at vikael, or you can just PM the journal!)

MANTA prompts
Located in a separate comment below!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm sure there are, but any cafe willing to call itself one ought to sell some of those pastries with their coffee, wouldn't you agree?

[He turns a page in the book, and by all appearances is continuing to read while they talk.]

I would, but they know more of coffee and books than of pastries. [Spoken as if familiar with the owners; which was true to some extent. One not as cautious as his husband, given they were from the same world.

The other reason she didn't come by often, to not give someone a stroke being on edge so much.]

A reason I tend to visit bakers on my own before coming by here, if not simply to take back to my own press.

You're familiar with the proprietors, then.

[he nods.]

Maybe you could float the idea of purchasing pastries to sell here by them.

Indeed; they watched over two of my Children before I arrived here, given they wished for those of our world to keep in touch.

[A little amusement just there in her tone, but it was a ghost of what it could be.

A nail tapped the bag in her other hand, holding it just in view-]

I could, but I imagine our brief talks are something one would like less of. Still, one can hope if they can stand the idea of food anywhere near their books for long- and they get someone to cook, given they'd be more interested in food from their own tastes.

A little nudge never hurts, all the same.

[He catches the subtle emphasis on "Children", as though the word was capitalized. What an odd inflection. Was she, perchance, referred to creations rather than offspring?]

I would argue the coffee is more of a threat to the literature.

[Maybe a small nudge to see if he can get more information.]

Kind of them to watch out for your children, though. Common worlds don't necessarily require communication.

[She could imagine the chaos that would happen, the books and the chessboards-]

Given they mix the two quite often, it may slip their minds.

[The bag was set on the table, well within his reach. Apparently she wasn't fussed in parting if he decided to take up the wordless offering.

Arlecchino had quite the taste when it came to pastry accompaniment.]

It was, and I've made sure to thank them for it. I suppose they wanted to seek out familiarity when finding themselves here- a world in common was enough.

[A trained assassin, Fantomex is skilled in reading body language, and Arlecchino's isn't precisely subtle and he will be taking her up on that offer, reaching to retrieve the bag and with a subtle but appreciative nod.]

Generous. Will you be staying?

[He motions toward the other chair, currently unoccupied, at the table.]

[~~So two trained assassins share a table at a café—~~Fresh baked that day, and still warm. Fortunate timing really- that and Arlecchino had a little trick for keeping things warm when she didn't find it silly.

There was a thoughtful, faint hum, before she did make her way to take that seat, legs crossing. A 'to go' coffee cup sat just on the table.]

I may as well, for a moment. There are two in there after all.

[One to a sweeter taste than the other; she enjoyed both, and made it easy to spare either.]

[At least she wasn't manufactured to be one...unless she was, in which case these two are a pair.]

And yet you were simply offering. You are generous.

[He doesn't waste any more time, opening the bag and selecting one.]

My name is Jean-Phillipe, by the way. Charmed, I'm sure.

[Taken in as a war orphan and trained to be, kill or be killed- and 'Mother's' favorite.]

From time to time, and more than some would ever suspect. Certain moments call for a bit of generosity after all.

[Some would expect none, but of course she was using rumors to paint herself as quite the monster- back home. Here was an odd sort of balance.

The bag was taken and she took the other-]

Arlecchino, a pleasure. Would you happen to be a new arrival, Monsieur?

[Ah so they do have something,/I> in common. He was his "mother's" favorite, too.]

Indeed, and kindness is free. At least they'd have you believe that to be true.

[He nods at her question.]

Is my tourist showing?

[Satisfaction was taken in killing "Mother"- some degree of it at least.]

Always a price, even if not always intentionally so.

[A small sip of her coffee, letting the cup be held as a nail tapped briefly.]

A tad- though I imagine some won't pick up on it right away. Others will, depending on the questions asked.

[Ah, in that they differ. Mother was the only reason Jean-Phillipe had a heart.]

There is, isn't there? Most often, it's the mistake that you're friends, now.

[And Jean-Phillipe isn't fool enough to think so.]

Well, I found the lad's washroom without having to ask, so I suppose I'm better than most.

["Mother" endlessly tortured Arlecchino's only friend- and said friend the only reason she didn't seriously consider the idea of killing her until the girl was dead. That friend a reason Arlecchino has any affection anywhere in her bones.]

A strength to some, a weakness to others. A price to be paid should anything happen as well.

[Much was kept to her own hand, why so few knew anything of her past. Why she would kill for her Children, but also give them the chance to prove they could survive freedom.

Her chin rested just on the back of a hand; and all the better to finally see the black and metallic coloration there was skin rather than glove or jewelry.]

Much more in your corner than some. A skill for observation can also put more in your favor, which of course those who lack it make up for being rather loud.

[Jean-Phillipe has seen plenty of mutants with physical mutations, if not in person than when he studied them in order to discern how best to kill them, and he doesn't think too much about her coloration, filing it away instead in his third brain, the one without morals, in case it was needed at a later date. He may have run away from the life of a Weapon, but that didn't mean his nature didn't follow him.]

Oh, debts certainly have their uses. [As long as one accrued them properly.]

It's often the loud ones, isn't it?

Indeed they do- sometimes no matter the reason they've been acquired over time.

[But also a reason she tended to repay her own quickly, while taking her time to see what those owed to her could do. Usually never used for her own sake, but it didn't hurt to play up how some saw her given her predecessor's reputation attached to her when she took the title of Knave.]

Oh, quite often. They can be useful here and there of course, distraction or flushing out what was aimed for.

They do tend to be friendly on occasion.

[Oh yes, they were certainly better to have than to owe, and he endeavors to keep the owing to am minimum himself. It's a rather effective quid pro quo system, really.]

Often a bit overly friendly, their usefulness usually makes up for it.

More often than not, and can be just as true here as anywhere else. Then again, knowing the right people can be just as useful.

[Even if it took quite a lot for her to ever consider anyone a 'friend' in turn, no matter how friendly she could be or they acted in turn. Sometimes choices meant... certain divisions had to be considered.]

That's true enough.

[He doesn't say anything further for a moment. sipping his coffee and sliding his book closed before added, casually.]

And are you the right people?

[She hummed, the sound surprisingly soft-]

That depends, I do certainly work with information often enough- and it is a habit I've kept up here. Amongst a few other things.

[Politely worded, and just vague enough for implications and assumptions alike.]

That may be, but the "right" people are sometimes just the ones able to get into anyone's good graces and willing to share what they know.

[Spoken as though commenting on the weather rather than using people for his own ends, as he takes a sip of coffee and a bite of pastry.]

Gads, where did you say you got these?

Some fall short of being in those good graces at times, but I'm also not saying you're wrong. I tend to lead a little more... diplomatically, if I have to.

[Not something she entirely enjoyed, but it meant she knew how to play the game in political matters; had used them in order to come to some agreements. Information and wording were certainly one power to have.

Here? She knew where to look for information, and rebuild a sort of web.

A small gesture to the empty bag.]

The market, early enough there is quite the choice- and of course some have stalls to advertise their bigger shops. Daily Kneads has other baked goods when I want something different, but for a taste like home there is an old stall in that market called simply Le Pain; that is where these are from. It is just to the right when you enter from the south end.

Oh, were we talking about leadership? Here I thought we were discussing usefulness. Do you have a team, then?

[Or an organization. Whatever you'd like to call it, really.

And he makes a mental note to try those establishments when next he's in the market for decent pastry, likely in the morning.]

Thank you, I'll have to give them a glance.

I mean more conversation lead, given I do have to spend time acting the part of diplomat back home. Here I've been able to do without and lean more into what I know best.

... Though, that isn't to say I don't have a... group, shall we say.

[Vague, and she could have it go one of two ways- would it be the one she was a part of when she'd had little choice, or the family she had built up once taken from a cruel woman? Even if Arlecchino knew she was only doing a little better. No children fighting each other to the death-

There was a slow sip of her coffee after some bite of baked good.]

I do highly recommend Le Pain if it's a more familiar taste you are after, Daily Kneads is far more adventurous when it comes to flavors that they do pull off very well.

[Ah, so he'd found the edges of the underworld of this place. That was fortunate. Now he just needed to work his way into Arlecchino's good graces.]

A "group" but not a crew?

[He's pretty sure that's what the groups in this place call themselves.]

I'll probably patron both, thank you for the recommendations.

[OPEN] May Catch-All

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Sorry for taking so long to hit this back- hit a real hard number of days.

♥ no worries

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