Promotional materials!

[nonehorse]

To celebrate the opening of Khan el-Khalili down in Caihong, I'm doing a one time only offer!

Ask a question, and post a number between (and including) 0 and 21. Or, if you have something more complex than that, you're welcome to come on down to the shop itself and book in for a reading! I also sell fresh eggs, incense, cooking spices hand-dried by me, and other goods from local artisans!



I can also be found in the Groves on the weekends outside of Sanguis, Iris, and Triple Moon days.

Comments

[nonehorse]

[Well there's always Jotaro who would be Very Interested in Zed. HM.

Also wow, skateboard?? THAT IS VERY HIP AND COOL TO AVDOL, he's instantly fascinated for a good second or two. Goddamn Zed, you're a cool dude. Hood, skateboard, generally Cool Cucumber...ANYWAY, THINKIN' ABOUT ZED'S COOLNESS IS ONLY MAKING HIM LOOK LIKE A WEENIE, so Avdol clears his throat and beams as he bustles on over instead.]

Thank you! I don't expect the same success as I knew at home-- which wasn't anything worth writing home about anyway, but enough to get by. But people are interested, and that's enough for me! Besides. [Time to lean in like they're co-conspirators and stage whisper away, apparently.] It's not as though I won't have my breaks. Sanguis, Iris, Triple Moon! All times that I'll be closed. So it'll work out perfectly, don't you think?

Anyway! Come, come; I owe you a drink, some sweets of your choosing, and a good few stories. Which do you prefer? Ghost ship, imaginary friend turning out to be quite real, or the time I died but not really? [Sorry Zed. You're 100% in the Good Pal Zone, and that means that it's open season on friendly tactility; Avdol very nearly almost goes in for an arm around the shoulders, before deciding that a one-handed squeeze is the better option...And even then, that's purely because of the breathing apparatus, rather than any apprehension.] I know a nice little teahouse nearby; I've been their best client the past few weeks, ha!

[flying_fish]

[HMMMM.

He's just a nerd cool guy who loves butterflies, writes poetry about the ocean, and can keep up with cars thanks to his wind powers. Also three idiots on a moped make a clown car, and he wants none of that.

He actually doesn't get why the stage whisper is happening, but okay. The moons would cut out a large chunk of time...not that they'd be hanging out for obvious reasons. But whatever, he's glad for the shoulder squeeze and not having to feel a shift in his gear. Ready to follow along to whatever teahouse!]

Ghost ship, definitely. [SORRY MAN, BUT HE DOESN'T WANT to get too close to the topic of Avdol's death even if he seems okay with offering such a story.] And you pick-- lunch break from hell or a missing bomb.

[nonehorse]

[That's it he's Jotaro's type of person, Avdol has sent the text asking if Jotaro wants to meet the very nice fish man who won't talk his ear off (and who is used to being part of a fucking circus, apparently), it is Done. Welcome to Momhammed Avmom constantly trying to introduce his friends to new people whether they like it or not. ...And also making them go to teahouses he approves of without really thinking to ask, just because clearly all his friends like tea. Who doesn't like tea and traversing the backstreets to get to said tea?

Whiiiich is what he's doing, apparently. Why not just go down dark alleyways to get to a teahouse which is surely reputable.]

Understandable! It wasn't literally a ghost ship, but...Well, I'll save the rest for once we're seated, of course. Since I heard of the long day from hell last time, though...How about the missing bomb? Though hopefully, we can squeeze in the lunch break from hell too. I'll have to make sure to keep you well-fed and watered for that!

Do you like sweet beans? Or more Western sweets?

[flying_fish]

[Running around dark and dangerous alleyways is practically a daily routine for Zed back in HL, so there's no hesitation from him while following along. He's so desensitized to shady-looking places. This is fine, totally normal.

Also how dare it not be a literal ghost ship in an underwater adventure.]

I certainly wouldn't mind telling you both. And I've gotten used to Western sweets, but I'm not picky. [But if they're talking about other sweet foods, he does like a good slushie...

There's a pause while Zed shifts his skateboard under his arm, and then he speaks up more tentatively--]

On my way here, I was thinking about my question for a reading. There's someone back home I want to meet again, but I'm conflicted about what I should do if I were to see him again. So I'd like to see what the cards have to say...

[nonehorse]

[Big Mood to be honest; what's the point of living in a city if you can't navigate it like the back of your hand in a pinch, right down to the dark alleys and sewers???

look buddy you want underwater adventures you're gonna have to ask about the first death!!! you had your chance, Zed!!!

That just cements Avdol's decision to go all out on the mooncakes and shit, though; part of him just wants to see if he can get Zed to like them as much, and the rest of him isn't...So fond of the patisseries in Caihong. Too much cream to be good for his waistline. Still, he only hums automatic assent until Zed's actual question sinks in...

When they're outside the teahouse, apparently. He's literally opening the door when he stops and processes it. Hum.]

Oh! I...It would be my pleasure to do a reading for you, then. I have my deck with me, so once we're seated, I'll do a single card draw for you. Is that alright? Sorry, I...Might be hungry, so I was distracted. But it really would be my honour to do a reading for you...A proper one, too. No gimmicks.

[flying_fish]

[But making friend think about death is not niiiiice.

Zed pauses as well in front of the opened door to blink at Avdol's explanation, and then chuckling:]

No need to apologize. That sounds fine.

[After they grab a table and order (a matcha latte for him and whatever sweets Avdol recommends), Zed props his skateboard up against the wall and glances around to really take in the scenery. Nothing too suspicious looking, but he's only checking because of mentioning the lunch break from hell. Don't see machine guns or an excessive number of cameras on the ceiling, so it's all good.]

I can pay you for the reading, whether it's sending chroma to your account or holding hands. [ARE THEY ALLOWED TO HOLD HANDS now that Avdol's dating? It's half the reason why he asks.]

[nonehorse]

[Egg tarts? Egg tarts. A tray of egg tarts and a pot of honey chrysanthemum tea, and only one of those items is getting shared, thank you very much. (For the best, really; what's Avdol going to do with all those egg tarts if he doesn't share them? He can't feed them to the girls, that's barbaric.)]

Pay-- Zed. I might be a businessman, but that doesn't mean that I'm above doing nice things for friends. Or are you asking about moonlacing because you need a hit? I'm sure that Leone won't mind if I help a friend, and if he does, then I think we need to have a conversation about that, don't you? [And holding hands is nothing in Lunatia anyway, isn't it? But the point's been made, and they have drinks and food to wait on, so that means it's time to bring out the deck and start shuffling.]

What was the question again? About your friend, right? That should be fine with a single card draw, yes...

[flying_fish]

I ask because of my respect your trade and your status as a businessman. [Mostly simple, just trying to be polite. As for the mention of Leone, Zed vaaaaguely recalls that name from somewhere, but he doesn't think too much on it. He also shrugs because Sanguis territorial habits sure are a thing.

A friend, though? Oh, he must have given the wrong impression. Zed almost wants to laugh, and he shutters the sudden soreness behind a neutral expression.]

He's more like...the closest thing I have to a relative. [Even that is pushing it, but he doesn't want to come out and say that he's thinking of his creator.]

What should I do if I meet him?

[nonehorse]

[OHHHHHHH pow right to the heart, goddamn it Zed stop being so good what the FUCK. Avdol's expression contorts for a second, even as he shuffles his cards, but it's for the overwhelmingly positive for once. Ahh. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH.

Okay, phew. Chill your tits there, buddy. One card juts out a little when he fans the deck out, so out it comes: the Priestess!]

Sorry for my misunderstanding, heh. On both fronts; you really are too generous a person, Zed, and more patient than 99% of my clients from back home. I'd have gotten my ears chewed off if I didn't have the details correct. Anyway! Priestess. ...Interesting. [He taps the card against his lip in thought, mulling it all over for a moment as he looks very, very hard at Zed.]

I think that...You should remember that your own counsel is the most important thing. I doubt that you'd suddenly become an over-emotional mess in the face of meeting this person, but it's a reminder, I think, to keep your wits about you all the same. But don't shut them out either! The Priestess has a receptive mind, but ultimately keeps her own counsel, and is incredibly independent. ...I hope that makes sense! It's an unusual card to get for this sort of query, but an important message all the same.

[flying_fish]

[...Zed really can't help but think that Avdol should find better company with that kind of response. Also fortunetelling seems like a harsher business than he expected, if that's what his clients are like. Unfortunate. Same with how the card is saturated with rainbows, wow.

The interpretation is appropriate, at least. Zed nods at the end of it with a contemplative look.]

It does make sense, thank you. [Listen but don't be overwhelmed. He already knows he wasn't able to keep calm when he met someone who eerily resembled the Count, so it's better to learn from that.]

Staying calm when meeting him will be a challenge. He wronged me in ways I would not wish on anyone else, but he also holds answers I desperately want to hear. [He laces his fingers together in front of him.] It's an overly complicated matter, to say the least.