This is not a shop.

MapleMabari

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Most people would probably feel scammed in her place. Actually, even Margaret had a feeling something was wrong with her living arrangements. Then again, she didn't especially care. Sure, the guy who'd rented it out to her had told her all sort of stuff about how it was still not quite there, but would eventually become a very cosy urban loft, and how it was very fashionable lately for young women like her to live in what previously was a shop turned into a nice flat. In the meantime, it still very much looked like a shop, to the point she had to go in through what used to be the shop's front door.

The previous owner had, of course, made a few changes to the overall layout, but the facts remained; her bedroom suspiciously looked like a stockroom, her kitchen was very much the one that had been used to make whatever kind of food they'd sold there (which meant it was well furnished, and suited her perfectly well), and her living room was exposed for everyone to see through the shop window- mess included. Though she'd recently managed to motivate herself into cleaning it, so it wasn't too bad this time.

In the meantime, it was very cheap, right on the street level so she didn't have to climb stairs, she didn't really care much about the decoration, and she had the kind of kitchen she needed to do the one thing she liked in life, so it suited her perfectly.

Right now wasn't the right time to get lost in thoughts about her peculiar living conditions though. No, right now was around the right time to start concentrating a little on the pan that held delicious pancakes in the making. The pan was, of course, the exact right temperature to keep the pancakes a nice golden colour, without them being undercooked. She was looking forward to eating them in a few minutes; sure, her fridge was already full of delicious cooked goods, but then she had a bad tendency to just want to make more anyway. She rarely ate her own leftovers- why do that when she could have some fun making more, new exciting things to taste?

However that concentration wasn't meant to last it seemed, as she felt like something was off. She never bothered removing the chime the shop owner had installed however long ago before she moved in. And she was fairly sure she'd just heard it; that was odd though, she didn't expect any visit. Did she forget to close the door again? Was it windy outside or something, for the door to open all by itself? Or was that some odd magical stuff- those things had a bad tendency to happen all over the islands. Or it was her imagination.

In any cases- she couldn't be bothered to go check, not when she had much more interesting pancakes to tend to.

@Foxy
 

Sarrain

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Vinanye would never have gone into the shop had she known it was a home, but looking at it from the outside it seemed okay to enter. The door even had a bell (which Vinnie was still incredibly tickled by. Doors with bells!) She wandered in, looking around at the furniture.

In Underhill, it was not common for shops to have furniture for people to use, not like couches. Vin had seen that before around here, though, so it may have been odd to her but not suspicious in the least. It didn't tip her off as she came into the kitchen to see Margaret.

"Hello!" Vinnie offered a massive wave. She was still getting used to the common tongue here and it showed in the stiffness of how she spoke, or how she hesitated before finding the correct combination of words. "I wished to know what you were selling, but I do think I have found out, yes. It smells very good." Vinanye smiled, still not getting it. It, erm, might take her some time and man would she be mortified.

To be quite fair, the little gem had only been part of this above society for less than a month. She had plenty to become accustomed to. "What is that which you are making? It looks like baked goods, but I do not think that will be enough once things get... busy."
@MapleMabari — Sorry for the short post compared to yours. :pathetic:
 

MapleMabari

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@Foxy I don't mind if it's not as long as my post, don't worry!

Okay so it hadn't been her imagination, though she kind of wished it had been. Someone was trespassing. Not that it really was a big problem, the someone in question was apparently just mistaken as to the nature of the building, from what they were saying.

Margaret took the time to remove her now perfectly cooked pancake off her pan before very reluctantly putting it down and turning around to face whatever this was. It looked human. They looked human. Better call them they than it, though she hadn't spoken and all, it was best to be a bit careful. Offending people was always more trouble than it was worth. The way whoever that was spoke was a little off, but it wasn't her problem. She understood what was being said, that was more than enough.

Now came the more complicated problem of finding what to say. She could ask them to go away, she'd be in her right to do so, but she really didn't care much about them being here either. Now that she had company, she figured she could put up with it. Still it might be good to explain this was her place and not…well, a shop.

“It's not a shop, it's my… house.”

It wasn't really a house but then she felt like saying 'my very fashionable urban loft' was pretty dumb. Now that this was out of the way though, she stared a little at the intruder, then back toward the small pile of fluffy, delicious pancakes she'd just made. There were way more than she could eat there already, and she still had some batter left. Might as well make the best out of this situation.

“Those are pancakes. Since I don't intend on selling it, do you want some for free? I'll probably throw the leftovers out otherwise...”

The young woman didn't look bothered whatsoever with the situation, her face just as blank as usual. It was probably kind of weird for her to stay so calm when someone just barged in her private living quarters like that but then again… Well, whatever had just happened just happened, might just as well go with it.
 

Sarrain

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Vinnie's eyes widened, and she took a silent moment to look around again. This looked neither like a home nor a shop where she came from. Was this normal for homes around here? Vin had never entered another person's house on Manta Carlos. She was utterly ashamed of herself. To enter someone's home was... it was terrible. Such things could get a person severely damaged in Underhill.

Vin immediately lowered her eyes to her feet and bowed her head subserviently. "I did not mean to enter your space. How rude of me." Vinnie stayed like that until Margaret began to speak again.

Why was Margaret not more upset? This was such an offense. Or was it? Was this common here? Had Vinnie done something completely regular and was no making it weird?

Vinanye peeked up when Margaret mentioned pancakes. She took a closer look at the food. It seemed like a cake to Vinnie, maybe some weird cookie cake hybrid. She had never encountered pancakes, but they smelled delicious. The little gem would never have considered asking for one when she had already made such a blunder. Margaret's offer was met with wide eyes and a mouth that hung agape.

"For free?" Vin asked, astounded. If Margaret had offered the hot cakes without that tidbit, Vinnie would have been extremely wary. Debts had to always be paid; there was no such thing as a gift where she came from. But Margaret was offering these to her without a price?

"Are you certain? I have entered your home uninvited, and now I will be taking your food." Vinanye paused. "I am Vinanye. You should know my name if I am to stay."
 

MapleMabari

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Heh, at least the home intruder had the decency to look somewhat ashamed. Still, it was kind of her own fault- she didn't live in the most conventional of places and forgot to lock the door, so while most people would have just walked back out after noticing, she couldn't blame the one in front of her from trying to ask. Vinanye apparently. What a strange name. Kind of foreign sounding- but then again Margaret herself was foreign when it came to the island, so she wasn't one to talk. Or think in this case, but whatever that was just an odd expression.

“Ah, it was kind of my fault, should have locked the door or something.”

The young woman didn't stop staring at Vinanye, still a bit surprised though not bothered, wondering if she'd take up the offer. Wasting food was not a very good thing to do, and she always ended up making a bit too much or trying new recipes and discarding leftovers, so this was a golden opportunity to be less wasteful. And have someone give her feedback too. Cooking was one of the very few things she really cared for, one of the few things that made her strive to get better.

The expression her new guest wore was kind of funny. Then again it was justified, she had a feeling most people wouldn't just invite random strangers who stumbled into their house over for a snack. Ah well whatever, what was done was done.

“Well yeah, I offered and all… Vinanye right? Just...Find a place to sit if you want. I'll get the maple syrup and jam and… whatever else you can put on pancakes I guess.”

That said she vaguely gestured toward a small table in a corner of her kitchen, complete with two unmatched chairs- she had gotten them at a thrift shop and didn't really care if they didn't form a set, as long as they'd been cheap.

“I'm Margaret, by the way.”

Not that it mattered much but since her guest had introduced herself… It was only fair. She made her way to her fridge to get an assortment of spreads and syrups to add to the pancakes, figuring it'd be simpler to spread it out on the table and let Vinanye pick whatever they wanted. It didn't take long for her to set the table, complete with the nice pile of warm pancakes she'd just made.

“I'll just finish this batch and join you. Tell me what you think when you're done eating them?”

Now to go back to making more. She turned her back on the other again, looking at the pan- the temperature had dropped a little, but not enough for her to not be able to get it back up to what she wanted. Back to her pancakes making then.
 

Sarrain

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Vinanye took a seat, not at all noticing the difference in decor. At least, she said nothing about it. Vinnie expected it was a design choice or something. It looked nice to her, though most people probably wouldn't have thought such a thing.

When everything was set before her, she looked it all over with wide eyes. Some of it, such as the jam, she had seen before. She took two of the pancakes and inspected them, before adding several large spoonfuls of jam and pressing them together like a sandwich.

The food was heavenly, and Vin made no secret of how good she thought it was. She made appealing sounds as she made quick work of the first cakes. Vin normally would not have eaten so messily, but the food was good, and she hadn't eaten something quite so delicious since her childhood.

One after one she made jam sandwiches out of the pancakes, not taking care to keep her hands and shirt free of the sticky substance. By the time she had finished, not only did her stomach hurt but there was a smear of jam on her hands, face, and shirt. She licked her hands free and looked to Margaret, grinning and eyes twinkling.

"That was very good!" She'd have said thank you had she not been Fae and grown up in Underhill. "I liked how sweet it was." The gem reached up to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand and inspect it. Her face flushed, and she tucked her head down to let her hair fall in front of her face.

"I have made a mess." She didn't directly ask Margaret if she could use the restroom, she figured the other woman would offer, and Vin didn't wish to be in anyone's debt.
 

MapleMabari

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[xtable=skin1]
{tbody}
{tr}
{td}Margaret
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{/td}
{td=right}
{/td}
{/tr}
{tr}
{td=colspan:2}
It was always a very pleasant thing to see people dig in food she'd prepared with enthusiasm. Seeing her new guest take such obvious pleasure in her food was definitely the biggest compliment she'd ever gotten, in a way. Her dishes were one of the few things that made her chest swell up in pride, which was always a welcomed feeling.

She didn't take too long to add a few more pancakes to the ones she'd already made. Seating herself on the free chair, she are in a much less messy way as she kept on observing Vinanye. At least she'd have no leftovers at this rate, which was a pretty good news.

It'd be a bit troublesome to clean up after her though, she really got jam everywhere, kind of like a five years old child. If not worse. In the meantime she got an actual compliment on top of the overall nice attitude over the pancakes, and she probably should answer that.

“Thanks. If you like sweet things I have a lot in my fridge I probably won't eat, feel free to take a look in there and bring some home with you.”

She looked like she had a good appetite and hadn't been fed in months with the way she gobbled all those pancakes down, it was kind of impressive really. At the mention of a mess, she gestured vaguely toward the door to her bathroom- the one part of her place that had really been renovated, so it actually had a shower on top of the sink and toilet stall. That had stayed the same as when they served customers, there really was just a random shower added in a corner to be fair.

“If you want to wash yourself up some, the bathroom is here. There's a pile of towels on the sink, just grab one.”

She now contemplated cleaning up the table. On one hand, it probably would be best to do it now rather than later. On the other, she really didn't feel like doing the dishes. With a small sigh she stood up, painfully gathering all the items on the table to clean it up anyway. She kind of wished she had some power that'd allow her to just snap her fingers and have everything done for her. Or she could hire a maid who could clean up for her, she had the money for it technically. If only she could find the motivation to look for one. {/td}
{/tr}
{/tbody}
[/xtable]
 

Sarrain

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Vinanye looked to the fridge, biting her lower lip. "Oh, oh no I could not take more from you. I simply could not." And she really couldn't. She was becoming uncomfortable with all that had been offered to her. She stood and moved to the bathroom, trying hard not to get jam anywhere else, though she did leave some on her path to the restroom. She nodded to Margaret before closing the door. "I will not be long."

Once Vinnie had turned on the faucet, dampened a rag and cleaned her face and hands. She breathed out slowly and fished around in her pockets until she could lay some gems out on the sink edge. She inspected them, debating which was best for Margaret.

When she left the bathroom, Vinnie held a bright purple amethyst in her hand and offered it to Margaret. "You have given me a gift, so I would like to return the favor." She smiled brightly.
 

MapleMabari

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[xtable=skin1]
{tbody}
{tr}
{td}Margaret
—————————-
{/td}
{td=right}
{/td}
{/tr}
{tr}
{td=colspan:2}
Ah well it was a shame. She'd probably end up throwing it all away. She just hoped it wouldn't attract raccoons or anything of the like; were there even raccoons on the island? Or bears or any other sort of big nuisance that'd go digging in her trash if she didn't eat her fridge's content? Well whatever, it wasn't a problem right now. She'd deal with it if anything happened, for now nothing had so there was nothing to worry about. When the other reassured it wouldn't take her long, she simply shrugged.

“Take your time.”

And now there was a bit of a mess all over, that was kind of annoying but well. Another sigh later and she was cleaning up behind her guest, better do it now than later when it attracted ants or dried and needed more work to get rid of.

It didn't take long for it to be done, just in time for Vinanye's return. Holding a rock. Wait that looked like a precious rock. She didn't really have a need for rocks in general, but if she could be bothered to find someone to buy it, she could maybe make a bit of money. If she could be bothered. She probably wouldn't ever.

“Ah, that's nice but you don't have to, you sort of helped by eating everything so… I mean if you absolutely want me to take it I will, but it's really not necessary.”

With how much she cared about her stuff, it'd probably end up lost somewhere in the following weeks. Was she giving her a gift because she was about to leave? She did come in in an odd way, so she had no ideas of when she'd leave really.

“If you're about to go, I don't mind, but feel free to come by again, I guess.”

That wasn't the best but the company had been sort of okay, so she wasn't against the idea; plus it was more polite than something like 'please don't ever come back again'.{/td}
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Sarrain

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Vinanye, of course, would have cleaned up her own mess had it still been there once she returned. It was the polite thing to do, and Vinnie was nothing if not polite. It did shock her into silence when Margaret hadn't accepted the stone right away. She was unsure what to do for a time, because while Vin understood this culture was much different than her own, that didn't stop her from being any less shocked by it all.

"Oh, okay," the gem said and returned the stone to her pocket. There was a small clatter, indicating it was not the only one she was carrying around with her. Vin had the tendency to find and pocket plenty of gemstones and hand them out to people throughout her day. She couldn't name a time she had kept one to herself.

More surprising, yet, was Margaret's offer that Vinnie was welcome to her home again at a later date. It was enough to make the Fae smile, wide and cherry as ever. If there were any negative emotion to Margaret's offer, Vinanye hadn't caught it in the slightest.

"Thank you! I will! I will visit again." Was this what it was like to make friends? She believed it was. "I had not thought about going or staying; it would be rude of me to decide."
 
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