OC POST

[formidable]

MUSELIST Photo Credit: nameless-table This a post where it's mainly my OCs and there are various scenarios, mostly having to do with the Midnight Grind Cafe, owned by Iona Jacqueline Oakes and her mysterious handsome golem man, Oren. Their cafe connects to almost every universe so a lot of silly stuff can happen. I'll write some prompts for my OCs or we can plot together and go in another direction. You can contact me at maiscribbles or my Discord (Fujinon#6780). Have at it! ➢ Cool Mood Music No. 1 ➤ Cool Mood Music No. 2

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Iona J. Oakes | Cafe Witch

[infusion]

A) Midnight Grind

Welcome to the Midnight Grind! Take your seat, I'll be there with you in a minute.

[You enter a cafe... That seems normal enough. Although your door may have appeared outside an obscure wall, inside of a building, or even in a forest, it leads to the same place. The inside is warm and cozy. Wooden floors and wooden furniture, the smell of coffee and baked goods wafts through the air and the company is pleasant, full of people from all sorts of places. The owner, Iona Oakes, wipes her brow, sweating from all the work she's been doing for the past few hours. But she greets everyone with a big smile. She says, "It's been a while," or "Welcome back!" to her regulars. But if you're someone she hasn't seen before...]

Are you new here? The first order is on the house!

B) Wildcard/Other

[Something, something, happens.]

a.

[deduces]

[ Holmes is here to see Lien, on her suggestion that they reunite somewhere "nice and cozy".

But he's also not going to say that, so: ]

Something strong, I think. A mellow red.

[ Without even looking at the menu. THERE'S NO WINE HERE!!! HOLMES!! ]

[infusion]

Okay, got it! Mellow red... Oh. Wait?

[Iona backtracks, with her tray under her arm, looking curiously at Holmes, sort of confused by the order. The scent of cinnamon is strong about her and there's flour under her fingernails that couldn't escape handwashing after rolling out dough for cinnamon rolls.]

Red... Oh, you mean red wine? Haven't gotten an order like that in a while.

[It is her fault that they never have a set menu, therefore people seem to order whatever they want.]

Well, if you're sure you want to order from a cafe without a proper liquor license...

wildcard

[dilatory]

[They’re back at Michael’s apartment, small and sometimes messy thing that it can be. But the young man tries to keep up with appearances when Iona’s over, never quite wanting to suffer through the embarrassment of a hideously untidy living space, despite the close affection wound between them in the time that they’ve been dating. He always wants to impress in his quiet sort of way, embarrassingly fond, silently smitten, but all wound up in his core to be shown more visibly in the quiet moments between them.

He approaches her perch on the couch, coming out from his bedroom with a smile, camera held in his hands. An item she should be well familiar with by now.]

Hey. Let me take some pictures of you.

[infusion]

Mm?

[Iona looks up from her textbooks and notes as Michael approaches. She had come over to visit her boyfriend, but also be productive by studying for her classes and just enjoy being in the vicinity of Michael. They've been going steady for a while and it's grown into a comfortable companionship that the witch treasures more than anything at the moment.

To Iona, Michael is a guy who doesn't ask for much and tends to be very shy when he does assert himself. So when he comes out with his camera and his request, she blinks and tilts her head curiously.]

Right now? Is it for something special or a spur of the moment kind of thing?

[The tone of her voice is peppered with some amusement; she wonders what's on his mind right now to want to take pictures of her.]

[dilatory]

Oh, uh—

[He’s always been shy, and though he feels perpetually more comfortable in his own skin around Iona as time passes. Still, the glisten of amusement in her eyes makes him cast his gaze downward, pretending to fiddle the camera’s settings. It’s not enough to wipe away the small grin pulling at his lips.]

Just… spur of the moment, I guess. I like how you look in this light— [Michael makes a small gesture at the window beside the couch, the way the light shutters through the blinds and falls across her lap.] —so I thought I might take advantage of it.

Well, I always like how you look. You know what I mean. But it can wait until later, it doesn’t have to be right now.

[infusion]

[Geez, this boy.

Iona's cheeks flush at his explanation. "I always like how you look." Even someone as bold as her can be blindsided by a compliment like that especially when it comes from him. She runs one hand through her thick hair trying to hide her smile by looking down at her papers.]

It depends on how you're gonna take it I guess. I don't have to do any poses for you do I?

And just letting you know, I don't mind. [She puts her hands down, resting her arms against the table and looking towards him again.]

I'm kind of happy that you're asking first.

[dilatory]

Of course. I’ll always ask first.

[Her affirmation emboldens himself just enough to meet her eyes, the grin still there.]

And no, you don’t have to pose or anything. Not unless you want to. I just want to see your smile.

[He shrugs, then gently sinks into a cushion next to her, camera in his lap.]

Basically it’ll only take a minute or two. You can just pretend I’m not even here.

[infusion]

Oh, that'll be hard. There's no way I can't notice you.

[She jokes of course, but she moves over to give him some room in case he needs it.]

Alright, just do your thing then. I'll be taking notes and pretending that my boyfriend isn't looking at me lovingly through a camera lens.

[she's so embarrassing]

[dilatory]

[Why does she always try to slay him. It’s unfair.]

I— uh, right. [Back to fiddling with his camera settings, don’t mind him!!!]

Like I said, it won’t take long. Just a couple of pictures. Might ask for you to smile at me at some point, though.

[And with that said, a few moments more pass, and Michael situates himself properly. The lens is bought up, adjusted, peering through it like it were a world on its own. Gathering up images of her to immortalize, made easy and flattering by the mid-afternoon light.

He’ll take a few, silent, as promised. He won’t bother her studies; certainly isn’t bold enough to ask for more than a smile, either.]

[infusion]

[As he takes his pictures, Iona continues to study. Her pen scratches across the surface of her notebook, mingling with the clicks interspersed by his shots of her. She smiles when asked, but also just smiles naturally because it's difficult not to when she's all too aware that the behind the gaze of the camera, it's Michael's gaze on her by extension.

She speaks up after a minute or two, her tone lightly teasing him.]

Are you going to start an album that's just pictures of me? I'd be flattered if you did you know.