[PRP] Sacrifice to the Old Ones [Cid/Cass]

[demon_pachabel]

While not an owner of many of the finer nerdy things in life, Cass did have her ever rotating collection of shirts. Which were far more appreciated in public than she ever would have thought some days. Her particular favorite had prompted one teenager in the grocery store to ask her if she knew about 'that shop'. The one with the owner that apparently fits in your pocket and is made of coffee or something like that.

Cassandra had safely never heard of such a place, but never the less after fishing out a general idea of where it was, had been curious. Mostly because if somehow unicorns prompted the thought of this place, there had been be precious treasure. Which was the only reason why she, Miss 'I am unemployed and have all the time in the world to figure out how to fix that at the moment', was able to drop in on such a place at 11 AM instead of being in class.

Haha. College. She wouldn't think too hard about that.

She hadn't exactly set too high of a bar about what to expect, but the outside was obviously a labor of love, just from what was in the windows. A sheer beautiful labor of love. Opening the door, she was greeted by far better. For all the fine things on shelves and set out on tables, the one thing in particular that caught her attention was-

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!"

and immediately, the 'cultist of Eldritch horror' position was assumed at the base of the quite lovely centerpiece of the store. If not the best on current culture nerdery, Cassandra would always have a place in her heart for all the breeds of horror (no seriously, she'd probably be able to recite verbatim 'I have No Mouth And I Must Scream'. The story, not the game).

Which was the story of why there was a sacrifice to the Old Ones practically laying on the floor of The Fourth Wall. In pastels.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

It turned out that on this day, Cid was not blonde. With winter coming to a close the beard had been shaved and his hair dyed once more. At least for a few days he was rocking a rather nice red but it was mostly because he was in a cosplaying mood.

A very serious cosplaying mood.

Which was why, when he heard someone speaking a very particular phrase, someone doing a damn fine 707 cosplay appeared and was totally snapping a picture of said sacrifice.

"Dude," he said in awe, nudging his glasses up with a slight wrinkle of his nose, "that's like ... the best ******** entrance anyone has made ever. Your shirt makes it even more amazing!"

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

And now Cassandra's ways were documented for all of time.

She remained prostrate in front of the statue for a solid 30 seconds before she finally sat up, a grin plastered on her face. "Well, one must bid their Old Ones proper respect," she said, dusting herself off as she rose, one foot at a time. "I am glad it has appeased at least one soul." Not that it had been meant to appease anybody but herself.

"My shirt makes everything amazing, though. Can't go wrong with a good unicorn," especially when it was THE Unicorn of her childhood. A+ would Amalthea again.

It was at this time she finally took in what it was he was wearing. While not one owning a phone that did snot all for games on it, being a young female, she'd run into enough other young females who were more than excited about their games to at least recognize a little bit of who it was Cid was dressed as. "Ahhh, I have been blessed by the #1 Hacker's presence." she put a finger up to her smiling lips, "but of course, I won't tell anyone where to find you." she looked around, "Unless you want me to." squint. "Maybe."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Cid snorted a little, his glasses somehow managing that anime style gleam as he adjusted them, before he just grinned like a crazy man.

"Don't go blowing my cover. Not yet, I'm not done with what I'm working on. Later, maybe," he said in an agreeable chuckle. The eccentric man was actually in the process of coming to put on the annual bunny ears on the Great Old One. A step ladder was set down, Cid having to get up on the highest rung to be able to reach the top and slide the bunny ears on.

A fluffy bunny tail would follow in moments.

"So," a glance was given to Cass, "what is a respectable young cultist doing here today? Aside from making fabulous sacrifices."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Standing back, she crossed her arms as Cid started putting bunny ears on the Cthulu statue. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I feel like...instead of being on top of the head, there should be more than one pair of ears...on his tentacles," as she made this observation, she placed her hands over her own mouth to wiggle her fingers in a mimicking gesture.

"A fine cultist like me was told this was a place to be, so I came to be here and see if indeed it was a place to be." she answered simply. Cass took a quick glance around, nodding slowly now that she was observing more than just her lord and condemner Cthulu. "So far, looks like it will be. We'll see if picky tastes can be appeased." And by 'picky' she meant 'completely uncertain as to if she's actually looking for anything'.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Oh, he gets a pair for each day we get closer to Easter. Also I start giving out eldritch egg candies ..." Cid smirked a bit, in amusement, before he hopped down from the step ladder with a stretch as he landed.

"There aren't many proper cultists," he told her, "but I am always pleased to hear someone spreading the good word." Taym came to mind, if only because their first interaction had included discussion of being turned into fish people.

"There's a little bit of everything, though ... There's a cosplay section towards the counter," his hand flicked further back into the store, "an entire clothing area with probably too many choices, this section dedicated to bringing people one step closer to R'lyeh, your pick of TCG poison is right by the windows, comics and manga - separated as they should be and sorted by both universe and creator - take up the middle, and a gaming section that is usually populated but is currently empty because most of the regulars don't come by until later. Also there's a very, very strict rule against no unwashed masses, so I will flat out boot someone who doesn't know what the phrase bathe regularly means." His eyes rolled so hard, so hard because he sometimes he really hated that stereotype but he had run into it more than once. "You would think that wouldn't need to be a rule but it is."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Cass lit up as she pictured the Cthulu statue being just as populated on the top of it's head as it was on the bottom. There would be true order. "What is the difference between Eldritch candies and normal ones? Gummy tentacles?" she inquired, having never heard of such a thing before, but being very inclined to the idea. Mostly because gummies were freakin' good and she would fight you on it if she had to.

"Oh, most people pick up the high points and then don't read the finer short stories and the non-Lovecraftian works of the expanded mythos, unfortunately. It's a shame, some of the more obscure works are really good. I'm a Shadows Over Innsmouth and In the Mountains of Madness girl myself," if she was ever introduced to the fine worlds of Dark Souls and Bloodborne she probably would never be seen again. Best not to.

As Cid gave her the general rundown, Cassandra nodded along, following each direction as he motioned in it. "Well good thing I like having clean hair and soap," she jested, though she also had the ill fortune of being in the presence of the unbathed. Though her experience was drastically different and involved a once a week shower schedule for everybody. She'd decided never again.

"Sounds like I'd down for the apparel then. I can never say no to adding another fine shirt to my collection." Which she'd say was a very fine collection.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Well, I like to think that they taste like the souls of the lost and damned." There was, in fact, lolipops in the store that said MADE FROM SOULS but that was beside the point. "Mostly it's just that they're particularly dark in color with a green dark chocolate filling. Sometimes there is gummy tentacles."

Cid gestured towards the back once more before he was leading Cass towards the clothing area. The comment about liking clean hair and soap got a snicker from him. "I actually spent a pretty penny collecting old copies of Weird Tales. I really liked ..." His finger tapped against his lips a moment as he came to a standstill thinking. "The Sealed Casket and The Faceless God. It's mostly the shorter stories I am particularly fond of myself."

He started walking again and it was not too long, winding through comics and manga, that they reached what looked like a rather ridiculous collection of shirts. There was a display along the wall nearby that had cosplay gear for people (locally made) and some accessories. "For all your apparel needs," Cid chuckled, poking around until he pulled out a particular shirt because of what she was wearing. "This is one I'm fond of myself but there's plenty to find."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Cassandra's face lost a little bit of color at the mention of green chocolate. It would have been a strange response to explain if she'd needed to. How did you explain to someone that you were....weirded out by the color green? She couldn't really justify it herself. "Can't say I've eaten enough souls of the lost and damned to know what they taste like, sadly."

As Cid headed off towards the back, Cassandra followed after him, glancing down aisles and displays as they walked. The organization of the shop was a definitely labor of love. "Some of the shorter stories are a little...miss with me, but his work is so expansive it's impossible to just like everything. I'm still making my way through the expanded mythos from other authors as well."

Because truly to know the Pantheon of Old Ones you needed to read like seven thousand gajillion books. She hadn't had all the time for that
yet.

The shop's apparel section got a nod of approval. While the cosplay section was something she (mostly) wasn't interested in, the display of shirts was exactly what she'd been hoping of it, managing half a browse before Cid took out one to show her. "Well it's like I've advertised I like The Last Unicorn or something," she jested, reaching to take it from him.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Mostly sweet but with a hint of bitterness." Cid chuckled, as if he was laughing at some old joke (it might've been, who knew). His head tilted as he passed her the shirt and then shifted around the clothing to poke around at the figurines that were displayed just beyond them.

"I think we just got some blind boxes in that you might like ..." In a few moments he would likely be turning around with some boxes that might contain unicorns in them. "Also, if you want to read some of the expansive universe related to the Old Ones but don't want to have to own everything, you're welcome to my collection."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Well I don't exactly collect anything b-" she paused, eyeing the blind boxes. She tapped her fingers against her thumb, brows lifted temptingly before she reached out to take a few of these tiny beautiful things. "Okay, I guess I collect something now." She was far too easily swayed into the world of little unicorn figurines it appeared.

Unicorns, her only weakness....oh, and horror.

"Y'know, I can't say no to an offer like that. I just never have the space to keep too many things so my little collection of books kind of mixes and matches from place to place. Some day I'll buy a few nice hardbacks of it all but..." for now she had a few way too old paperbacks she'd picked up for less than a dollar here and there.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Cid was definitely going to have to tell her his thoughts about how horror and unicorns could definitely be a thing that went together. Just not at this exact moment. Instead, he was watching her while she looked over the blind boxes and spoke.

It was his thinking face.

It was a very serious face.

"Yeah, it's better to start small and build up later once you're not having to pack them along every time you move. Tried that when I was in my twenties and regretted all the hardbacks so much." His finger tapped his lips a couple times before he finally simply asked. "Are you, by any chance, looking for a job? 'Cause I am hiring at the moment."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Her little stack of unicorns was arranged neatly in the arm she'd crammed it all to rest against.

"Oh yeah. It's why I just pawn off all my furniture every time I move. Less things to pack. Less heavy things to pack." She'd condensed her life to fit in the back of a 89 Geo Prizm that probably had seen better days, after all. Which reminded her she probably needed to get new furniture sometime soon.

Her ponderings about furniture stopped halfway through 'Should I actually get a real bed or a couch-bed' when Cid inquired as to her job situation. "Yep, I'm definitely on the market still," for jobs. Not other things. Maybe other things. She wasn't too worried about all that though. "Not in college or anything so my availability is pretty...open."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Cid's fingers wiggled, an offer to take some of the stack of unicorns off her hands and help carry. He was, if anything, a very courteous store owner.

Also a little crazy but that was a given.

"Aside from when I went a little crazy in my twenties and decided I needed to live in all the major cities of the States, I've not moved much. Though it was fun trying to make sure I kept s**t parred down to like ... a car worth." Cid shook his head only to blow red bangs from his face a moment later. Sometimes he forgot he was a redhead again but he'd let his hair grow back out and be back to blonde in no time.

Unless he stayed a redhead. He was crazy after all.

"Well, you're pretty knowledgeable about my favorite subject," he replied with a chuckle, "and if you're open to learning a little bit about the stuff I carry, I'd take you on as a hire. I've got a few college kids employed, so it helps that you're schedule is open. Though ..." A finger tapped his lip, Cass given a look over before he finally spoke again.

"I will be entirely blunt about this, because I value my employees and look after them, but if you've got issues with magic, you might not want to take the job offer."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Cassandra would have considered Cid more her speed than anything else. Which may have said a lot more about her than anything else.

She squinted as he kept talking about 'when he was in his 20s'. He couldn't have been that much older, right? His energy level was higher than anybody too old she'd ever met. Eternal youth? She'd believe it. "I....I have moved out of necessity. Sometimes a city just stops feeling right." Or she wonders if someone is keeping a little too on top of her schedule.

"I can safely say that I am a swiss army knife of useless skills, so I'm pretty good at picking up new ones. A sponge of half-used knowledge." And some whole-used knowledge. But she didn't want to tap into that ever again. Cid's warning about magic earned a light, somewhat casual shrug. "I have dealt with genuinely bad people in my life. I have a really high standard for what I have issues with and magic isn't even on that list."

Azuredreams