open

[arcanaofdeath]

Who: Pharos and you!
When: December 18th.
Where: Apartments; shopping district.
What: Pharos was offered three jobs. Why not try them all out in a single day?
Warnings: None.

[Hello citizens of Cerealia! It's a beautiful day for weird encounters, wouldn't you say? What kind of weird encounters you may wonder. Overly large and affectionate demons? A three-headed dog with loads of slobber? The zombie apocalypse? Skeleton Wars: The Phantom Menace?

Sadly, no.

What you may or may not stumble upon is a certain, pajama clad boy trying out each of the jobs he was offered upon his arrival. Wouldn't really want to commit to something without knowing what it entails.]

morning

[There is nothing quite like reading the newspaper in the morning, right? A cup of coffee or tea or whichever beverage you prefer with the news of the hour spread out in front of you, there really is nothing comparable. Or maybe you prefer to sleep in because your day ended at four in the morning and you're in dire need of sleep? Perhaps not a morning person?

Either way, Pharos has instructions to drop off the holo-newspaper without fail. No one would want a newspaper boy who doesn't know how to bring people their reading material in the mornings, right? So he'll do the polite thing and ring the doorbell at whichever o'clock in the morning to deliver it safe and sound.

Nevermind the fact that he's supposed to do this quietly.

If you happen to be up and about and open the door, you will find Pharos standing on your doormat. Smiling up at you. And greeting you with a 'Good morning', chipper as can be.

If you happen to still be asleep and don't hear or wake up and decide to ignore the ringing, there will be silence for a few seconds. Then you'll get a lapful of holo-newspaper courtesy to the young boy now standing in whichever room you're in.

Teleportation skills and no sense of personal space come in handy sometimes.]

lunch

[Tired from your morning filled with exploring/sparring/tricking people/being tricked by people/work?

Pharos will be standing outside of a coffee shop, holding a tray with a handful of small cups and a thermos bottle filled with what appears to be coffee. Hot coffee. Coffee which smells utterly delicious. The aroma calls to you, sings to you. The coffee really is that good. Maybe it is actually ambrosia. You won't know until you try it.

Dressed somewhat like the Cheshire cat, Pharos will taking his job as mascot very seriously and will be offering poor, weary wayward travelers some coffee as well as a cheerful looking balloon which may or may not pass as coffee bean if you squint hard enough.

And cock your head to the side.]

afternoon

[The lights have grown dimmer as the hours have ticked by, soft and orange and yellow. While some of the shops begin to close, one door-sign is finally flipped from Closed to Open. The sign in front of the door reads 'The Wheel of Fortune – Get your prediction while it's still accurate!' Should you decide to enter, you'll find a single table manned by Pharos, kicking his legs and his chin propped up on his hands.

Clearly, he's been waiting for someone to come in so he can read them their fortune.

Perhaps your character is just settling down, maybe they've already received their fortune and are bemused by it. What kind of prediction is 'Your shoes will make you happy today' anyway? Perhaps you've asked for something more elaborate than a short prediction and are now wondering why in the world the kid is pulling out tarot cards. Aren't those a little outdated?

Careful though, some predictions may hit very close to home...]

evening – bonus

[Maybe you've encountered Pharos during all three scenarios and are wondering whether or not the kid is stalking you. Or if he has two identical brothers and this is just a group of triplets.

Or create your own scenario.]


(note: For the fortune telling, your character will probably get fortune cookie predictions or, if they get a tarot reading, one I'll generate online. I'll be sure to pm you first to ask for permission if I end up using canon information though the wording of the canon prediction would be pretty vague.)

Comments

morning!

[harepiece]

[Guess who doesn't even have an "I was working late" excuse to be sleeping in? THIS PUNK. Oz has just fallen into the crushingly bad habit of going to bed at midnight or later, which means waking up early is sometimes difficult. He even sleeps through the ringing of the bell at first, which is a bit of a rarity for him, but he sure doesn't sleep through a holopaper being dumped on him in Snoozeville. There's a little jolt at first, but he doesn't entirely get up just yet, almost like he's used to people rudely waking him up by dropping things on him!

But once he blearily cracks an eye open and realizes that it is not his roommate, he sits bolt upright with a confused and marginally panicked:]

AHH—?! Where did you come from!! [GLANCING TO THE DOOR. To the window?? He sure did leave it unlocked again, oops... And then he catches sight of the holopaper, which he reaches for. Pharos can enjoy his terrible banana bedhead in the meantime, since it takes him a second to actually register what he's holding... Being awake is hard.]

...Did you bring this?

[arcanaofdeath]

[The whole display gets a giggle out of Pharos. It is so funny to him when people are disoriented in the morning, open and vulnerable because they've been feeling safe and sound in the land of dreams. The bedhead also looks utterly curious for while Pharos has seen a bedhead or two before, this one truly takes the cake.

How did Oz accomplish it alone in the first place? It looks closer to five people trying to tug his hair all into different directions at once.]

Yes, that was me. I've been tasked with delivering them to people. [A brief pause.] As directly as possible.

[harepiece]

[Another few seconds pass as Oz's sleepy brain jumps through some hoops to become awake again. He blinks a couple of times, rubs at an eye with his free hand, and absentmindedly tries to flatten one of his larger cowlicks to no avail.]

Oh... —Oh! You're the paper boy!

[Which apparently makes it okay for him to just have broken into Oz's room somehow?! Anyone else would be concerned by this, but nope, Oz seems ready to gloss right over it...]

Well, you definitely got the "directly as possible" part down right. I don't think I've ever had a paper delivered to me in bed before!

afternoon;

[brbwalking]

[ Judith wanders. It's a simple fact. There are clouds in the sky, dogs bark, Judith wanders. And her wandering leads her to this shop, where she's already bemused before she even recognizes this small child. ]

... Pharos, was it?

[arcanaofdeath]

Judith.

[Pharos stops kicking his legs upon seeing her but he smiles. A familiar but new face. He wonders what made her come in here.]

You remembered my name.

[brbwalking]

And you remembered mine. Is that so strange? [ But she just sounds amused. ]

Lunch

[sjokolade]

[After spending the first couple of hours at work, Anna was ready to call it a day. With so many things that needed to get done, she just wanted to go home and sleep! Of course, she couldn't have that. Now, with tired eyes and a hungry stomach, all she wanted now was some lunch. Maybe getting something would cheer her up a little!

If not? Well, let's not think about that for the moment!

Either way, as she made her way pass a certain place, the young princess simply looked at the young boy]

Uh...aren't you a little bit too young to be by yourself?

[...Nevermind that she met up with Lily the other day...]

[arcanaofdeath]

[Pharos blinks up at Anna, puzzled momentarily by her words before remembering his appearance. He's too used to interacting with people who don't comment on it anymore or never brought it up in the first place.

Worry from a stranger. Pharos' lips curl up into a smile and he cocks his head to the side a little. Or is it because she is worried that he is breaking any laws? Sometimes, it's difficult to tell with humans.]

What do you think will happen because I'm by myself?

[sjokolade]

[Wasn't he worried being by himself? That was a weird question to ask, shouldn't be everyone feel that way in general? Either way, she simply sighed before shaking her head.]

I don't know, aren't you worried that someone might take advantage of you because you're by yourself?

[But then again, from what she had seen of the place, it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. But still, when she was his age, the only problems she had was if she was going to finish her homework or not!

Ah, she's turning old!!]

Not to mention that a kid like yourself shouldn't be working! I think that's the least of your worries!

morning

[unevoke]

[It's too early in the morning for this but he's been assigned an earlier shift than usual to cover for someone who's called in sick, so it's while the (electronic) birds are chirping cheerfully outside that Shinji shrugs on his coat, slips on his shoes, and opens his apartment door in order to meander outwards and towards work.

Except he doesn't get any further than the doorway because there's some kid standing outside with wide eyes and an eerie smile and a holographic newspaper held out in one hand. Cue a beat of confused silence, a cock of his head, and then:]

I don't order the paper.

[Why is he here?? And why does he look like he's stepped out of a prison...]

[arcanaofdeath]

[Wrong game for the prison theme, Shinji.

But Pharos is most definitely not deterred by Shinji's words and keeps holding out the newspaper with a smile, not budging a single inch.]

I've been told that this is a free trial version. It comes with a delivery service which ensures that you will receive your newspaper on time every morning. And it will be delivered to you directly.

[Sounds like a fantastic deal, right? Until Pharos' smile widens.]

...though if you accept this trial version, you will be charged fifty credits per month after two weeks. [Doesn't sound like a free trial to him.]

[unevoke]

[No, he needs....to exit out this door.....but there is a small kid in his way and he'd rather not step on the guy. Maybe with a little more persistence the kid'll leave and move on to some other poor unfortunate sap.]

That's way too much. [Hey look, free feedback for your employer, Pharos.] And I still don't want the paper. Tell them to cancel the free trial.

[Wow, Shinji is definitely not the greatest customer for this.]

BECAUSE I DIDN'T CATCH YOU BEFORE; lunch

[lifelong]

[ ... He always was fond of coffee and its alluring fragrance, but he told himself it wasn't a good idea to continue. Though fatigued as usual and knowing coffee can't save him at this point, he's easily coaxed over to the coffee shop. ]

... What brew is this?

YAAAY Pharos favorite person

[arcanaofdeath]

[Seeing Minato's familiar figure approach makes Pharos smile and he takes a couple of steps towards Minato to meet him half-way. He has missed their conversations.]

The house blend. I've been told that it's strong but sweet. Would you like to try some? You look very tired.

[Then again, isn't that how Minato looks by default?]

and minato's favorite beverage

[lifelong]

I'm trying to lay off the coffee here... [ Stop tempting him! His shoulders slump as he finally notices that this is Pharos. It seems... so long since his time back at home let alone being able to talk to his friend again.

It's bittersweet, but it's still a nice feeling. ] I didn't get to welcome you when you arrived.

[ So... Hi?? ]

morning

[masakados]

[Naoki's not much of a sleeper anyway-- despite sleeping more than he used to. He's been up for some time when he feels someone approaching the apartment, stands and moves over to the door as the bell goes off.

Naoki looks down at Pharos as he opens the door, not immediately answering the greeting. Because he's taking in the sense he gives off, for a long moment, gaze assessing.

Hm. But then he leans sideways against the doorframe, casual as anything:] 'Morning. What can I do for you?

[arcanaofdeath]

[Pharos stares up at Naoki as he is being assessed, unblinking and smiling. There is something about this person he can't place his finger on, like sand slipping through his fingers. In a way, the vibe he gives off is similar to Minato's and yet entirely different.

Curious.

Finally, he blinks before reaching into the bag he's carrying and pulling out a holopaper to offer Naoki.] I'm here to deliver your newspaper.

afternoon

[invoker]

Wheel of Fortune...

[ The name makes Mitsuru smile with a little familiarity. She remembers a conversation she had with Minami, after they beat the Shadow which embodied that very arcana. And did she not mention Ryoji resembling that arcana as well?

She opens the door and pushes her way through the curtain, fully expecting a mysterious woman or even just a disembodied voice.

Instead, she is a little taken a back to see a young boy, barely older or taller than Ken. ]

[arcanaofdeath]

[The doorbell jingles a little as the door is pushed open and Pharos perks up upon hearing the sound. He fixes his focus on Mitsuru and cocks his head to the side. He goes very, very still for a moment before a smile appears on his face.]

Welcome and good evening. Would you like to have your fortune told?

afternoon

[punchesyu]

[He's strolling down the sidewalk on his way home, still checking out more and more of the city. He sees the shop, figures it wouldn't hurt, since they have plenty of that stuff back at home too, and walks inside. He too, finds the curtain and pushes it back after determining that he's not hearing voices on the other side.

And there is the kid...]

Dude, you're the fortune teller?

[arcanaofdeath]

[Ah. It's a familiar face. Pharos' smile widens a little and he gestures towards the chair opposite of his. If Yosuke came in here, he didn't come to pay a social visit, evident by the surprise in his voice.

He wanted to know about his fortune or his future and Pharos will be more than happy to supply it to Yosuke.]

Good evening. Did you expect to see someone else?

morning

[dereban]

[ As someone who tends to sleep little to nothing a good percentage of the time, when she hears the sound of the doorbell she finds herself groaning -- do they know what time it is? Opening the door, she notices the boy. ]

Was there something you wanted..?

[arcanaofdeath]

[Ah, the door opened. Pharos smiles up at the tired looking person staring down at him and holds out the holopaper, looking too cheerful for whichever o'clock it is in the morning.]

Good morning. I am here to deliver the free trial holo newspaper.

afternoon!

[cordated]

[ evening is dismantling itself over the horizon, on the rebound of his job, makoto's lagging a little behind, checking out the wares of the shopping district with muted interest. it's not like any of the tech provided in tellus is remotely accessible back home, and he's beside himself just walking in and out of stores and presumably getting on the nerves of every last retail worker in the district just browsing around the wares. the fizzle-bright shine of the sign outside one shop manages to snatch his attention, and it's only with slight reservation that he enters, staring about before eventually fixing his gaze on the preternaturally young boy sitting on the table with propped elbows and a smile just that side of insouciant. in return, makoto smiles — attention piqued and summarily thrown through a loop. ]

Oh! Are you the fortune teller?

[ speaking in genuine earnest, he rubs the nape of his neck, taking a few steps forward as the door presently clicks shut behind him. ]

You must be very experienced to be working at your age.

[arcanaofdeath]

[It's been a slow evening thus far. Granted, the store hadn't been open for that long and the only people who have entered were rather put-off by the young boy welcoming them and while that's a shame, it's also something new to consider. Something new and curious and very, very telling. So the door has stayed closed, the murmur of people passing by, the lull of the evening rush towards the apartments. Shadows dancing in the windows like little fish in river bends.

And then the door opens with the quiet jingle of the bell.

Openly curious, Pharos studies the young man who has stepped into the store. Tall, broad-shouldered. Genuine smile and honest gestures, a little nervous perhaps? Very, very human indeed.]

I am. [It's an answer to both questions and Pharos cocks his head to the side, keeping his eyes fixed on Makoto.] Are you here to learn about your fortune or future?