[ if there was any kind of threat in d's last few messages to him, it hadn't come across to alhaitham—or if it did, he's pointedly choosing to ignore it. it wouldn't be the first time that he's sacrificed reason in favor of his own curiosity. if the pet shop itself was nothing of note, this person might offer insight about their own oddities or experiences with this "game" and the false memories associated with the world they "live" in.
if nothing would come out of this trip at all, he would strike this place and its owner from his list, and he wouldn't make an effort to see either of them again without reason. it all works out.
a small bell rings as alhaitham pushes open the door and walks inside, glancing at every corner ahead of him and bracing himself for Animal Smell. ready or not! ]
So mean, Alhaitham expecting the pet shop to be like every other pet shop in existence, full of the natural smell of dander and animals. However, the inside of the shop doesn't even look at all like an office, and it most certainly doesn't look like a shop of pets.
The interior is Eastern, simple and uncluttered, but ornate in the style. The front room is just a foyer of open space. To the right is an open, large circular doorway leading into... a sitting room? From where Alhaitham stands, he can make out a red couch with dark wood framework; a coffee table assorted with trays of food and drink; and, at the back, a table of plants with a single, old-fashioned phone.
Strangely, it does not smell terrible...? In fact, it smells like heady, herbal incense and Old Money.
Someone emerges from behind the edge of the tied back curtain at the circular doorway. It looks at first like a very beautiful woman, but the outfit she is wearing is a man's high-necked and cropped Tang jacket over a long robe and pants. A beautiful man! He looks quite young, but maybe that's because he's so pretty.]
Welcome. [He offers Alhaitham an enigmatic smile, gesturing to the sitting room with a hand of manicured nails.] Come in. I've just finished tea.
[ his expectations are swept away the moment the door opens to a clean breeze of incense. in his outward placidity, alhaitham immediately skims his eyes over the inside of the shop, intrigued and reverent to every detail. the way the owner spoke about the shop made it seem like more of a mystical place, like a pocket of space-time outside of their dimension itself. after walking inside, he can see why—though his instinct is to ask himself if he walked into the right shop.
a very pretty woman appears, and while she blends in perfectly with her surroundings, she still commands attention. alhaitham has to furrow his brow and deeply consider this person's clothes before he realizes that the woman is young and male, or at least presents themselves that way. their greeting tells him that this is likely the owner he was texting with before—and judging by their sharp, elegant appearance, they keep their cards close to their chest.
alhaitham looks unmoved, of course. ]
Thank you. [ he can be polite! this person didn't do anything to harm him yet. he treads through the doorway slowly, scanning over the rest of the room as it reveals itself. the biscuity smell of food cuts through the incense. ]
You already know who I am. [ he turns and seats himself at the red couch, one ankle crossed over one thigh, as usual. he watches d with a discerning eye bright as verdigris, sussing them out, drawing conclusions. ] You were only expecting one visitor today then. Is that right?
[Plenty of people barge in through the doors he does not know; however, there is something about the way Alhaitham carries himself which screams taciturn-man-on-the-phone...
He sits on the very edge of a chair opposite Alhaitham, smoothing his clothes beneath him as he does.] On the contrary, I always expect visitors in a pet shop. Sometimes, I receive a lot, and sometimes, I receive none. [Carefully, he pours golden-colored tea from the kyusu teapot into both of the small cups beside it.
One cup is placed on the coffee table over by Alhaitham hospitably, the other he takes up in both of his own hands. He offers Alhaitham a smile.]
Feel free to have anything you'd like. There are cookies, cakes, some pastries. The tea is oolong.
[It is.......... unfortunately extremely sweetened because D is the one who made it, RIP.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
action. (backdated to al's network post)
if nothing would come out of this trip at all, he would strike this place and its owner from his list, and he wouldn't make an effort to see either of them again without reason. it all works out.
a small bell rings as alhaitham pushes open the door and walks inside, glancing at every corner ahead of him and bracing himself for Animal Smell. ready or not! ]
no subject
So mean, Alhaitham expecting the pet shop to be like every other pet shop in existence, full of the natural smell of dander and animals. However, the inside of the shop doesn't even look at all like an office, and it most certainly doesn't look like a shop of pets.
The interior is Eastern, simple and uncluttered, but ornate in the style. The front room is just a foyer of open space. To the right is an open, large circular doorway leading into... a sitting room? From where Alhaitham stands, he can make out a red couch with dark wood framework; a coffee table assorted with trays of food and drink; and, at the back, a table of plants with a single, old-fashioned phone.
Strangely, it does not smell terrible...? In fact, it smells like heady, herbal incense and Old Money.
Someone emerges from behind the edge of the tied back curtain at the circular doorway. It looks at first like a very beautiful woman, but the outfit she is wearing is a man's high-necked and cropped Tang jacket over a long robe and pants. A beautiful man! He looks quite young, but maybe that's because he's so pretty.]
Welcome. [He offers Alhaitham an enigmatic smile, gesturing to the sitting room with a hand of manicured nails.] Come in. I've just finished tea.
no subject
a very pretty woman appears, and while she blends in perfectly with her surroundings, she still commands attention. alhaitham has to furrow his brow and deeply consider this person's clothes before he realizes that the woman is young and male, or at least presents themselves that way. their greeting tells him that this is likely the owner he was texting with before—and judging by their sharp, elegant appearance, they keep their cards close to their chest.
alhaitham looks unmoved, of course. ]
Thank you. [ he can be polite! this person didn't do anything to harm him yet. he treads through the doorway slowly, scanning over the rest of the room as it reveals itself. the biscuity smell of food cuts through the incense. ]
You already know who I am. [ he turns and seats himself at the red couch, one ankle crossed over one thigh, as usual. he watches d with a discerning eye bright as verdigris, sussing them out, drawing conclusions. ] You were only expecting one visitor today then. Is that right?
no subject
[Plenty of people barge in through the doors he does not know; however, there is something about the way Alhaitham carries himself which screams taciturn-man-on-the-phone...
He sits on the very edge of a chair opposite Alhaitham, smoothing his clothes beneath him as he does.] On the contrary, I always expect visitors in a pet shop. Sometimes, I receive a lot, and sometimes, I receive none. [Carefully, he pours golden-colored tea from the kyusu teapot into both of the small cups beside it.
One cup is placed on the coffee table over by Alhaitham hospitably, the other he takes up in both of his own hands. He offers Alhaitham a smile.]
Feel free to have anything you'd like. There are cookies, cakes, some pastries. The tea is oolong.
[It is.......... unfortunately extremely sweetened because D is the one who made it, RIP.]