Ray and Masquerade's RP (The Struggle)

[Masquerade]

With a cheerful nod, William embraced the warm night air and closed the door behind him. His face was as aglow as the moon as he marched down the lonely cobblestone streets, a certain happiness dominating his gait. I've been put into such a compromising situation that I can barely stand it, he thought as he continued on his way back to his estate on the rich neighborhood in the city. I feel so sorry for my sweet, but I must pray that things go according to plan tomorrow...

Masquerade smiled and put his finger cutely to his lips as he thought. "Do I have anything for sale? I don't believe that I do. I usually give discounts to my most loyal customers. Hmmmm...You know what? Don't worry about it. You have caught me at a great time. Don't worry about spending any coin on my bread. So, do you have any preferences of to which pastry you desire?" He started looking around the bakery at all of his delicious creations. Crumbly tarts, pies with soft crusts, sweet and tender cakes, shiny and glazed doughnuts filled the shop. Such an assortment of pastries never to be found anywhere else--some covered or filled with fruits, nuts, glazed or drizzled with strawberry, raspberry, or even chocolate sauce.

As he finished his scrutiny of his own store, Masquerade's gentle gaze fell upon the noble in question. "I see I have not made it easy for you to choose. However, I will say that my strawberry cheesecake is my specialty. Cream cheese icing with graham cracker crust topped with freshly picked strawberries drizzled with sweetened strawberry sauce and finished off with a sprig of fresh ginger and rosemary." Masquerade licked his lips slowly making sure to wet every part of them. "Mmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. But listen to me prattle on. This is your choice. Plus, I want to make sure you get your weapon on time."

Sighing a bit, the baker looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Such a shame that more people are seeking to defend themselves. King Albert lets thieves roam the streets--such indiscretion on his part. But I cannot help but wonder why you have decided to collect your weapon this late. Wait. It might not even be a weapon! Ha! I just find it that weapons are usually what people commission the smith to make. Mayhap it be armor, or a special accessory of sorts? Listen to me still--I have learned nothing. It's none of my business. So, what'll you have?"

[Frisk E. Coyote]

[Smithy]

Finally, Grundy finished the commission and doused the flames of his furnace, setting the beautiful product of his hard work and patience. He set the special ornate violin on the counter, more of an art piece than a musical instrument with its intricate designs beautiful craftsmanship. The smith sat down and put his feet up, breathing a sigh of relief as he waited for his client to pick it up.

[Bakery]

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly take something here for free! Your products are much too delicious to simply be enjoyed without payment!" Alex joked, but adopted a dreamy expression as the baker looked around at the many delicious looking and sweet smelling pastries all around. He shook his head clear to keep from drooling, only to go into a blissful trance yet again as Masquerade told him of his strawberry cheesecake. Cheesecake had always been his one vice, and strawberries were his absolute favorite. He sighed dreamily as he licked his muzzle, mouth watering at the thought of indulging in the sweet, creamy goodness that was Masquerade's cheesecake. He was certain his servant would love some too! "Oh yes please, I would like to purchase some of your strawberry cheesecake! About three of them would do, oh my, sir baker, you are a prodigy!" He chuckled his compliment softly, before he turned away and loosened his shirt collar a little, finding it hard to breathe.

When he had regained some composure, managing to breathe easily again, he sighed a breath of relief and turned to face the baker again. "Ah, its neither a weapon nor armor, but merely a customized violin of my design. It isn't a weapon, more of a device that assists one in self defense, as well as amplifies my music." The dingo explained. "But there I go again, allowing myself to get carried away in chat." He smiled at the baker weakly. He really did enjoy interacting with others, though he rarely did it. He was dreadfully shy for someone who often performed in front of very large crowds and public areas.

[Masquerade]

Masquerade chuckled lightly. "No matter, friend, for it seems both you and I share the same problem, but we should not let our upbringings lead us astray from such pleasant conversation. I pray you speak freely here, for it would do me no greater justice than to talk with such an delightful and enjoyable person such as yourself." The baker went back behind the counter and took out a burlap sack filled with graham crackers. He opened the bag to let the fresh scent drift into the air like a spectre, one that haunts the nostrils instead of the soul.

"Mmm, freshly baked graham crackers," Masquerade said as he started dumping some out onto the counter. When he figured that he had enough, he put the crackers back on their spot on the shelf beneath the counter. He strolled casually back to the icebox in the back of his work area--a large wooden box fueled by ice magic to keep things cool. He lifted the lid and took out some milk and some cream cheese, straight from Immolatio. He brought the ingredients back to the counter and pulled out three wooden dishes that looked like plates, but the edges were raised higher to accommodate a pie crust. He started crumbling up the graham crackers onto the three dishes.

"So, how many instruments do you play? I imagine that you don't just play the violin," Masquerade addressed the dingo, trying to engage him in conversation. "Or, mayhap the violin chances to be your favorite?"

[Frisk E. Coyote]

The dingo smiled at the baker lightly, his weak, blue eyes regained a bit of their former luster, even if it was just for a moment. "That sounds wonderful. I'm not very fond of formalities myself." Alexander laughed weakly. He inhaled the scent of the freshly baked graham crackers and smiled widely. "My don't those graham crackers smell fantastic? I'm quite excited to be able to watch you bake with my own two eyes and nose. I've been told watching master bakers do what they do was quite enjoyable. You turn your work into a form of art with your creams, icings, batters..." He sighed softly, tail swishing around behind him.

The noble watched the baker with curious interest, learning as he watched. He was a naturally curious individual with a love for learning and experiencing new things. This was better than any play or opera or even magic show to him.

"Oh no, the piano is my favorite. The songs it makes are so deep and serene, it brings one a certain inner peace when one plays." Alex replied. "The violin however, is quite portable, and plays such a sweet sound. You're quite right my friend, I play the cello, violin, piano, flute, saxophone, ocarina and guitar to name a few. I suppose I just really love music." he chuckled.

[Masquerade]

"Ahh, I wish I had a knack for music, but I never really could understand it all," Masquerade said as he started softly punching the moist graham crackers into a sort of rough dough. "I really love listening to the violin, really. That's my favorite instrument and it probably would be the only one I would play." He was silent for a while as he set out to finish punching the cracker and milk mixture for each plate until all three dishes were covered in a strange, lumpy, brown mess. The baker winked at the dingo. "They might now be very appetizing now, but when they come out of the oven, you won't recognize them." With that, he took two of the dishes and tossed them precariously into the blazing oven, and then went back to the other dish and placed it in the inferno along with the other two.

Masquerade strolled back to the counter and opened the container of cream cheese. He produced a fairly large wooden spoon and jammed it right into the container and began stirring, slowly at first, and then picking up a bit of speed. "You're probably wondering how I'm going to get the crusts back after baking them on wooden dishes, right? The wood's just going to turn to ash and the crust ruined, correct? Well, usually that would be the case, unless you're using enchanted dishes. That's right! The fighters get their enchanted weapons, composers get their enchanted instruments and whatnot, and us bakers get enchanted dishes that do not burn!" He scrutinized the contents of the container only to be rewarded with dissatifaction, so he continued stirring. "Quite interesting, eh? Magical dishes straight from Restocasia itself!"

[Frisk E. Coyote]

"And I wish I had a passion for baking, then I could bake my own bread. But then I wouldn't need to have servants buy bread here. That would be most tragic! I suppose its better this way!" Alex laughed. He beamed as he heard that the baker liked the violin. "Perhaps I can play for you next time? Maybe give you some friendly violin lessons?" He offered politely. "I see!" He nodded, watching the baker toss the graham crackers into the baking oven.

The dingo's head followed the human all around, intrigued and completely entranced by the things he was doing. "Fascinating! Enchanted dishes?" He asked, interested. He was quite fascinated by magic of every type, and did his best to learn about it. He wasn't much physically, but his magical ability and potential was pretty high. "Restocasia? That's amazing! I never really looked into the wares the shipped out. Its good to know they have a wide variety."

[Masquerade]

"Friendly violin lessons?" Masquerade asked inquisitively. "I kinda like the sound of that." He smiled at the dingo. Even though he had a sickly complexion, Masquerade couldn't help but to find his noble customer kind of cute. Lucky for the baker, he was wearing a mask so that the dingo couldn't see the flash of scarlet that skirted across his face at the thought. Masquerade took another gaze into the bowl and a content smile spread across his face. "Ah, it seems the cream is ready. Now all that is left is the crusts, not to mention the fresh fruits and sauces." He licked his lips slowly at the thought of the fruit and chocolate sauces that were to be drizzled over the cheesecake.

"Hmm, it seems you're interested in magic," Masquerade spoke softly, gazing directly into the dingo's blue eyes. "The bad thing about the dishes is that Restocasia only ships them to commercial establishments. They're pretty stingy, those Restocasians, but I guess they're not at the same time because they share their magic." He paused for a second. "Anyways, listen to me prattle on. Well, everyone knows that earth doesn't burn very well, so the dishes are infused with earth magic in order to prevent fire from affecting them. Makes sense, right?"

[Frisk E. Coyote]

"Wonderful! I'm glad you think it so! I'll come visit you again when I'm fit and you're less busy shall I?" Alexander clapped his paws together on top of the counter quite happily. The baker and his mask was quite mysterious, it brought the noble some excitement. His life was a boring routine of existence, practicing, studying, signing papers, doing taxes, buying and selling as well as giving loans and collecting. If not that, his old governess was pressuring him into finding a wife. It was quite stressful, and didn't help his sickly composure. He stuck his nose in the air and snuffled, smiling warmly as he smelled all the ingredients, fruits and cream. "Oh my, its such delicious scent!" He commented to himself, sighing.

"Why yes, I've been studying as much of it as I can! Unfortunately my governess doesn't want me dabbling in such arts, though I am very capable with it. She fear that it may affect my health for the worse." He sighed softly. He listened the baker's explanation with unwavering attention. "No, no, please, I enjoy listening to you. You have so many interesting and fascinating things to say. It does indeed make sense." He laughed lightly, shaking his head a little as he did so. Oh how he's dreamed of becoming well enough to go out more often, maybe even well enough to leave the town and travel to Restocasia one day. Ah, such dreams are a bliss, but at least dreams were free.

[Masquerade]

"This governess of yours seems to be quite a hassle," Masquerade said and laughed gently. "Magic won't make you sicker, silly. If anything, it revitalizes the body and improves both mental and physical condition. If you think you've got a knack for magic...," he said as he got a little bit closer to the noble, close enough to whisper in his ear,"...then I'll teach you some magic." He laughed softly as he backed away from his customer and strolled elegantly over to the ovens and retrieved the dishes that now held three beautiful, golden-brown crusts. With skilled balance, he brought all three dishes to the front counter so he could fill them with the cream cheese icing. With his wooden spoon, he began scooping the icing in an attempt to fill up the three crusts, so close to becoming delicate desserts.

As he continued his task, he pursued conversation. "Soooo, I can't help but notice that I've failed to introduce myself at all. My name is Masquerade. And may I have the explicit and wonderful blessing of knowing yours?" Steam started forming in the air from the contact of the cool icing with the piping hot crusts.

[Frisk E. Coyote]

"Yes, yes she is, but she's been in service of my family since before I was born. The old crone's ancient!" Alexander chuckled lightly. "I know it can't hurt me, but she's terribly superstitious... and so I try not to study around her." He explained, smiling weakly. His weak looking eyes brightened up and his tail wagged excitedly and energetically as the baker suggested teaching him. "Oh would you, sir baker? I would appreciate it so very much!" He said.

"I've studied enough to learn that though Restocasians are the founders of magical foundation, each and every race has their own brand of special abilities. My race's lore is called Sanity Devour, and seems to focus on the illusionary. I would love to learn regular magic." He sighed dreamily, taking in the wonderful scents. "My name is Alexander Krauzer, and it is absolute delight to have met you, friend."