Circe's Manor THE NEXT

[Ookalf]

That didn't sound very reassuring... "Demons?! O-Other things? What kind of things? Do I need to be worried?" he asks the maid, looking around on his guard for anything suspicious.
Trying to calm himself... ' this is a home, not a dungeon... they wouldn't just leave demons here walking around, would they?... And if they did, the maid seems pretty calm about it ' he thinks.

Oh, things like half the rooms being bathrooms, doors leading to impossible places like baseball stadiums... Nothing dangerous, really. Just strange... *The boy does see one or two other maids running about, some of whom have inhuman features like tails or animal ears, but no real demons to speak of.*

Maid #46: You know, I'd love to, but I'm off-shift right now. ...And I'm hungry. *winces* ...Aaand I'm going to have to get to the store soon. The compulsory headache's starting to settle in.

*After a pause, Circe just sighs and shakes her head.* Just go. You're lucky I'm in a good mood...

[AmbushCat]

Oh, things like half the rooms being bathrooms, doors leading to impossible places like baseball stadiums... Nothing dangerous, really. Just strange... *The boy does see one or two other maids running about, some of whom have inhuman features like tails or animal ears, but no real demons to speak of.*

*Unless one counts the orange-haired catgirl maid that storms past them at an intersection, face red with embarrassment and her appearance radiating pure fury. Why is she so mad? Because of the black-furred child-sized felinoid sitting on her shoulder and hugging the side of her face, purring like a car. Neither of them notice---or particularly care---about the visitor or the staffer accompanying him, instead heading off further into the Manor towards who-knows-where.*

----

*After a pause, Circe just sighs and shakes her head.* Just go. You're lucky I'm in a good mood...

*Visibly relieved, Maid #46 grabs a plate of spaghetti and hustles off.*

[xGoggles]

Even for having been in this weird dimension for a rather short amount of time, he already noticed a lot of strange things happening, even before finding the manor.
Sure magic existed to where he came from, but it was very limited and surely not as common as what has displayed already in this reality.
Having his hopes up, this will be the place he'll finally learn some magic of his own.

"Soo.. umm...", briefly getting distracted by the maid with their exotic cat features and her felinoid friend(?), "Did... Circe ever take students before... do you think she would be a good teacher?" he nervously asks the tired maid.

[Ookalf]

Even for having been in this weird dimension for a rather short amount of time, he already noticed a lot of strange things happening, even before finding the manor.
Sure magic existed to where he came from, but it was very limited and surely not as common as what has displayed already in this reality.
Having his hopes up, this will be the place he'll finally learn some magic of his own.

"Soo.. umm...", briefly getting distracted by the maid with their exotic cat features and her felinoid friend(?), "Did... Circe ever take students before... do you think she would be a good teacher?" he nervously asks the tired maid.

*The maid doesn't seem to pay any attention to the chaos running past them - one gets used to such things living in the manor.* Well, I think she's had one or two students in the past, but none of them were really with her long. I think Miss Circe said they just stopped showing up, or something... *As they talk, the maid suddenly stops and opens one of the hallway's many doors, revealing the banquet hall where Circe and various other maids and guests are having a party.* And we're here. Think you can find Miss Circe on your own?

[xGoggles]

"Oh, I didn't know there was a party going on..." He mentions when the door opened and suddenly a blast of smells, music and talking, came out of the doorway.
"Wait, you're leaving? I.. I.. actually don't know how she looks like..." Nerves rising, big crowds weren't something he was a fan of, and the idea of surveying trough it to find someone he only knew by name... just scary.

[Ookalf]

Oh, sorry. Guess I forgot to mention that... *The maid yawns as she looks around the room, then points the boy toward a blonde-haired woman standing near the food tables.* That's her. You want me to go and introduce you?

[xGoggles]

His eyes follow the direction of the maid's finger, pointing to a stunningly beautiful woman. His face turning red, "Oh...wow.. she is gorgeous."
Caught himself staring for a few, he quickly recollects himself and responds to the maid "Y-yea, if you can...s-sure..."

[Ookalf]

OK then. ...And before you get your hopes up, you're really not her type... *The maid leads the boy into the room and up to Circe.* Miss Circe? This is that boy who wanted to see you.

Right, right. You can go, May. *The maid, May, bows and walks away, leaving the boy with Circe.* So, I hear you want to be my apprentice. Is that right?

[xGoggles]

"H-her type wh--aaa...?" the boy stuttered as his face gained the next stage of blush, why did the topic suddenly change to that? Him and her? the image popped up in his head, making him lose balance for a moment.
Noticing the maid already started walking towards her, he shook it off, trying to regain focus, ' good going... now you are fantasising about your potential teacher before even meeting her... just concentrate... and don't mess this up ', he thinks, trying to regain his calm.

Though as soon as he was in front of her, any of that confidence just melted way, "H-Hi... Y-yes.. Miss"

[Ookalf]

I see... *Circe looks the boy over, as if sizing him up, then suddenly hands him a plate and points him toward the food.* Why don't you grab yourself something to eat, then we'll sit down and talk about this. *That said, Circe walks off and claims a seat at a nearby table.*

[xGoggles]

Nervously accepting the plate "Eh, To eat? Oh, yea food! Sure! He he-he..." laughing awkwardly, running over to the buffet.
So that went well... the embarrassment didn't implode the banquet hall into a vacuum... maybe having an escape plan was a good idea after all...

Considering his options, maybe he should stop overthinking things... just grab some food and have a chat... easy right?
Having not eaten anything all day made him not very picky... still looking over the food carefully, he didn't want to accidentally take some cat-food away from the cat-girl-maids or anything.

[AmbushCat]

*The options run the full gamut, ranging from burgers and grilled steak to chicken alfredo and lasagna to salads and sushi, and everything in-between. This goes double for the beverages: fruit drinks, soda pop, tea & coffee, water. And don't forget the desserts!*

*The boy might overhear snippets of conversation in the background, including one that sounds like "If these are the leftovers, that gathering must have been huge!".*

*One maid who is distinctly more cat than human---black & white fur, half-mustache on one lip---approaches the food tables, but she only lingers long enough to grab some of the chicken alfredo before leaving the banquet hall.*

[xGoggles]

"Hmmm, let's see... this all looks so good..." Taking a bit of fettucini and a small portion of seafood paella, which also looked very delicious, giving the venison burgers a peak, but he already had enough on his plate anyway.
Maybe a bit too early to get some dessert, but he couldn't resist taking a per-sliced piece of tart, before they were out of it.

Maneuvering the plates together with his notepad, over towards the table Circe took a seat, guess his part-time job as a waiter back home had some benefits after all. Carefully placing the food on the table.

[Ookalf]

*Circe nods as the boy takes his seat.* Right then, why you tell me a bit about yourself. Who are you, exactly?

[xGoggles]

Going for a few bites, of the delicious food, his nerves calmed down a bit, getting more at ease, he starts talking after clearing his mouth, " So I.... I'm Dan, I'm not really from around here... I mean, as from another dimension or something, I think..."
Drinking a glass of water he continued, "I don't know what happened... suddenly I arrived in this strange city, Muffinville, and things just went crazy, so many random occurrences by magic... Where I'm from we have magic too... well a few have... it's not really that common..." the tone of the boy goes down a bit.

After a brief pause, "So... yea... I arrive in this new place, full of magic, and I thought I might as well look for someone that could teach me to understand it and maybe even how to use it myself... I asked around and someone mentioned your name." He continues eating, enjoying his meal.