Market Meeting

​Fisher likely wouldn't have deliberately sought out tofu or fruit had he not been asked to, but now that Ursula had returned to her job at the park and was also temporarily living in his apartment, she had the money and the luxury to do so. Three pears, two apples, and a peach were what she had requested, and Fish approached the produce like a Health Cop, determined to get in and out of this section of the store with minimal casualties, hopefully before anyone had even noticed he was there. That was the plan, anyway.

He found Georgia peaches with little trouble, but the apples... there were way more than the red, yellow, and green varieties of school lunches past. There had to be a million different kinds here and not all of them were labeled. He stood in the middle of the aisle, staring at the stacks of shiny fruit with an almost comedically purposeful expression.

Looking over the plethora of apples that lined the market was a chore in and of itself. Reuben always preferred Fuji to any other type. They were the sweetest to him, yet he didn't ever discriminate. Each apple had a special flavor that could be added to a plethora of meals, desserts and dishes to compliment them.

He found himself deciding which type would be the best for what he needed. He grabbed a few granny smith apples, a few pink ladies as well as his favorite, the fuji apples he so desperately needed for a pick-me-up snack now and again. As he was going through the granny smiths to find the perfect ones, he noticed a man who seemed rather...lost. Reuben went back to checking his apples and once he finished, he tied the bag up with a twist-tie and looked back at the man who was still standing there.

"A bit overwhelming, huh. A few too many types to choose from," the tall man said with a smile on his face.

​With a chuckle, Reuben said, "Hey, a free pass to a theme park seems like an amazing trade, to me."

With a shake of his hand, all that truly stuck at that point was this man's name. Fisher Gridell. The name sounded so familiar to Reuben. He couldn't place a face to the name, but for some strange reason it felt as though Reuben had seen or heard that name before.

"I'm a botanist and alchemist, basically. I'm into alternative medicine, a bit. By no means am I a doctor. But herbal remedies and the metaphysical relationships of that nature have always been noticed by some. I just don't do things as typically as others do. I also do readings for people on the side. Tarot, rune, and oracle card readings are apart of my work for people. What about yourself?"

​Fish went uncharacteristically silent as Reuben spoke, but it wasn't because he didn't believe or was looking for a way out of the conversation. No, it was quite the opposite. He grinned, softly at first but then with a touch of impishness.

"That is surprisingly badass for an apple connoisseur. I'd love to get a reading sometime. Find out something about myself I didn't know. My story's just gonna sound lame now," he said with a chuckle. "I work at the very theme park I would be smuggling you into. The Crystal Forest. I'm assistant manager of the stuff that spins. Shows and attractions, which is... a lot. But I love it. I get a ton of freedom too, as long as I keep my eye on this." He held up his phone, giving the device a sour smirk he didn't seem to realize was on his face. "I've needed it this past year too. Things've been crazy." Between his fermenting Raevan and Ursula's fae baby, his life had taken turns where he hadn't even been aware there were roads.

​Reuben smirked a bit and nodded, leaning up against the small stand of fruit and crossing his arms.

"That's not lame at all. You love what you do, and that's all that matters. Plus, having someone to smuggle me into amusement parks is all that matters," he chuckled. "And if you're ever interested in having a reading, here's my card," he said, pulling out his wallet, revealing a business card and handing it to the man.

After a few moments of silence, it hit him like a freight train. No wonder the name struck a bell with him. Fisher Gridell. He was a guardian. That's where Reuben had seen his name before. It just took a few moments of distraction to really set in. Reuben snapped his fingers and narrowed his eyes before speaking. "This may sound a bit strange. But you said your name was Fisher, and I just have to ask. Are you attached to Lab 305 by any chance? I'm a new guardian over there and I practically memorized the little pamphlet of other guardian's names since becoming one myself. One of the guardians, I believe, is named Fisher Gridell. That's you, right?"

He took Reuben's card with a nod, slipping it into his coat.

There had been a time, right after he'd been chosen as a guardian, when he too had obsessed over the list. From what he understood, he could have stopped by the Lab any time for an update, but after a couple of months and a number of get-togethers, it seemed less important to put to memory a bunch of people's names he'd probably only ever come across at a scheduled event. Now he wished he had. It seemed running into other Raevan caretakers was more likely than he'd considered.

"That's me. I'm very much that Fisher Gridell. I don't go to all the parties or anything, but I'll have been around for a year in April. I'm just waiting now." Waiting for his life to change in even greater ways. He laughed breathily, rubbing the side of his face. "It's a little terrifying. But I'm excited too. They seem like good kids, the ones I've met." Or rather, two, face to face. They scared him a little, these people made of magic and wishes. Still, he couldn't wait to know his.

"Ours'll have to meet someday. Have a playdate or something."

​Fisher's brows quirked upward ever so slightly at Reuben's litany of questions, more in amused curiosity than any sort of shock. Luckily, he liked talking about himself more than just about any other topic one might discuss, and he didn't hesitate to reply once the other man had gone silent.

"My, um, essence is cat-repellent catnip." For some reason that always made him laugh. Essence. It sounded like he was unveiling his prize-winning meat marinade on the Food Network. "And I caught a ladybug soul. A brown one with white spots. You wouldn't believe how long it took me to figure that out. I might've gone a little crazy trying to start the kid out as good as they could be, but I don't regret it now." He shook his head, smiling softly at the past. "I sent everything in last May. I haven't kept in touch though. I have a feeling if I got myself started checking in all the time, I'd get really annoying really quickly. As long as they keep inviting me to their get-togethers, I figure everything's fine."

Checking his cart for the items on his list, Fisher started to slowly move on as he spoke, inviting Reuben to stop him if he wasn't done here. "What kind of soul did you end up with?"

At the announcement of the cat-repellent catnip, Reuben couldn't help but chuckle, thinking of his childhood cat being afraid and scurrying away from such a plant. But over all, it just amused the man with what else was out there. He knew that Vesna was created from a false reflection essence. Each essence seemed so vastly different from the next.

"That sounds truly intriguing. I wonder what kind of raevan that will bring about," Reuben began, looking off into the distance a bit, thinking about what kinds of powers that combination would bring. Finally, he came back to the conversation a moment later. "If I'm being honest, the soul that was captured wasn't my first choice by any means. I was just foolish and left the bottle sitting at my workstation. I caught a toadstool soul. As much as I want to say I'd love a little toadstool child, I can't help but feel like I messed the entire capture up. I haven't heard a word from Zeke, and I haven't been invited to any gatherings yet, either. Do you think that's bad?"

Reuben shook his head and let out a heavy sigh. "Sorry, I shouldn't even talk like that. To be completely honest, I haven't thought of Lab 305 in over a month. I've just been keeping busy and trying my best to keep my mind off of it ever since sending my bottle back in October. Patience is a virtue, after all," he said, a slight half-smile growing on his face. "Though, I do have to say, I blame my essence for me getting lost in my thoughts and daydreaming. It was there and almost...calling to me. It's called "Visible Imagination" and looking into it's swirling smoke just makes you get lost and zone out completely. I was just in the same room and it was causing me to be distracted. That's what caused the incident that made my toadstool basket topple over and I guess I just didn't pick them all up. One of them fell and got wedged between the glass jar and the box it was in and I didn't notice it. I-"

Reuben stopped. He couldn't believe he basically began venting to a complete stranger. How annoying was that? Just because he was a fellow lab guardian didn't give him the right to go off like that. It didn't help that Reuben's story telling abilities weren't the best. He often found himself fumbling over the words or looking for the right way to say something and zoning out in general, regardless of whether his essence was in the vicinity or not.

"-am so sorry," he chuckled nervously. "That just went and got me all worked up again. What made you choose the ladybug? What was your thought process? I would love to know, since I didn't really get the chance to do much thinking before the accident happened."

"Aphids."



Fish paused for what was nearly an awkward stretch of time following that vague proclamation, checking on his fruit before he continued with a grin.

"But seriously, I looked up the regular properties of catnip on Wikipedia, reversed them, then spent a year trying to find something brown and white that would benefit from all of its weird effects." And in the meantime, he had kept his essence kind of isolated, for fear that it would pick up something harmful or too weird. He still felt a little guilty about that, though he had been better toward the end when he'd realized his soul glass was even pickier than he was. "I was stuck on frogs for a while. Giraffes, cows, cats, oddly enough. But ladybugs eat aphids and regular catnip repels them, so I figured they just... fit. It seems silly now, but like I said, I'm glad I did it." It had been the first time he'd cared that fiercely about another being that wasn't his father in... well... a long time.

"Thankfully, I don't have a lot of stuff in my life that matches the pattern on the soul bottle or it would have messed up my crazy obsession." Kind of like Reuben had with his. Whoops. "Not that that's bad. Having it taken out of my hands would have saved me a lot of..." He smirked. "Angst, I guess. There was angst, I admit it."

"Toadstools are cool though, in their own way. And visible imagination? That's, like, magical. Which... of course it is, but, you know." Fisher smiled. "I wouldn't worry about any get-togethers or anything. I haven't heard about any recently either. You should give me your card or something so I can come by for that reading. That reminds me too... I should stop by the lab and get an updated list of owners. I'm sure there are more of us than I have in that folder at home."

​Reuben blinked. Aphids? Well, hey, how this man came to find his soul was his own business. And if it worked, it worked, right? "Well, hey, as long as you're happy with the choice, who else is to judge, right? And who knows, maybe the little tyke will come out pretty badass."

A chuckled emitted from Reuben's lips. It could have become a crazy obsession for the tarotist had he truly had a chance to choose his soul, but nevertheless, he hoped for the best.

Reuben had that 'aha!' moment as soon as Fisher asked about his card. "Yeah, of course!" he exclaimed, digging into his pocket to pull out a fine metal carrying case for his business cards. Flipping open the flap, he pulled one out and held it out for the man.

"Here you are!" he began, before throwing his free hand through his messy hair. "Yeah, I'd definitely suggest it, updated lists do come in handy. Or, if you would ever want to stop by for a reading sometime, I can give you my list. No doubt, since I was just selected, my list is as new as they get."