songerein | open 🌠🐾 the starflower café and sanctuary

Entry tags:

open 🌠🐾 the starflower café and sanctuary

Who: Tifa Lockhart, Eustace, Lyria, the animals, and YOU!
Which: Open mingle log
Where: The Starflower Café and Sanctuary
What: It's the grand opening of Tifa's new café/bar and animal sanctuary! Come meet and play and cuddle with animals, have a drink, eat some delicious food, chat with friends or make new ones! Whatever you want. Forward dated to next week.
Warnings: High levels of cute

Welcome to the Starflower Café and Sanctuary!

Upon entering into the rustic-style building, the paw-shaped chimes ringing to welcome you, you'll be greeted by a large white, rose-covered dog who will bring your attention to the small basket of flowery crystals, the sign above them stating that they can be turned into candies and jams with the help of dreamotion. Lyria will be there handing out a variation of animal ears for anyone to wear if they would like. Out and about around and in the café, you'll find a big red panda walking around! She's trading hugs for goodies, so be sure to pick out something for her as well while you're up at the bar if you'd like a cuddle!

The main floor features the bar and café proper with the walls filled with vines of shimmering blue starflowers. There is a wide space for tables and chairs, both for larger parties and smaller ones, with the center featuring a broad wooden tree fit for perching for both cats and birds alike. To the right is the bar counter, as well as a glass case showing off the wide selection of desserts that they have available for the day. To the left in the far corner is a small lit fireplace surrounded by comfortable seating. Next to that, there is a glass case filled with merchandise for the café, such as coasters, engraved glasses and mugs, plastic samples of pet treats that are available. Alongside them are the glass figurines of the corgis that Eustace had made at the Dream Faire. Beside that, there is a set of glass doors that will take one out to the patio outside.

The second floor boasts more intimate seating, tables mostly made for two or three, as well as floral-themed couches set up at each corner. Here, the berry turtles have a small fountain pool, as well as a terrarium set up for them.

Should one decide to go outside to the patio in the back, not only will they find tables and chairs, but despite the cooler weather, the garden is blooming with colour. Among the designated play areas for the animals as well as all along the outer walls of the café, there are starflowers, roses, lilies, and daisies all in bloom. Take a walk through the garden, and stop by the pond to visit the fish.

As your orders are taken, keep an eye out for the pair of blue lovebirds that fly around delivering them from the floor to the back to Tifa!

There are plenty of places to play with the animals or simply watch them, so grab a drink, some food, and a seat, and enjoy your stay at the Starflower Café, Bar, and Sanctuary! 💙

with love,

thank you, kassie 💙💙

🐕 I. MEET THE ANIMALS

A. THE DOGS. Of course, this wouldn't be Eustace and Tifa without the presence of the corgis. All seven of them wear matching bandanas around their necks, along with Tifa, Lyria, and Eustace, to show that they are part of the Starflower family. Rather, they are here to serve! Have you placed an order for food? They will happily carry out your order to your table and demand praise and pets afterward. Do you need a cuddle? They can help with that, too! They'll do tricks for anyone who has a treat to offer, like dancing, handshakes, and even singing, if you are so inclined to listen. Be careful, however! Should Idris get too excited, he might create a gust of wind that could knock your table over, or Aerona might steal something valuable of yours in an attempt to get you to play with her. They may be well-trained, but they are still corgis!

Some of the flower dogs have also made an appearance today. Rose will be gifting everyone small crystal flowers as they walk in that, as Eustace, Tifa, and Lyria will explain, can be turned into floral candies and jams. Edelweiss will greet people with small flowery fireworks that he sheds from his fur, but don't let him get too excited, or the café might have a fireworks show on their hands... Watch out!

The corgi puppies that were announced last month are making an appearance on opening day as well! Lyria has set up a playpen in the center of the café for anyone who would like to meet with and play with the new corgi puppies under her and Rhonwen's supervision. Sorry, they are not up for adoption yet!

B. FAIRY KITTENS. There are three winged kittens flitting about the café, and they are extra curious. If you aren't careful, you might find your pants covered coloured sprinkles if Sprinkles (yes, that's her name) wanders too close, or in glitter if Shimmer shakes herself off near you. Flutter's butterflies like to stay close to her, but sometimes they do lose track of where she is and both Flutter and the butterflies become distressed, so please help to reunite them again!

They are all still learning how to use their wings, so give them a hand or a word of encouragement. Mirabelle, the plum fairy that resides in the building, will tell you to take them outside to the back where there is plenty of space, and the pollen of their flowers will help give them a boost... and who knows, you may start to feel it, too! Think of it like fairy dust.

C. BUNNIES. Have you looked away for a moment and looked back to your table to suddenly find something missing? Maybe a bite has been mysteriously taken out of your meal? Look more carefully and you might find a small pair of ears peeking out from behind your plate or your cup of coffee. Look even more closely, and you will discover that it is a small bundle of fluffy, white fur. A bunny? But how? It's the size of your thumb nail, maybe smaller, and it's sniffing at your food. Or maybe it's searching for a warm place to curl up and sleep, and your hair is just the right temperature. They're completely harmless and are just looking for friends and playmates! They are quite fond of paper, and will grow excited (and in size, but only by a little!) if you can fold up these small colourful squares of it into animal-shaped friends for them! Just be careful if you're eating a salad! They may have ended up finding their way in there!

D. OTHER ANIMALS. There are plenty of other animals to meet and play with! There are some 🐢 berry-shelled turtles 🐢 that will drop off raspberries or blueberries for you if you share your salad with them, a 🕊️ pair of birds 🕊️ that will sing a love song for you (and your special someone if you've brought them), and will belt poems for the whole café to hear. They'll also preen your hair if they think it's a bit too unruly. There are also 🐠 a few fish 🐠outside in the pond that will put on a light show for you if you wave at them.

There is a large selection of toys and treats appropriate for every animal so feel free to interact with them however you'd like. For the full list of animals, please refer to this list! And, if you've brought your own pet, the animals would be happy to meet and socialize and mingle with them! Be sure to grab some of the homemade treats, as well!

🐈 II. FOOD AND DRINKS

A. SPECIAL DONUTS. Made with love and care, these donuts are a special item for the opening week of the café. There's a wide selection to choose from, and all of them are based on the animals that they have up for adoption at the moment. As well as a set of them for the corgis because we all know they would be jealous if there weren't. There are also limited edition Eria and Clover donuts—those who have visited Eustace and Tifa's treehouse will be familiar with them. They come in different flavours—vanilla, maple, matcha, chocolate, double chocolate, jelly-filled vanilla, so feel free to choose one!

However, they may have been crafted with a little too much love. (This is all a work in progress!) So, depending on the flavour you choose, you might start to notice some residual effects. Nothing too scary! Well, depending on who you are.
🐱 Sprinkles donut: No matter what you do, this vanilla sprinkle donut will have you leaving sprinkles everywhere you go. You may also start to feel yourself floating on air when you walk? Uh oh, or maybe you really are walking on air! Don't worry, it's only a few inches, and the effects will wear off quickly enough.
🐺 Eria donut: While you won't feel cold, you're suddenly gifted with a brief bout of snowy dreamotion after eating this powdered jelly-filled donut, allowing you to create snowflakes that turn into powdered icing when it touches your food. It will also cool off anything you touch, so be careful not to let your coffee get cold!
🌹 Rose donut: This floral flavoured donut will have you leaving behind rose petals that can be later used to turn into candies or jams, so be sure to collect them when you find them!
🍃 Idris donut: This minty flavoured donut will make anyone who eats it feel like they're moving faster than they actually are. Are you running? No, but it will definitely feel that way. A bit trippy...

B. Drinks. Of course, a bar and cafe wouldn't be one without drinks! And once again, these ones have ended up with some effects. None of them are harmful, but you may find yourself being very popular with the animals...

☕ Flavoured Cattuccinos: These cappuccinos (choose a flavour, any flavour!) are as fluffy as they can get! With this, the animals in the cafe will be drawn to you and will relentlessly seek out cuddles until you leave. Be careful, if you drink it too fast, you'll be inundated with cats, dogs, bunnies, and birds trying to steal sips of your drink.
🍵 Corgi Tea Lattes: These tea lattes (currently, they come in matcha, chai, and earl grey flavour), will make the drinker feel nostalgic, whimsical, incredibly relaxed. Drink too much, and you might find yourself dozing off into a daydream...
🍹 Starry Night: The Starflower Bar's special! Comes in alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions! The drink will simply make you feel warm and happy no matter what mood you are in, and will make you feel tempted to cuddle with animals–or someone else–for a while.

🐇 III. OUTDOORS

A. RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY. While for the most part, the weather is sunny and warm, the random weather changes that are happening around town can bring about sudden rain or snow. These small storms won't last long, but a sudden downpour or blizzard will no doubt put a damper on those dining or spending time with animals outside. Try to keep the mood light and cheerful–socialize, play with the animals, tell some jokes, but when it starts storming, it will be time to get the animals back inside–and help chase those storm clouds away! Speaking of clouds, some lower ones have started drifting through. However, they aren't just any ordinary clouds... they're made of cotton candy. Enjoy some sweets! Just be careful, some of the stormy ones are floating in, and those might have a bit more "zing!" to them.

B. ART ATTACK. Some of Eustace and Tifa's dogs are particularly fond of art and the messes that comes with it, so they have set up some stations outside behind the cafe for people to have some fun with the animals. They love to make paw paintings, and will "help" anyone who would just like to do something artsy with it (by help, they will add their own flair to them). Remember those rose crystals that Rose had given to you when you walked in? She'll also sit with you and encourage you to turn them into candies with dreamotion. Or perhaps you can assist someone else?

C. GLASS ART. Remember the glass blowing back at the faire? Well, it's back! Just like the small glass figurines of the corgis on display in the glass case inside, there is an option to create small glass animals using the glass blowing method with a little bit of dreamotion. Create whatever you'd like (it doesn't have to be an animal!), and don't be afraid to ask someone if you need help with either part. If you'd like to take them home, you may, but there is also the option to leave them on display with the others near the fireplace, if you so wish—Tifa would love it if you did!

( click to expand )

code by efrynidel

FOOD

BREAKFAST

Pancakes. Waffles. Any style eggs. Breakfast burger. Breakfast Sandwiches. Oatmeal (hot or cold). Breakfast bowls.

Sides: Hashbrowns. Sausage. Bacon. Toast.

LUNCH

Variety of sandwiches. Burgers. Grilled Cheese. Daily Soups. Salads.

Sides: Fries. Small Salad. Coleslaw.

Opening Week Special: Blinis.

DINNER

Steaks. Burgers. Salads. Stews. Stir Fry. Curry. Spaghetti and Meat Sauce.

(Breakfast and lunch served all day!)

DRINKS

COFFEES

Flavoured Lattes & Cappuccinos. Americanos. Espresso. Macchiato. Drip Coffee. Mochas. Frappuccinos.

(All coffees available hot or iced.)

TEA

Black Teas. Green Teas. Herbal Teas. Floral Teas.

(All teas available hot or iced, sweetened and unsweetened.)

ALCOHOL

Scotches. Whiskeys. Wines (Red and White). Beers. Cocktails.

Special: The Starry Night

OTHER DRINKS

Hot Chocolate. Homemade sodas. Homemade, freshly squeezed juices. Milkshakes.

DESSERTS

ICE CREAM

Vanilla. Chocolate. Strawberry. Chocolate Chip. Butter Pecan. Cookie Dough. Lemon. Mint. Cotton Candy. Matcha. Rose.

CAKES

Lemon. Chocolate. Vanilla. Strawberry shortcake. Black Forest. Red Velvet.

Cheesecakes (lemon, strawberry, white chocolate, plain, blueberry, caramel).

Cinnamon buns.

DONUTS

Maple. Matcha. Vanilla. Chocolate. Honey Glazed. Jelly-filled.

Opening Week Specials: Cherry Blossom donut. Seafarer Maple donut.

ADOPTABLE ANIMALS

Peony Sparrows (2)

As they are a "couple" they cannot be separated and come in a set. Together, they sing songs to fit the mood.

Difficulty of Care: 🐾🐾🐾
Food Preferences: Sweet fruit, fresh seeds
Other: They should be free to fly around and not have their wings clipped. Once they have learned where their home is, they will always return to it.

Rainbow Fish (3)

They leave trails of light/glitter wherever they swim and like to put on small light shows for whoever might be looking at them.

Difficulty of Care: 🐾🐾
Food Preferences: Fish pellets, vegetables
Other: Small aquarium provided, but it is recommended to keep them in a small pond.

Tiny Bunnies (6)

They like to burrow into the stems and live there, and are small enough to do so (about the size of someone's thumb nail). They are very curious and hungry, and like to steal food when no one is looking.

Difficulty of Care: 🐾🐾🐾🐾
Food Preferences: Plants, fruits, vegetables
Other: An enclosed potted plant provided. They do not need a lot of space; a small sized, enclosed hutch will suffice as long as it has enough greenery; potted plants will do well. If they manage to escape, leave out a potted plant with food and they will go to it.

Turtles (2)

There is a raspberry turtle and a blueberry turtle, and once ripe, the berries can be picked from their shells, washed, and eaten without harm. Take good care of it, and their berries will taste sweeter!

Difficulty of Care: 🐾🐾🐾
Food Preferences: Plants, fruits, vegetables
Other: Small tank provided. Can be adopted separately or together. As tortioses, they'll need a decent sized terrarium or safe outdoor enclosure with plenty of cover, access to sunlight or a heat lamp, and some water. They are small and already adults.

Fairy Cat (Shimmer)

An energetic cat who spreads glitter wherever she goes.

Difficulty of Care: 🐾🐾🐾🐾
Food Preferences: Flowers, fish
Other: Collar provided. Must be able to maintain Shimmer's glitter and not be bothered by it.

Fairy Cat (Flutter)

A playful, cuddly cat that will always leave a trail of butterflies

Difficulty of Care: 🐾🐾🐾
Food Preferences: Flowers, fish
Other: Collar provided. Having a large garden to help attract the butterflies will be beneficial.

Autumn Fairy Dogs (3)

Each dog has unique colored leaves that will change to autumn colors. Playful, energetic, just be careful when they shed!

Difficulty of Care: 🐾🐾🐾
Food Preferences: Fruits, flowers, small amounts of dried meat
Other: Collar and leash provided. Dogs can be adopted separately or together; they are not related to each other. While they would make good house pets, they do require a fair amount of exercise. Their leave naturally grow in their coats and will fall off, but some grooming is still required.

OOC NOTE: This is an open mingle, so anyone is free to make top levels using the prompts provided! You may use the animals as you see fit, as long as it's within reason (not too much chaos or else the corgis or Eustace and Tifa will step in to stop it!).

If you would like to adopt any of the animals above, please fill out the form here!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at

crystariums or via PM or on the game discord!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[By her count, they've found... four... so far!? But perhaps there are more—they're so small that they could be hiding anywhere, but she's focused on the one trembling in the dirt under one of the leaves.

Kneeling, Tifa reaches out a hand.]

It's okay... We're not here to hurt you...

[She beckons for Eustace to do the same as she whispers to him in an equally soft voice—]

I've never had a bunny before...?

[WHAT DO...]

Same...

[Just a low, quiet voice as he tries to lower himself... But perhaps because of his ears that resemble a wolf's the bunny just shrinks up even more.

...

He was about to mention the rabbits he and Lyria dealt with earlier, but that would bring up the whole hunting thing so maybe not.]

...I'll go get some lettuce or something, see if that might help.

[Alas, his animal speaking is still a bit on the lower level when it comes to other animals that aren't dogs or their other animals that he's been able to bond with.]

[She doesn't even piece it together that his ears might be what's scaring the bunny, or this one in particular. The other two that they dealt with must be the bolder ones of the bunch, however many there are...

Carefully, she folds her hands together and reaches into the pot, but when her fingers come close, that only makes it bury its head further into its shaking body.]

... You're a shy one, huh?

[Withdrawing, Tifa sits cross-legged on the floor and props her chin up on her hands, elbows on the edge of the pot to keep an eye on it while she waits for Eustace to return. The other one that had scurried off to hide in the tree pokes its head out from a small hole, its tiny little nose twitching as if trying to sniff the air around her.

The other two can be heard moving around in the box set on the counter.]

Grab the box with the others on your way back. Maybe this one just needs its friends...?

[Or family?]

[As Eustace picks off from the remainder of their lost sandwiches, he looks at the rattling box.

...]

All right.

[He'll carefully grab the box and hold it secure in his hands, trying not to shake it too much as he carries it all over.]

Just be careful. They might try to run off.

I know. But they also might not...

[She's willing to take that risk.

Tifa takes the box from him with a crooked smile and sets it down in her lap first, keeping it very still and letting the rabbits inside calm before she moves it at all again. Her voice remains quiet, gentle, and she beckons for Eustace to come sit next to her on the floor.]

Here, try feeding this one...

[It's still sitting there buried in its own fur, and although it's tiny, it's starting to puff up, like it's trying to make itself look as big as possible.]

[...Honestly it's kind of cute watching this little fluffball trying to appear larger than it is, and he'll just nod. He's still...a bit hesitant as he still senses the fear is coming towards him, but he'll tear off a few small pieces before holding it out to the little bun.]

...Here, it's for you. I'll set it down here so you can have it.

[A soft, quiet voice that he hopes is reassuring for it as he sets down the little pieces.]

[Tifa watches, her breath held in her lungs so as not to disturb the very delicate peace they are trying to maintain while Eustace lowers his hand and the lettuce to offer it to the small bunny.

Its ears move, and then very slowly, it lifts its head to sniff at the food, and Tifa lifts a hand to her mouth to cover the very surprised and elated gasp at how cute this rabbit is as its whiskers twitch. And then...

...

.....

It grabs the whole piece of lettuce with its even tinier mouth and gobbles the whole thing up in a single go—!?]

[The heck—

His eyes open wide at the sight and... Well... A bit numb, he just kind of mechanically gives a few more pieces to watch it practically inhale those, too.]

...

...Amazing...

You saw that, too!?

[Tifa is equally as amazed, her own eyes wide and mouth agape with pleasant surprise. Her hand still covers her face as she tries to stifle a giggle as it takes another piece of lettuce and consumes that one in one bite, too.

Now, the other one that had been hiding away in the tree, only peeking out every now and then to see what was going on, has hopped down from the leaf. It lands on top of the other bunny, and the two of them roll as it tries to fight for a piece of the lettuce, putting itself between it and Eustace's hand.]

Oh gosh, one at a time...!

[But no longer can she stifle her amusement, and although she tries to put on a more scornful voice, it's said through the laughter that bubbles right out of her chest.]

[He's still not sure what to make of all this—why are they so small???

But he'll quickly try to tear off a few pieces to put for them.]

Here, there's plenty.

[Should he just give them the whole leaf??]

[As if reading his mind—]

Try putting down the whole leaf.

[Is it a bad idea? It could be, but Tifa is morbidly curious to see what the two of them will do... Will they scarf that down in a single bite, too!?]

[He's sharing in that curiosity... So she doesn't need to tell him twice when he ends up putting the rest of the leaf down...

...

And watch in slight horror at how the bunnies descend upon it, tearing into it with amazingly large bites and inhales.]

[Tifa's not sure if she's feeling horrified, impressed, or amused. Maybe all three, because that's the journey her expression goes on in the few seconds that it takes for the rabbits to eat the whole leaf of lettuce.

Silence fills the air as the pair watch, the only sound their crunching and the shuffling in the box still on Tifa's lap, but after several more moments of quiet—]

... No wonder they were looking to steal our whole sandwiches.

[And she bursts into laughter, startling the more skittish bunny while the other one hops up on the edge of the pot of the tree, searching for more food.]

...I suppose...

[He's still baffled, really.]

Should I get them more? No—we should move them to a more contained place, first.

[Still laughing, Tifa picks up the box and balances it carefully in her hands so as not to tip it with the rabbits inside too much.

Looking around, she does make a face.]

The spare room upstairs? That's the only place that isn't really a mess or too open right now.

[A small nod.]

It'll have to do for now. We might have a bigger box still up there, too.

[He looks at the bunnies warily.]

I'll take the tree, too... There could still be more in there.

Careful...

[But Tifa is holding onto the takeout box with both hands, one hand now on the lid when she feels the two energized bunnies hopping around inside, kicking at the top to try and escape.]

I'm sorry... [She coos gently at them.] I'll let you out soon.

[With that, she rushes all the way up to the top floor of the building to the spare bedroom that they've furnished. There isn't much in there yet, which may be for the best right now—just a small bed, a couch, and some spare clothes hanging in the small wardrobe—so very few places to hide.

It's only when they are both in the room that Tifa finally opens the box, and as soon as she does—]

Oh!

[The two rabbits inside come bounding out, one of them leaping right into her hair while the other scurries towards the tree where it hops around in the dirt, making a mess of the other two and kicking some onto the floor.]

You think they came from that?

[She points to the potted tree, and the one that had scurried into her hair starts to make a nest out of it—]

[Eustace carefully but quickly carries the tree up after her, his eyes mostly on the rabbits that huddle near the tree or duck back into the burrow. He only sets it down after kicking the door closed behind him, and fortunately they make no move to escape, leaving him able to try and grab that rabbit in her hair.

Excuse, only he gets that privilege??]

Given that it looks like there's a burrow—[Come here you damn rabbit—]—it's most likely.

[Tifa makes a sound when Eustace reaches for the rabbit, but it only burrows further between her long strands, getting itself happily tangled up there while she stays very, very still...]

So... what do you think we should do?

[Keep them, obviously. She isn't going to throw them out on the streets again—not when they just brought them in, and they seem to be making themselves at home.]

They're so small, how do we even keep track of them? Get a bigger bunny?

[Get out of her hair you damn rabbit— Going to carefully but very tenaciously work through her hair to try and get the rascal.]

We do have the rabbit Lyria and I caught....

[It's both a sweet and amusing gesture that Eustace is trying to hard to pull the rabbit out of her hair, but as she feels his fingers work to untangle it when it burrows deeper into her usual long, loose ponytail, she does find herself asking why...

But in all the chaos, she had forgotten—]

Oh! Right...

[That rabbit that Lyria tried so hard to surprise Tifa with, and then ended up spoiling said surprise before it could become one, but that didn't mean that she wasn't still thrilled to have one of the lucky rabbits. It was sweet, honestly...]

Last I saw it, it was making a nest under the couches on the second floor... but it's worth a try. Having something familiar might help calm them down.

Edited 2023-03-28 00:21 (UTC)

[.......

He's about to growl in frustration so momentarily pause on this important discussion for him to ask—]

Can I just shake the damn thing out?

[OUT. OF. HIS. WIFE'S. HAIR!??!?!?]

[She would have been happy to continue on while he tried to find it, so when he veers the subject, she looks at him in surprise before saying in the most unintentionally simple, innocent tone...]

I think it might be too late.

[Puckering her lips, she tries to zero in on where it might be, but just as she's about to mention that she can't even feel it anymore, she gasps when she feels a sharp tug from somewhere along her mid-back.]

Hey!

[OH THAT'S IT]

This little—

[He sees her hair moving over there and quickly just grabs her hair from the base of her neck, careful to not yank it as he's really just trying to keep it in place, and then a little roughly shakes it around. GET OUT.]

Eustace—! What in the world!?

[Tifa can only stand there, astounded at how things have unfolded, still very careful not to move as he... shakes her long ponytail around???

He'll see the bunny's ears starting to wobble about as he manages to wriggle it out, but it hangs on for dear life as it slips further and further toward the red clasp around her hair until...

It tumbles to the floor with an unceremonious flop and immediately stares up at Eustace, puffing up like an angry cotton ball because how dare he!!! LOOK HOW SCARY IT IS!!!

Meanwhile, Tifa combs her fingers sadly through her tangled hair.]

It was fine, you know...

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