2025-05-18 - Mystery Murder Chocolates

It's early evening and they've just finished dinner, leaving Amadeus doing dishes per arrangements of Artemisia cooking. "So then- they just screamed," she explains with a laugh, telling her brother a story about working around the Spookeasy. "Kids!" There's a crinkle to the corners of her eyes as she carries some recycling to set by the door outside to be taken down after they're done cleaning up. It's Sunday. Time to start a new week.

Time to- Artemisia opens the door and almost trips but notices in time a bright, pink box. "Hey D, did you order something?" She wonders, setting aside the cardboard to pick up the box. It's an apartment, everyone temporarily leaves bags outside. A box though? That's something else.

It's a very vibrant pink box. We are talking Barbie pink. The ribbon is wrapped around it in a very dark blue that is almost black and in orange is written: Open Me.

Picking up the box, Arte nudges the door shut with her foot. Her slippers are unsurprisingly, Hello Kitty - but specifically Melody the bunny. She's wearing an oversized white hoodie that might be Amadeus's and a pair of polka-dot pajama shorts. "What do you think? Should we open it?"

"You're only 27. Pretty sure you're still a little too young to be calling 21 year olds kids," Amadeus snickers when she tells tales of the Spookeasy. He continues to wash, one dish after the other and dries it off, setting it to the side to be put away afterward.

"Nope," he calls out when she asks if he ordered anything. He doesn't really even look up from doing the dishes at first, not until he catches the very pink color out of the corner of his eye and turns away from the sink to watch her carry it in.

He glances at the bright orange lettering and shrugs, "Seems like the thing to do. Though uhm.. maybe take off my hoodie first in case it explodes." He flashes her a grin. "Or.. maybe even open it in the hall in case it explodes..."

"No, I can hear Amma in my head telling me I can have an orange since I have no husband and then we have that tricky talk about bisexuality in my head," Artemisia jokes.

The jokes run out as she brings the box in. "Okay. Because neither did I. I haven't been 2am shopping drunk in ages," Artemisia says, setting the box on their small kitchen counter. "I am going to make you open it," she decides, handing him the box before dancing back. "That way I can't get any on your hoodie," is added sweetly.

"Wait, can I get oranges if I have no husband?" Amadeus asks, glancing over with a cheeky grin, totally knowing what she's talking about, but taking the opportunity to be a bother about it.

He smirks as she comes over with the strange box and sets it on the counter in front of him. "Okay.. well.." He turns the box away from him, and gradually opens the lid away from him, waiting to see if anything flies out.

If nothing does, then he continues to slowly pry back the lid until they can both see what is inside.

"Maybe. Do you need me to buy oranges," Artemisia counters, sticking her tongue out at him.

When the box is open is opened there is an 'arrangement' of chocolates. They are shaped like treble clefs, bass clefs and various notes. There is a typed small note that says: You've been noted. There is no clue or indication who it's from.

Artemisia stares at it for a long moment. "Are we gonna get married by an orchestra?" She asks in Korean, dark eyes wide. It's a music murder.

"Yes," Amadeus decides definitively. "We need oranges. For our old spinster selves. So that we don't get scurvy."

"Well," he says as he gets the box open and nothing explodes or leaps out of it. "That's.. cool? I guess? Though I'm a little leery of eating mystery food that shows up on the doorstep."

He then squints and looks over at her. "Married?" confused. "I'm definitely not getting married. You first." He shoves the box in her direction and then dashes out of the kitchen. "NOT IT!"

"Can you actually get scurvy?" Inquiring minds want to know. Right. The box. With chocolate. She eyes her brother and wrinkles her nose. "Obviously, it's good luck." She picks up a piece of chocolate and pops it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Dark eyes wide, she covers her mouth with her hand as she speaks, "D, they're good. Also. Like. I figure this is the dramatic note before the murder." It's so on theme.

"I don't know," Amadeus laughs. "I'm a dancing fish, not a doctor."

After he disappears, he pokes his head around the corner and watches as she pops a chocolate into her mouth. "Murder?" he asks, "What murder?"

Then as an added warning, "Don't die."

In response, Artemisia chews at him.

Amadeus smirks as she CHEWS in his general direction. Curiosity does eventually get the better of him though. "What kind are they?" he asks, not getting any closer to the mystery chocolates.

Artemisia blinks and then answers in all seriousness. "Chocolate. Milk, I think."

Amadeus squints and then nods slightly, "Who would just leave random chocolates at our place?" But then more importantly, "Who would want to murder either one of us? I barely even know anyone here. Do you have enemies? You're the more obviously musical one." Is he still watching her for signs of turning colors or passing out? Maybe.

"Someone doing penance? Overzealous chocolatier?" Artemisia suggests, licking a bit of chocolate off her finger. "I don't know. It was giving me Phantom of the Opera vibes." Brows narrowing, she pouts at him. "No. I don't have enemies. And how do you not know anyone here? Do I need to have a party?" Please. Give her a reason to throw a party.

Amadeus laughs a little at the idea of someone doing penance through chocolate deliveries. He finally glances down at the chocolates and selects one, lifting it and examining it closely before he pops it into his mouth. If they're going, apparently they are going together. "I mean.. I know SOME people, just, not a lot." Though he shrugs and says, "I wouldn't argue against a party."

They are good. Those chocolates. Artemisia eyes the box like she might select another an shakes her head and pats him on the arm. Good brother. "Okay. Yeah. Yup. A party." Artemisia is already eying the apartment and asks, "Streamer or balloons?"

Amadeus looks thoughtful for a moment and then pleasantly surprised at how good the chocolates are. "Well, if I'm going to die, I'm going to die happy," he admits and grabs another one of the chocolates, you know, just to be sure. "Why not both?" he asks, at the question of streamers or balloons. "You know, a healthy amount of streamers draped from a cluster of balloons to another?" Yes, he is absolutely enabling her.

Artemisia snorts, then takes another chocolate for herself. "Amen to dying happy." She pops it in her mouth. Then, she just smiles at Amadeus. "I'll throw you the best party I can. Invite all your friends from work." Mermaids. Pirates. Fairies. Whoever he hangs out with. "I mean, we don't have that rooftop for nothing."

"Never had a birthday party at an amusement park," Amadeus grins. "Sounds like fun to me. Maybe we can go do something in the park first. Or after." Since his birthday is in a few weeks, anyway. "The rooftop is a good place for a party, too." He's always been pretty easy going about these sorts of things, so whatever ends up working out seems like it will be fine with him. Two chocolates in, and he hasn't died, so he shrugs and says, "I'd invite whoever left these, but I have no idea who it would be."

"Oh. My. God." Artemisia lights up at that. "That's it. We're throwing you a birthday amusement park day. We'll ride rides and do all the dumb tourist stuff," she promises, bouncing on her toes. Glancing down at the chocolates, she shrugs. "Honestly, me neither. Hawthorne would have left a more complete note."

Amadeus realizes he didn't quite finish the dishes due to the chocolate interruption, and so goes back over to finish rinsing off the last few glasses and drying them while they talk. He nods and says, "He'd probably mention it was him, too. Not sure why he'd have any reason to not tell you who it was." He pauses, "Unless something's changed?" He glances over his shoulder at her curiously, but then goes back to drying and putting the dishes away.

"Uh." Artemisia flushes, then shakes her head. "No. He would have left a note. Or a plant. Probably a plant."