yu "ho life, apparently" narukami (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
izanagis) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
expiationlogs2024-10-04 04:34 pm
izanagis) wrote in expiationlogs2024-10-04 04:34 pm
open mingle: the hot springs episode
Who: everyone!
Where: the hot springs by Astralin's farm
What: food, fun, and absolutely no funny business, i'm sure
Warnings: i'm sure some form of stupid and/or unhinged will present itself, but until then--! nothing!
Where: the hot springs by Astralin's farm
What: food, fun, and absolutely no funny business, i'm sure
Warnings: i'm sure some form of stupid and/or unhinged will present itself, but until then--! nothing!
A Japanese-inspired hot springs located near the farm where Chosen are encouraged to relax and soak. There's an indoor area to relax, as well as changing rooms that, for Chosen who have been there in the past, seem to have been recently upgraded, removing cracks between the doors and increasing privacy. Hmm...
[On the morning of October 4th, a quick message goes out over the network:]
[Okay, so it's a simple message, but he's a silent protag, so what else do you expect? It lists a location, at least.
Anyway. The rules of the hot springs have changed remarkably little in the almost-year that they've been here, though there are no longer attendants there to enforce said rules—right now, very few locals seem willing to work with, or particularly for, the Chosen. So it's on the honor system. Follow the rules! For honor!
Simple.
It's not like the hot springs have gone unused for any period of time, but the springs and dressing rooms have been newly cleaned, restocked with fresh towels and even some snacks.
As the day turns to evening, lanterns light up the area, but the hot springs don't actually have a closing time, so there's no official end time on this gathering. It's temptingly relaxing, but don't fall asleep in the water!]
Onsen cookout tomorrow (10/5) from noon through evening, hosted by the cooking club.
Bring a dish, drink, or game, if you want.
[Okay, so it's a simple message, but he's a silent protag, so what else do you expect? It lists a location, at least.
Anyway. The rules of the hot springs have changed remarkably little in the almost-year that they've been here, though there are no longer attendants there to enforce said rules—right now, very few locals seem willing to work with, or particularly for, the Chosen. So it's on the honor system. Follow the rules! For honor!
1. Best behavior.
2. The springs are co-ed, so soak at your own discretion.
3. Food is provided, alcohol is BYO.
4. No sex in the hot springs!
Simple.
It's not like the hot springs have gone unused for any period of time, but the springs and dressing rooms have been newly cleaned, restocked with fresh towels and even some snacks.
As the day turns to evening, lanterns light up the area, but the hot springs don't actually have a closing time, so there's no official end time on this gathering. It's temptingly relaxing, but don't fall asleep in the water!]
The cooking club was organized by Kotone Shiomi, and is frequented by plenty of the Chosen who want to learn how to cook, improve their skills, or...want to help out by, you know. Tasting. It regularly meets in the club building in town, and sometimes club members can be coerced into providing food for events and gatherings.
[Yu has enlisted the help of the Cooking Club to do some kind of potluck-slash-cookout. People are welcome to bring their own dishes (and others are encourage to taste-test and provide feedback—this is for a club, after all!), but there's also a flat-top grill that will be manned throughout the afternoon and evening by different members of the club—or by volunteers, if you'd like.
Just…just don't give anyone food poisoning, okay?
Aside from food, there will be some other activities: decks of playing cards and other games, for some reason a cornhole game, sparklers, and other small activities. Feel free to bring your own, or hole up in the corner with a book or something, we don't control you.
Also, you may occasionally find any number of cats hanging around, as well. They look expectant, like they're waiting for food or a treat or something. Almost as if someone has been feeding them regularly.]
Just…just don't give anyone food poisoning, okay?
Aside from food, there will be some other activities: decks of playing cards and other games, for some reason a cornhole game, sparklers, and other small activities. Feel free to bring your own, or hole up in the corner with a book or something, we don't control you.
Also, you may occasionally find any number of cats hanging around, as well. They look expectant, like they're waiting for food or a treat or something. Almost as if someone has been feeding them regularly.]
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I'll cross my fingers. We wouldn't want that to happen.
[Mauled by a bear sounds like a terrible way to go...and considering the amount of dead bodies hanging from tv antennas in his canon, that's probably saying something.
Suppressing a smile at the back-and-forth between Junpei and the cat, Yu looks at him thoughtfully for a second--] ...Alright, you got it. [--before reaching back into the cooler. What he produces is a hamburger patty and some chunks of marinated vegetables: cauliflower, zucchini, onions, etc. Time to get cooking!
Oh, but now that he thinks about it, he's not the only one with a reputation that precedes him:] You're Junpei, right? Charles has told me about you, a bit.
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[Nothing can scare off bears like the power of friendship or whatever, right, sure—
Junpei is content to stand there and wait, watching Yu sort through ingredients and get down to it while also managing the cat. It keeps wanting to get him in the face, but it's fine! It's fine. He's enduring it like a champ.]
What? Oh—yeah, that's me. Junpei. People keep telling me Charles is talking about me... [He shrugs, sheepish and pleased about this at the same time. Sooner or later he'll get used to people knowing who he is before he can say anything. Maybe. Probably.] Guess if I knew more people around here I'd be doing the same thing, so... well, yeah.
[So they are both like this, it's fine,] What did he tell you?
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[Not that he'll judge if Junpei wants to keep wrestling with it, of course. Ah, but that's an interesting question. Yu pauses before he answers, considering his options:
>Give an honest answer
>Give a trolling answer
>...
As much as he'd like to say something dumb, he's interested to see how Junpei will react to the truth.]
That you're one of the best people he's ever met. [It was cute.] He really likes you.
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But oh jeez, that's what Charles is saying to people? Junpei just blinks for a moment, clearly not sure how he's supposed to answer that; it's one thing when Charles says that kind of thing to him and he can fluster and protest about it in the privacy of their home, but when it's other people it's... different. Flustering all the same, he's blanking out at the same time he's starting to blush, embarrassing—but different.
He clears his throat. Ahaha. Ha.]
He, uh, he gives me a lot of credit. [That guy... Junpei quirks a crooked little smile, briefly, before he clears his throat again and looks down at the cat. Aaaa...] I'm pretty lucky.
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Yu doesn't ever really set out to make people uncomfortable; it just seems to be part of his nature to shake things up. He wasn't anticipating the discomfort in Junpei's expression -- that, he does feel a bit guilty about. But all the same...when you catch someone offguard, it really tells you something about them. About how they think. About what they're like.
(It's why he doesn't like to be caught by surprise, naturally.)
His expression brightens at the smile, removing any desire to appear apologetic about saying something like that.]
I get the feeling he'd say the same. About being lucky. [Is this a case of two people who don't think a whole lot of themselves who both like each other? That, also, is cute. You guys.] I'm happy for both of you.
[It may not be the gayest thing he could possibly say, but it. it's up there, for sure.]
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But really, it's not Yu's fault so much as it is Junpei's chronic inability to express a genuine emotion without sort of... dismissing it himself, just in case someone else wants to dismiss him, he'll get there first. That's happening less and less here in Aldrip than it did back home (somehow, weird), so when he startles and looks embarrassed about completely normal things, well - his usual methods of cynical deflection just don't cut it around here.
So it's fine. He's fine. It's a work in progress. He makes another face like he might erupt steam out of his ears at any moment. Strangers rooting for him, help...]
He probably would, [he says, and then hastily,] Not like- I don't mean 'cause I'm such a catch or anything with a massive ego, just- he would say that. Because he's Charles and he's always saying things like that.
[The sun shines out of that boy's very face, Junpei knows, he's checked, it's verified, so obviously Charles would just say that very Charles-like thing. Again: help.]
But, uh, thanks...? I only barely know what I'm doing, soooo... yeah.
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[It does seem like Charles...at least as far as Yu knows. In that respect, he's a bit like Yosuke, instilling value in the people around him, raising them up. Yu bites back a smile at the face he makes, not because Junpei is uncomfortable, but because the expression so frequently matches how he, Yu, feels in moments when he's called out in a similar way.
At least he's not the only one, or something like that.
He flips the stuff on the grill one last time, free hand rubbing the back of his neck.]
I get the feeling most of us don't. Know what they're doing, I mean. [He certainly doesn't. He's been playing it by ear. A beat; he pulls the food, plates it, and then looks from Junpei to the cat one more time.] ... Trade you?