expiationlogs | june catchall (open!)

Entry tags:

june catchall (open!)

Who: Shinji! and! you!
Where: various
What: ya boy shinjiro, man about town (feat. brunch, Axe Swinging, and misc tdm-inspired loitering)
Warnings: nothing yet

cooking mama sequel

[While he doesn't actually live in the inn anymore, Shinji is here at the inn today, helping himself to the kitchen as the locals so generously allow him to. Things have been weird? He remembers passing out and waking up somewhere else entirely (or: he was kidnapped to the grove, and unconscious throughout), and while he was out, it seems like a bunch of people had a strange and uncomfortable time.

So!

Well. All Shinji knows to show empathy is making food and punching, and one of those isn't really viable, and the other one he's only doing so that he doesn't have to think about the implications of being mysteriously kidnapped. All this to say he is at the inn, in the kitchen, making Food. He's both very skilled and weirdly fast at food preparation, so there is a lot, and since he lives on a farm with a bunch of egg-laying chickens, primarily it's Brunch.

If you come in looking for a nibble, he immediately snaps:]

Don't touch that. [And then just as immediately, prepares a delightful brunch plate and slides it over a countertop.] Eat this. And don't complain about it, okay?

[Complain... about free brunch... He can't just give out food normally or someone might notice he has Human Empathy.]

axe you a question

[Or: The training arc prompt, because if sleeping with a big axe next to his bed doesn't deter magical shadow kidnappers, he'll just have to... stop sleeping and swing it around all the time?

Whatever. He's workshopping it. He's never really, um, trained before, is the thing— not formally? Not really? His bestie is the training-addicted jock, Shinji is merely a tank with a big axe. So while he is here, at the random spot he's chosen to train in (somewhere with less foot traffic, see, is the sole requirement), he has no planned routine.

Or even, like. Stretches? Do people stretch? Goddamn. It's warm out but he's dressed like it's winter and he's carrying a big axe, which might not be the most comforting of figures to be addressed by, suddenly:]

Hey. You. ....Do you know how to fight? [hm, well, no, and he frowns because now it's embarrassing-] Do you know how to train.

misc around town mini prompts

[You may run into Shinji:

A. Loitering in the statue garden, where he will be staring at his own statue with an air of obvious and grim Sulking, suspiciously fist-sized rock in hand at his side... ah jeez...!!

B. Not-quite-celebrating at ....the post-event celebration, that is to say, lurking to pick up some food and then disappearing again. He gruffly brushes off any local trying to rope him back in, using the logic that he definitely just slept through the whole thing so please leave him the hell alone this time, but as it starts to get darker he's definitely hanging around as a self-appointed Party Bouncer in case anything out there gets any ideas. Or in case someone in the party starts some shit.

C. Out in the woodsy areas that need replanting, crouched down next to a hole in the ground with a seed in hand. A magic seed. He's literally seen a fairy but he still feels the need to ask,] ....This isn't for real, right?

wildcard/etc

[wriggles back in from my hiatus, hello.... hmu via pm or at jojoveller if you would like a custom starter, we can hash something out!! or: do whatever, surprise me.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I-- [He halts where he stands and rolls onto his toes, raising his arms and looking at his shirt with a frown. Hm.] ...sorry, just caught some fish. Are you any good at baking?

Don't you ever think before you go places? Go change your shirt.

[A beat. Urgh... his first mistake was cooking in front of other people, wasn't it... the ordeal of being known...... okay,] Then I'll show you how to bake.

It's not that bad..., 'n this is the only shirt I've got right now.

[He untucks the hem of it from his pants, taking a step away from any food and shaking it out a little like he's trying to dry it off.] Are there aprons? I'll wash it when I'm done,

You only have one shirt?

[Even Shinji "same coat every day" has more than one shirt, come on Akira. He gestures with the spatula he's holding towards a row of hooks on the far wall, from which Akira can choose a cute little apron of his very own. To borrow. Shinji's is Shinji's, but no one has to know that.]

What do you need baked?

I've got this and a yukata. What I showed up in got a bit of a... style change and I don't think Aldrip at large wants me walking around in a completely open-front polo.

[He hasn't gone shopping for clothes yet!! He's more interested in coffee and cooking things, let him live!! He turns to the wall of aprons and claims one-- if there's one with anything resembling a cat on it, it's that one. Otherwise it's probably just generic Depression Grey. He ties it and walks back to Shinji.] ...a friend's birthday is tomorrow, and I'm better with stuff that can be gauged by tasting and with my heart more than a measuring spoon.

[Shinji is never going to think Akira is capable of like, routine self-maintenance at this point... does he remember to brush his teeth even, smh......

He gives him A Look, then reaches up onto a shelf for an empty bowl, which he slides towards Akira. Tch, etc.]

So you're telling me you're not good at baking. I'll bake, you can make frosting. [that's the easier thing to make here, objectively,] First, go find powdered sugar, butter, some milk, and vanilla. Don't do anything else until I tell you.

[In the meantime he's going to finish making eggs or whatever he was doing over here when Akira walked in, one moment please.]

[He's a clean boy, Shinji, promise. You just keep catching him at Wet.]

[He reaches out so the bowl slides into his waiting hands, nodding at it and then Shinji. He takes it with him to gather the ingredients suggested, carefully setting them in the bowl so he doesn't wind up with his arms completely full of stuff. When he returns, he waits patiently after laying them all out on the counter nearby.]

[His reputation is in tatters... RIP Akira.

Shinji lets him gather things in peace, at least, assuming he can do that much with following his heart or whatever protag-tier thing he just said. Good god. These eggs need plating over here, which then gets carried over to the doorway and handed over to a local with a terse exchange about being "busy for now," which is Shinji-ese for "please do not disturb until lunchtime."

Give him a moment to go round up some flour and other cake-making ingredients himself, before he comes to line them up not quite next to Akira's display. We do not need to get too excited and put flour in the frosting, here...]

Okay. You're gonna need to soften the butter. ....Go put some hot water in that bowl.

[no microwaves, shinji is old school]

[He has to Take A Moment, because Holy Sojiro Sakura, Batman. The gruffness, the old fashioned approach to the kitchen-- Akira closes his eyes with his hands still on the bowl, opening them to stare down into it with the barest hint of a smile on his face, and then nods, immediately moving to put a pot on the stove with some water. Pausing at the faucet, he turns to Shinji.]

Just enough to do like a double boiler, yeah?

We don't need it in there that long or it'll melt all the way. Just gotta get the bowl hot enough.

[Points for knowing what a double boiler is, though? Finally, Akira is on the board... in the negatives from all his Wet moments, but on the board...]

Water goes in the bowl, bowl's warm, dump it out and cover the butter for a minute or two. [He mimes this process with one measuring cup in hand, very silly.] Got it?

[He knows this, but is probably the only person alive who just nods and does as he's told rather than argue the point. So he lets the water heat up, letting it get almost to a boil before he pours it carefully into the bowl and sets it on an unused burner, clicking the range off. He picks up the bowl by its edges and swirls it slowly, watching the motion, before dumping it out as well and immediately going for the butter.]

How much of this...?

[An assistant who follows rules... after eons spent trying to teach Fuuka to follow directions even a little bit, this is a real miracle. Shinji spends this intervening water boiling time starting all the precise measurements for the dry mixture of cake ingredients.

Let him access his memorized recipe bank, ahem--]

Third of a cup. Then you can mix it in with the sugar, three cups of that. Don't get creative unless your friend is into cake frosting that tastes bad.

[He nods, continuing to do exactly as instructed like a little robot boy. Third of a cup of butter, which he measures carefully, and pauses at the sugar.] Nope, Mike's Hard Pass. He's not big on sweets, but maybe if I use less frosting on the actual cake...? [He goes about creaming the butter and sugar, carefully adding a cup at a time of the three.]

[i don't know how to bake a cake but shinji does so let's assume he is baking a cake properly in the background this whole time, smh]

Mike's...? [What alien meme language does Akira speak.] He's not into sweets, but you're baking him a cake.

[Well, Shinji is baking the cake, but splitting hairs.]

I know it's a birthday thing, but why not make a meal?

[Shitpostese.]

[He huffs softly.] Just a small one. He doesn't hate sweets, he's just not gung-ho about them. And isn't a cake more traditional...?

[He looks a little self-conscious, suddenly.] I mean I guess I could. I've made him curry before.

[Gaze... Is this a judgmental gaze or an "oh he's got it bad for some guy" gaze, no one will ever know.

Anyway. He shrugs, and goes back to cake prep.]

'S not like it's my friend. [Ah, but since this mystery man (tm) isn't gung-ho--] How big of a cake do you even want?

[He defaulted in his mental math to a normal, standard-sized cake here?? Is that too big??? Directions were unclear, Akira.] If there's extra batter, I'll figure something else out with it later.

Just a little one. He's not super social, and he won't eat much of it on his own, probably.

[He wrings his hands, idly.] ...thanks, though. I usually know my way around the kitchen pretty okay, but baking is beyond me.

Because you have to follow the rules?

[Mr. I Cook From The Heart... okok. Shinji considers the batter he's prepared and then goes to get some. Smaller dishes, actually. He'll make a second cake and leave it in the dining room or something, whatever, it's fine!!]

If you want to decorate it, portion out the frosting.

More specifically than with cooking, yeah. Baking...'s more like science? I sucked at science in school.

[He cooks with his heart, okay!! Let him!!!!! He'll make you super spicy curry from his heart, Shinji, just you watch.]

[Anyway he does well enough to portion some frosting-- enough to cover the cake, and add a little bit of decoration besides.] ...you think I could add coffee to it? He likes coffee a lot.

[The real challenge will be Shinji letting another person cook him a meal... good luck Akira.

But- oh, hm. Do they have instant coffee around here... Luckily, Shinji is already practiced in the art of adding coffee to things, so this is like a one-second recalculating of his mental recipe.]

...Sure. Start brewing some. We'll need regular grounds, too.

[He's just going to cook and present you with it sometime without asking permission, honestly. Cooking Mama Off.]

[Luckily, at least, Akira made coffee a priority in Aldrip, and has come upon a small supply of Good Beans, a bag of which he produces from God Only Knows Where with a nod. He moves away from the in progress baking station to a cabinet with an archaic old hand-grinder and methodically grinds up just enough for roughly three cups of joe. He glances over his shoulder at Shinjiro.] You want a cup? It's good stuff.

[How dare Akira take advantage of his inability to waste food given to him... rude of him, tbh.

Anyway, hm, coffee. Is this a social thing all of a sudden, sir. He was just making cake because he was already here, now the added concept of drinking coffee with another person is out in the open? Urgh... can a man not watch a cake bake in silence.]

....Sure. I'm surprised you know how to use that old-fashioned thing.

[compliment,]

[He's familiar with Shinji's Type.]

[Carefully, he measures the ground beans into a separate apparatus-- a French Press, maybe. He's found all the coffee things in Aldrip, more than likely. He smiles, nodding. He thinks that's a compliment, but-- doesn't quite thank him, because Shinji seems the type who would sneer at a compliment being that openly addressed.] The guy who taught me coffee is super oldschool. Uses siphons and everything.

[Shinji scoffs anyway, but it's- amused? It's something, for sure.]

You mean he's just old.

[Ha, but really. Surely this is an Old Guy with an Old Kitchen. Shinji takes a few dishes over to the sink, considering whether he should just, like... have a conversation... like an ordinary person who doesn't lurk in corners. He wonders this multiple times per interaction, but mmph, okay.]

The kitchen I grew up with was old, so I picked up the old stuff.

[#lore]

[He gasps in mock offense.] You take that back, Sojiro Sakura is aged. Like a fine wine.

[He grins, boiling water for the coffee.] Yeah? I lived above a little hole in the wall place that served fancy coffee and curry, scientifically matched to complement the house blend.

june catchall (open!)

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