june catchall (open!)

[prophylactic]

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.]

Comments

[prophylactic]

[Shinji is very keenly aware that whatever happened during the day he was, uh, unconscious— it was bad, for everyone else. He hasn't pressed anyone for details; he wouldn't want to be pressed if it were him, and besides, things seem to have more or less resolved themselves by now. It's best to just keep moving, then, hence all of the cooking.

Horse treats, specifically, a great idea. He's been living on Astralin's farm long enough now that he can approach animals without freezing up, so! Hell yeah! And— Marianne seems like exactly one of those "would rather not talk about it" types of people, so this is... a Gesture. For sure. He is as serious in this kitchen as he was about the horse when they met, but this time he's wearing a pink apron, for flavor. Here goes nothing.]

Sure. You got the stuff? ["the stuff".... it's horse treats shinji]

[snowslip]

[ She's relieved to see him alive and well after everything. Marianne still feels awful about her part in the disaster, hence her efforts to try and make up for it. Shinjiro's quiet support is appreciated and reassuring in its own way. Overt kindness would have been too much for her to bear at this time.

She sets the basket down and opens the lid. Carrots and celery...a bit of a meager picking but not for lack of effort. Soil clings to the underside of her fingernails. She'd helped the farmers dig out the crops from the damaged fields herself. ]

I brought their favorites. We lost some crops...this is what we could recover.

[prophylactic]

[Thank goodness Shinji has never known how to show overt kindness in his life. Quiet gestures are all he's good at! Besides, whatever's eating her- or anyone- is their own business, and if he's not offered, he's not going to pry - if only because he wouldn't want anyone to pry into his assorted awful drama. So.

It's working out great. He leans over slightly to inspect the veggies as they come out, noting the dirt under her nails but saying nothing. There's a silent point of respect earned for getting her hands dirty right along with the locals, so he will graciously offer:] Let me wash 'em.

[The veggies, the veggies-- He's already grabbing a couple carrots to wash, here goes.]

I haven't been out there in the fields. That bad, huh?

[snowslip]

May I help with something?

[ If he's got the washing covered, maybe she can begin to chop the produce? Marianne looks around and pulls on another apron she finds in the kitchen. She hasn't cooked for others in a long time, not since the monastery shuttered its doors. As a noblewoman, most of her meals were prepared for her, and there had been cooks in the army. So she'll defer to his instructions today. ]

We don't know if the crops that were disturbed are still safe to eat. [ And its many limbs had been everywhere, draining the life from the land. ] Even if they looked undamaged, much of it was discarded...

[prophylactic]

[She can indeed chop; Shinji simply hums and passes her the first freshly-rinsed carrot to get to work on. She knows more about how horses like their treats than he does, so this division of teamwork feels... adequate? Enough for vegetables, anyway.

Ah, but the crops-]

Here's hoping we don't wind up with another food shortage on our hands. [What does this place have against all of them eating food to survive, for real. He lifts the next rinsed carrot to inspect it, although he's not sure what he'd be looking for if it was unsafe in some way... Spots?? Eh.] Really not in the mood for another field trip to the snake people.

[snowslip]

If we do, I'll go and speak to the Naga myself.

[ A surprisingly bold statement coming from her. Marianne doesn't consider herself any good when it comes to negotiating, but it's the least she could do to set things right. For now, she finds a cutting board and knife and begins to slice the washed vegetables. She's frustrated at herself and it comes out in her chopping. Those carrots are getting finely diced. ]

The animals are a bit spooked, but they're safe.

[ Because she thinks Shinjiro would want to know. ]

[prophylactic]

[Oh good, he doesn't have to talk to snake people, that's the biggest concern. He hums in a vague kind of way instead of just saying thank you out loud like a normal person, because of course he does... He can-- stand next to her, while she talks to snake people? For moral support?

Hopefully they just don't have to go. That would be best.]

Yeah? That's good. [Yes he did want to know, good call, he is Faintly Smiling at the next veggie as he washes it off. Good, good.] ....Astralin's farm stayed pretty untouched. Dunno what'd happen if the animals there all had to be moved.

[snowslip]

[ Moral support is very much appreciated! With Shinjiro looming nearby, a snake person would probably think twice about being mean to Marianne, so it's a double win.

But best that it won't need to come to that. ]

Oh, yes. I visited Astralin not long after. I found one of his chickens that had run off, the poor thing.

[ Her cutting eases up. Which is good because that carrot was being reduced to ribbons. The subject of animals effectively calming her down. ]

[prophylactic]

[That's what he's here for, looming intimidatingly! His number one skill after cooking. It just kind of happens, automatically.

Ah, but-] Tell me it wasn't Scramble again.

[There's a touch of amusement there, which is huge for Shinji - he's pretty sure it was Scramble, his favorite chicken by a mile and local menace. It sounds like a Scramble Activity.

He passes her the next carrot, moving the veggie production line steadily along.]

If you come by again to pick up chickens... uh, I'll help. [he does live there. did he mention this. nice one shinji.]

[snowslip]

The very one! How did you know?

[ Astralin had mentioned Scramble was as restless as her name. It seems word has gotten around of her antics. Marianne chuckles, perhaps for the first time since the incident. Incredible how a single mischievous chicken can lift someone from despair. Scramble is truly one of a kind.

She accepts the next carrot, treating it more gently than the last.

He hasn't mentioned it, no, but she can sort of guess. Maybe because she has seen him with animals, to her, Shinjiro doesn't appear out of place on a farm. ]

Do you work with Astralin?

[prophylactic]

I help out. He lets me live in his house.

[And he's still too uncomfortable about deserving that profound show of kindness to phrase it in a less formal way, distancing himself from the very concept of sharing a living space with friends. That's mercifully not something he has to unpack while washing veggies, however, so he moves back to the more fun topic: chickens.]

Scramble's the one I named. Think it's my fault she's like that, 'cause of the name.

[He loves that chicken So Much and hopes she continues to be super annoying all the time. Go Scramble, go.]

[snowslip]

It's an adorable name. I've never met a chicken more clever.

[ Clever is...one way of putting it, but Marianne means it, even smiling faintly as she moves the diced vegetables to a bowl and begins to cut another carrot.

She can't see how Shinjiro is at fault at all, quite the opposite. Scramble has quickly endeared herself to Marianne. Perhaps it's nothing exceptional as she loves all animals, but point is, she has given the chicken a free pass for all crimes past and future. ]

I didn't realize the two of you were close.

[prophylactic]

[Oh, chicken compliments? Marianne continues to win points with Shinjiro, climbing the ranks by doing very simple things like complimenting his favorite chicken... He pauses for a second, then,]

I'll tell her you said so.

[...And he probably will! He talks to the chickens every morning when he goes out to feed them in his pjs, it's a whole thing. Through the combined efforts of her many fans, Scramble will become the most spoiled chicken in town.]

As for Astralin and me... we met back when we got here. He's helped me out, not just by letting me stay with him. [A beat, minuscule;] I trust him.

[snowslip]

[ Her chuckle is genuine but weak-sounding, as if she's remembering how to laugh after a long time. ]

Please remind her to listen to Astralin as well.

[ She believes he'll do it! In fact, more people should talk to animals and listen to what they have to say. They'll meet some of the sweetest creatures in the world.

Marianne nods, listening. She's had people who helped her out when she first arrived, feeling lost and anxious. She's grateful for them and glad that Shinjiro had someone there for him, too. ]

He's very kind, and he keeps a lovely farm. I often pass by it.

[ What a nice place to be living. Marianne travels past the acre whenever she takes Willow out on rides. Sometimes, it's even Willow's idea to take the route. It seems the mare remembers the time Astralin spoiled her with treats. ]

[prophylactic]

[He nods, completely serious; yes, he will advise the chicken to listen to Grandpa as well, of course. He probably talks to that chicken more than he talks to most people, when taken as a daily average... It's nice.]

Yeah, he's... I've never met anyone like him.

[Someone so very dad-like, who earnestly treats Shinji (and Kotone) like his own, and yet willing to talk to him like an equal? People like Astralin just don't exist in ordinary circumstances, huh.

But, hm, the farm...] If you stop and say hey next time you're around, there'll probably be treats for people. Not just these.

[He wiggles a carrot. Someone, himself included, is always cooking or baking in that house. Please indulge their collective compulsive need to feed others.]