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.]

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[So little faith in old little him, Shinji! But him being suspicious is fair enough, everything considered and all.]

Hm. Me? No. I have no business with her. [Oh, he'll pester her later. But Akechi does as ordered and starts to picking up the food with the fork.] I don't think we introduced ourselves last time. My name is Goro Akechi. You're Shinjiro Aragaki, correct? Kotone's told me about you.

[He can sense bullshit from a mile away... He's merely establishing the ground rules, that is to say, try not to bullshit him and he won't have to have a problem. Normal things.]

That's me.

[...And that's it... the stove sizzles, outside the kitchen the sound of muffled voices in the actual dining room carries in... Shinji is done.

No, alright, he can stay in the space. He doesn't particularly care what Kotone or anyone else says about him, so instead he says,]

She didn't mention you.

[Oh. Akechi has no intentions of leaving. And to be honest, it'd be rather interesting to see the other one try force him out.

And was that comment supposed to be a snide? Well, if it was Akechi is unaffected.]

I'm not surprised. She must know a lot of people, so there's no way she could keep up with all her social connections. [you know, protag energy] But she seems to think very highly of you.

[Truly, he simply does not know how to make smalltalk. This is a skill he has literally never needed in his whole 18 years of existence, and so... Well, can't he just stare at his stove and occasionally grunt to prove he's listening? That works on most people.

Shinji be social challenge: smalltalk edition. He grunts.]

I guess. [She shouldn't bother, etc, but he's not going to get into that with a near-stranger.] Don't you know a ton of people too? You sure talk enough.

[this is smalltalk!!!]

[Don't you worry, Shinji! Akechi loves the sound of his own voice enough to carry the conversation for both of them. He got your antisocial back and so.]

Maybe. It's useful to know people, especially considering our situation. Turning a blind eye on others here would only be foolish. No man is an island, after all. [Akechi!!! What did we just say about bullshitting!!

He takes a bite out of the food on his plate, nodding at the other one approvingly.]

She did mention about you being part of her team. It must be nice to have someone as reliable as that around.

[Ugh, he was there with you until the stupid platitude, Akechi. Don't quip at him like that.]

If you want my honest answer, I'm hardly keeping up.

[Ha ha, isn't hanging out with protags immensely draining!! Then again, Shinji finds basically all socializing to be immensely draining, it's just that Kotone isn't someone he'll just up and walk away from if the mood takes him.

Anyway: her what. Why call it a team unless actively talking about Personas (or at least, the extracurricular need to beat the shit out of monsters), they're obviously not a sports team or something— Is he even on the team anymore after October, was he not involuntarily put on the bench permanently, as it were, from getting shot several times—

Can a man not make some goddamn eggs in peace around here, good god. He sighs. Maybe it's nothing!!]

What'd she tell you?

[The answer is nothing. Kotone had actually been pretty good at keeping Shinji's secret, so Akechi is just fishing here. He had had a hunch that there was more to this Aragaki-senpai, seeing just how highly Kotone seemed to think of him. The way she jumped on his defense had reminded him of Akira, telling Akechi off from bad mouthing his team.

And, oh. It seems his intuition hadn't completely amiss. At least that's what Shinji's reaction tells him.]

Not much. She, however, mentioned your potential.

[His... potential.

Well, that's way easier to get around, maybe he will get out of here without having to discuss anything of real importance.]

That's a waste of time.

[Annnnd there, they're all on the same page now.]

What do you care about any of that?

[Not so fast! The ace detective is on the case.]

Really, why would you think that? [About it being waste of time. Akechi takes another polite bite of the food before placing the plate on table. He leans his back against the kitchen counter, half sitting on it.]

Wouldn't you be interested too if your friend would say that she knew someone who... had similarities with you, let's say?

[God, he's so full of it. Shinji laughs-- a gruff bark of a sound but he genuinely laughs at the clueless audacity of these questions.]

Nope.

[It's not a subtle question, but if Shinji chooses to take it on its face, well-- fuck no, he doesn't want to meet people like himself. What an unmitigated disaster that would be.

If Akechi is done with his plate, Shinji will slide it out of the way to be washed later, and he still won't want to talk about the real thing they're talking about here.]

You don't need to be interested in me at all. I told you, it's a waste of time. Nobody needs to get involved with me.

[Sorry Shinji, there definitely is some food left on his plate. Akechi is not a big eater, preferring to only consume the required amount food to stay healthy and functioning.

He crosses his arms over his chest as he watches the other one work. Self-loath much? Mixed with insecurities it seems. Yet, the Shinjiro doesn't appear to be overly angsty like some other teenagers he's come across.]

So, you're saying that Kotone was wrong?

[Doesn't even finish his food... Akechi is his least favorite.]

....Really, is that your play? You think I'm gonna roll over and beg to tell you whatever you want because you keep bringing her up?

[That would definitely work on, hm, a lot of people, but luckily Shinji's problems are bone-deep and everlasting. Y..yaaay.]

Yeah, she's wrong about me.

[Try not to make such huge portions next time.

Anyway, Akechi rolls his eyes]

Yes. Obviously I'm hoping that her name has a magical effect that'll open any door for me.

[Duh. He's not that stupid.]

I was merely curious. People do tend to think highly of their friends' opinions. Especially if they are close to you.

[These are normal portions for normal people? Judgy. Anyway, he pauses to give Akechi a Look, like, maybe he's not that stupid but Shinji definitely thinks he's that Shady...

And back to the stove.]

I don't think it's any of your business. And listening to your cheap talk, I don't think she told you shit about me. If you want to ask me a real question, ask it straight.

[Rude.. He's not Shady!! Just curious. ]

And I think you know exactly what I want to know. You're not half as good at being discreet or mysterious as you think you are.

[In a Shady way!!]

You think I'm trying to be discreet and mysterious? [lmao.....] I'm not telling you jack shit if you can't ask like a normal person.

[It's now a matter of spite, use your words like a big boy.]

A lot of people who are associated with Kotone and her kind of antics have a lot of reasons to be dodgy.

[But alright, since Shinji's being so difficult about it (lol...). Akechi slips of the counter and gives him more serious look.]

You, too, have a Persona. And since you belong to her team I assume you're also carrying an Evoker with you.

[Get a load of this guy, he just knows everything, doesn't he. Shinji gives him another look.]

You still found a way to not ask a question. Your pride's real shaky, huh?

[ANYway,] Why do you care? And don't tell me it's because you've got one, too, because that doesn't mean anything to me.

[His ego is actually a darn fragile one, plz, don't break it.]

And you found a way to not give me a straight answer. [He counters, totally sidestepping the jab towards him.]

You might not care but I do. It's essential to learn about people's powers in unknown place like this.

[grabs his ego by the ankles and swings it around the room]

I never told you I'd give you a straight answer. Good luck with whatever you're doing; you can leave me out of it.

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june catchall (open!)

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