[CLOSED] planting berries and growing feelings

[doublecrowss]

WHO: Akechi and Akira
WHERE: The gardens
WHEN: Late August
WHAT: Quest 20
WARNINGS: Feelings!!

[ His mask had slipped.

Not so much that it had jeopardized his disguise, but enough that anyone who had witnessed his blunder could find him not so pleasant anymore. Sure, there had been plenty of reasons that could reasonably justify it; his illness, the collective disappearance of people he cared about, stress from planning the rescue, even physical exhaustion from having overly relied on his powers-- any of those factors alone could have been enough to make a person snap, but combined? They could be taxing even on the strongest of souls.

But as much as he can take some small comfort from this knowledge, he doesn't want to settle for this. His affable and charismatic persona has become something of a crutch, the only thing that's tangible and safe in a myriad of uncertainties-- his plans, his sense of self, his feelings, very little had solid shape to him these days. These days, the only thing real in his life was a fake. So he'll latch on to it.

He then decides that he needs to make amends, and the best place to start would be with the one person who took the brunt of his rage. A message is sent, and a few quick words exchanged, scheduling a time and place: the gardens, where he's currently seated with a small basket of coffee berries and whatever gardening tools he could find. He waits, anxious over yet another uncertainty-- the thought that Akira might not come, that they might lose whatever progress they had made even after the werewolf incident. That choice meant little in the presence of fate.

And it's not until that moment that he realizes it, how much that prospect is one he absolutely dreads. ] 

Comments

[theshowsover]

[The conclusion isn't quite right, but it hits close enough that Akira doesn't try to correct him. After all, the real reason is a little embarrassing, and he's already pushed the limits of how much he's willing to show of his feelings at once.]

Yeah. A surprise.

[He's actually mentioned it to a person or two, but Akechi doesn't have to know.]

I think everyone will be understanding if it's not perfect right away.

[doublecrowss]

[ There's... something slightly off about Akira's answer, and Akechi is under the impression he's not being entirely honest. But if not for making a surprise, then what could be his reason for not wanting to get more help?

Hmm. He'll have to figure that out later. ]

Yes, I agree. Anyone who has been in this town for any amount of time should know of our hardships, and appreciate all the effort that has been dedicated to this place.

[ A beat, and he looks over the basket again. He smiles. ]

Besides, the most important part of any cafe is not the furniture or decoration, but the actual coffee, itself. And even in the best Parisian cafes, I'm sure they don't have beans as freshly ground as these will be.

[theshowsover]

[At that, Akira grins, his earlier hesitance wiped away.]

That's true. We're farm to fork.

[Or, small patch of garden out in one of the neighborhoods to fork. Close enough.]

That's something I have over Boss. I bet he'd be jealous.

[Or not. It's a lot of work. Of course, he'd probably make Akira do all the work, so...]

[doublecrowss]

[ Akechi offers a chuckle at that, glad that apparently that was enough to put Akira back in a better mood-- even though he is still curious over why he had seemed so hesitant before. ]

Rather than making him jealous, why don't you take the chance to improve your skills and make him impressed once we return home? I'm sure he would appreciate that.

[ A pause, and he seems to consider something else. A different possibility. ]

Come to think of it, there is always a chance he could show up in this place. Would you let him take over the cafe, in that case?

[theshowsover]

[Akira actually hasn't considered that Sojiro might show up here. It's a weird thought; Sojiro is so normal, imagining him in a place like this is almost impossible. He and his friends experience alternate dimensions all the time, but Sojiro?]

...I don't think he'd give me much choice.

[He can just hear him, standing in the cafe telling Akira that his coffee is bland and his curry is, at best, "not bad."]

But maybe we could be competitors instead.