awashlogs | [Open/Mingle] Grand Opening!

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[Open/Mingle] Grand Opening!

Who: Akira & you!
Where: A building in Ruga, converted into a cafe
When: early September
What: Akira is opening a cafe!
Warnings: None right now

[Akira has put quite a bit of work into this over the last month (alongside Akechi, his unlikely but earnest helper), and now he's pretty confident about opening. It's what used to be a store in Ruga, but Akira has moved out the worst of the shelving and replaced it with tables and chairs. The counter has been cleaned up and converted into a bar, with Akira's siphons already bubbling with water he fetched from the well at the end. Jars and bags of coffee are set on shelves behind the counter, procured from Leblanc during the time the portals were open. Though the stock is a bit sparse for a truly functioning cafe, it's better than nothing. Akira also took his old apron, which he keeps on a hook when he isn't wearing it.

There's also a couch in the back for people to sit on, and at the front, sitting on its own stand, is a guest book, made for him by Akechi, with an old ink quill waiting next to it for people to sign.

He arrives early the first day, after sending out an announcement over the network. Time for business.]

[OOC: Feel free to make your own top levels in the cafe!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He takes a moment to squint at all of the options, but then decides against trying to make sense of all of that.]

Dark and bitter. The stuff I drank back home originally came from the Dutch, if that means anything.

[It probably doesn't, but it's a start!]

Akira, was it? It's real nice of ya to do this.

[It probably does mean something, but Akira is still a novice barista, so he isn't sure off the top of his head. But dark and bitter is something he can handle, so he prepares the coffee.]

I worked some in my guardian's cafe back home. I liked it there a lot, so I thought I'd bring that back to Chroma.

[He doesn't mention that he lived in that cafe.]

[Considering Ryouma doesn't recognize all this modern(?) coffee stuffs, he's sure that whatever Akira makes for him won't be the same as what he's had before, but he won't hold it against the kid. They're all working with limited resources, after all. And besides, this could broaden his coffee horizons! And Ryouma does like trying new things.

That first bit of Akira's answer grabs Ryouma's attention, though.]

Guardian? Ah, I mean, not family? If that's not too personal. I'm often too curious for my own good.

[Not that it's out of the ordinary in Ryouma's time and place for young people to be taken in by others. Mostly because of family deaths. Hopefully that isn't Akira's case, but he wouldn't be surprised.]

It's fine.

[The coffee is brewing now; the scent of it starts to fill the air, not that it didn't already smell like coffee in here. The cafe has only been open a day, but it's already starting to be thick with the scent.]

I'm just living with him while I'm going to school in Tokyo. My actual hometown is way too far for commuting.

[And also he was arrested, put on probation, expelled from his old high school, kicked out by his parents... but that is getting too personal.]

[And it smells divine, so keep it up, Akira!

That explanation pulls a relieved breath from Ryouma.]

Ah, that makes sense. And good idea goin' for real world experience on top of education. Y'think you'd wanna keep doing it after your schooling is done?

[That sounds nice. A good, honest job, and one that smells really great at the same time. Ryouma approves.]

[That question actually gives Akira pause. Will he keeps doing this after school? It's been so hard just getting through school without getting expelled that he hasn't put much thought toward what happens after.

Does he want to go on to college? Does he want to join the workforce? Does he want to just keep working for Sojiro?

In some ways, that last option seems right. But maybe that's presuming too much.]

I'm not sure. But I like it, and it's a good way to make money.

[Or probably would be, if he got paid.]

[Ryouma nods. That's a fair answer, and a normal one. He respects that, too.]

There's still time to decide, no rush. Especially while we're all stuck here, yeah?

[He chuckles, not taking himself too seriously. He doesn't want to, not when he's just met this person and intends to keep the atmosphere amiable enough.]

In the meantime, this is enough, I think.

Yeah. I guess there is plenty of time to think about it here.

[The coffee is done; Akira pours a cup, and passes it over to Ryouma. It smells good, and tastes good, too; Akira wouldn't be allowed to serve customers at all if Sojiro hadn't given his coffee a passing grade.]

What do you do back home? If you don't mind me asking.

[He would get it if someone doesn't want to say, or has an unusual answer. That seems to be pretty normal, here.]

I dunno if that's always a fun distraction from worryin' 'bout getting all these colors back, but, y'know.

[But it is something different! And that's not bad.

More importantly, though, coffee. He bows his head quickly in thanks and then lifts the cup to take a ginger sip. It's different from what he's used to, but not in any negative way. Just a different way of being made, he supposes, or the beans might be a little different. But it's still good and Ryouma sets the cup down with a pleased hum.]

Ohh, that's the spot.

[It's like he can feel the drink rejuvenating him right away, like he could take on the entire world...! But he probably shouldn't get carried away. Knowing one's limits is important.]

It's no problem. I've done a few things over the past few years, but I guess you could say I'm somethin' of a freelance politician. Except does anyone really like politicians? I've just been tryin' to speak out where I can to get people to focus on the big picture instead of individual domain politics.

[Would Akira be interested in all that, though? He's still young.]

I was in the Navy for a while, too.

[See, that's the fun part.]

[Akira is actually interested, but he's a weirdo who hangs out with a politician in his free time, of his own volition.

Though, he can't exactly argue in favor of liking them right now. He's also not sure what being a "freelance" politician means, either. Maybe he really is just yelling from street corners...]

What'd you do in the Navy?

[Maybe this is the right place to start.]

A whole lotta sailing.

[Stop.]

Nah, nah, it's more of a shipping company.

[For illegal gun-running, but details.]

Though I was in naval combat once, which is pretty exciting, but I'd rather hope for more peaceful solutions to things instead.

[He takes another sip and hums his appreciation again.]

Sailing's the best, though. Part of it's 'cause I grew up in Tosa so the ocean's basically in my blood, but there's really nothing like it. It's real...liberating, ya know?

[Tosa is kind of old, though, isn't it? This guy must be from pretty far in the past.]

I've never been on the ocean. [At least not on a boat. He's flown over it before though.

(A metaphysical boat sailing over an apocalyptic flooded Tokyo doesn't count.]

How can it be liberating if you can't get off the boat? [Just asking.]

[Oh no, this poor kid.]

Man, hopefully we can get some actual seaworthy ships goin' here so ya can finally experience it. Though our ocean ain't the most scenic or anything.

[But it's better than nothing and maybe when they finally restore its color, things will really start falling into place.

Ah, but he can understand why the thought of a boat wouldn't exude thoughts of freedom.]

It's how ya look at it. If ya look at the ship as somethin' of a cage to just travel in, then, yeah, it's not gonna be liberating. But when you sail, ya gotta look at it like the ship is your legs. You wanna go toward that little starboard peninsula? Then you turn the wheel and go toward it. Ya wanna head for the horizon and just go, feelin' the wind in your hair? Then you just go.

[Akira nods his head. When he puts it like that, he can get it - going wherever you want, and no one to stop you, nothing holding you back. It must be nice.]

Sounds like you had a lot of adventures.

[It sounds fun! Especially if he had friends to sail with. It takes a whole crew to man a boat, right?]

Did you sail with a lot of others?

[Adventures is one way to put it, but he nods.]

Some people might say I went lookin' for trouble. That's pretty negative, ain't it? I just went lookin' for the future.

[Listen to this spin.]

The company has a smaller, core group that I know well enough, but every company needs workers, so we've taken on various men to fill in. Men who can't necessarily get work elsewhere, but we're not gonna punish 'em for leaving home without permission, y'know?

[He takes another sip of the coffee.]

It was in Nagasaki, the company's base port, where I was introduced to coffee, actually. The Dutch brought it in. The Dutch bring in so much, it's eye-opening.

[He remembers that from the history books, too. Most of the country was still isolated then, except where the Dutch came to trade.

It's interesting, talking to someone who lived through that time. Now the world is so connected. Akira went to another country, and didn't feel like he had left home at all.]

You should see the future. The whole world has brought in a lot. [And Japan brought a lot to the world. It's kind of nice, when he thinks of it like that.]

What are some places you've been to?

I would just be beside myself if I could see the future. Or more of the world! What's one of your favorite things that got brought in?

[Food? A way of learning? Something else? It's a much broader question than Ryouma realizes, but he's a curious man.]

I've just only been able to stay in Japan, though. Kochi, of course. Edo. Spend a lotta time in Nagasaki and Kyoto.

[Let Ryouma visit the rest of the world!]

Ya been anywhere interesting?

[MORE QUESTIONS...]

[That's a really big, really open-ended question! Akira has to think about it a moment.]

...I like Chinese food. And American movies are pretty good.

[Akira doubts he knows what a movie is, though. And... was the US founded by his time? He can't actually remember if it was...

Well, anyway.]

I've been to Hawaii. It's an archipelago in the Pacific ocean. It was pretty cool. Nice beaches and stuff.

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[Open/Mingle] Grand Opening!

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