awashlogs | [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

[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.

[Open/Mingle] Grand Opening!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject