awashlogs | March catch-all

[Well, it's official. Akira is down a roommate, and suddenly the house he's been living in for months seems a lot more empty. Sure, he has Tako, but he's always used to living around others, and having no one to greet him when he returned home for the day was starting to get a little lonely.

So he packs up the precious few belongs he's gathered since he arrived, and, Tako following at his heels, makes his way to Ryo's place, knocking on the door. Whenever Ryo answers, Akira looks abashed.]

Hey... Can I stay here? [Look at that stray puppy face, how can he say no.]

[ Ryo opens the door and figures out what Akira is going to ask before the other even opens his mouth; the cat and the packed bag makes it easy to guess. ]

Of course. [ He doesn't even have to think about it. ]

Really? [Akira blinks, surprised. He hadn't wanted to intrude, and he knows how private Ryo is -- Akira's frequent visits are different to moving in.

Then he smiles with relief, setting down a bag in order to hug Ryo.]

Thanks. My roommate disappeared, and I kind of hated living alone.

[Tako meows at his feet, and Akira lets go of Ryo to look down at the cat.] Well, not totally alone.

[ As usual, Ryo returns the hug by tightly wrapping his arms around him, reluctantly letting go when the other pulls away. ]

Come in, both of you. [ He steps aside so Akira can enter. ] There's an unused bedroom upstairs.

Great. It'll be fun being roommates, right? We can spend time together whenever we want.

[...He says this like he didn't just invite himself over to Ryo's place to hang out whenever he wanted anyway... Living together is still different though. He shoulders his bags and heads in, heading upstairs to dump his stuff. Predictably, Tako wanders off toward the kitchen.]

[Since Akira had managed to wrangle Ryo into agreeing to celebrate his birthday, even despite the arbitrariness of the date chosen, Akira had wanted to make the day worthwhile. This had been the first birthday Akira has been able to celebrate with Ryo not just in Chroma, but in a long time, since they were normally so far apart for months and years at a time back home.

So he invited Ryo and Dextera to his place for food (which he might've needed to enlist Dextera's help for, honestly), gifts, and... a cake! A cake which, when he brings it to where Ryo is seated, looks lopsided and misshapen, with equally lopsided candles, but edible.]

Happy birthday, Ryo! Make a wish.

[Wish for the cake not to set on fire or taste awful.]

[ Ryo still kind of thinks this is pointless, really, but he has a hard time saying no to Akira and will indulge him in nearly all things. ]

I wish for good health and that this cake will taste better than it looks.

[ Seriously, it looks like somebody dropped it or something. He takes a deep breath and then blows out all the candles in one go. ]

[ the cake looks bad, but what can really be expected from that? dextera doesn’t know how to cook, and it’s not like the town gives them many options to put something together. he smiles politely when ryo wishes for the cake to taste better than it looks—dextera hopes so, too. ]

Happy birthday. [ softly. ] I’m sorry if it tastes ashy.

Hey! It's definitely just the looks. [He pouts. So brutal...!] I had some leftover chocolate ingredients, so I threw those in for the taste.

[The quality of the cake is worse looking than the lumpy and misshapen chocolates he'd given Ryo earlier in the month, but hopefully it'll taste similar enough.]

[ Ryo lets out a light chuckle, the corners of his mouth curving up a little as he cuts himself a piece of the cake and puts it on his plate. ]

It's the thought that counts, I suppose.

[ He forks a bite of the cake into his mouth, chewing slowly. ] Not bad.

[ ryo really is completely different when he’s interacting with akira—it doesn’t escape dextera’s notice at all, and he can’t help but think back to what he saw in ryo’s heart. the secret room. the paintings. ]

It’s the secret ingredient.

[ not love! mentioning that is asking for trouble. ]

…a lot of chocolate.

[Akira watches, and smiles brightly at winning Ryo's approval. It's hard to get him to eat much of anything, much less sweet things, so that alone is a win in his book.]

Looks like your wish came true after all.

[Akira had been told (or warned, really), that there are young children in the town, but he'd yet to meet them. So when he catches sight of Kisa as he passes through the Flavo district, he stops to look. Whether he knows her or not, he can't help but feel bad for any kid trapped here, especially without their parents. And even just glimpsing her face from a distance, that sadness in her expression -- plain as day to someone as sensitive as Akira -- tugs at his heart...

He hurries to catch up with her. Hopefully she won't be scared off by some intimidating-looking teenager trying to follow her.]

[ She... will definitely be a little scared, glancing over her shoulder on some sort of whim, or animal instinct. And seeing a terrifying-looking person heading straight for her with single-minded intent has her let out a thin squeak of dismay, attempt to speed up, and--

Trip.

Oops. ]

[Oops. He forgot how intense he can look these days, and now he's gone and scared a little girl... He hurries over and crouches down to check she isn't hurt, though staying just out of arm's reach to give her some space.]

Are you okay? I'm sorry for scaring you.

[ She's fine, just a little dusty now, and still kind of shaking like mad, but you know. Kisa's really not that brave. ]

Did... d-did I do something...?

[ Why was he following her? ]

[He shakes his head.]

You seemed like... you're sad about something.

[Aside from being chased by a scary delinquent-looking guy. Who actually looks like he's... tearing up...? Still, he offers her a hand to help her to her feet, if she's brave enough to take it.]

[ Wait. Oh no, why is he starting to cry??

Kisa takes his hand after a moment, reaching into her pocket with her free hand to offer him a handkerchief. ]

... I'm okay... I was just thinking.

[After he helps her up, he doesn't take the handkerchief, despite the tears. She's the one who's sad, why would he need it?]

What are you thinking about?

... My family.

[ It's somehow even more subdued now. But she isn't crying!! ]

[Akira is lurking around the harbour, hoping to find other people that might want to take up the particular quest here, and... so far, no luck. Okay, sure it's a dumb quest, and getting thrown into cold water kind of sucks, but it seems easy, right?

Or so he thinks, anyway. Jion is therefore the unfortunate choice of victim of the day as Akira sidles into his path.]

Hey. Wanna help me with a quest?

March catch-all

Ryo: early March

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Ryo & Dextera: late February

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Kisa: (accidental) Quest 48

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Jion: Quest 50