01<@Ardweden> [Friday, November 28, 2003.] <@Ardweden> [Kaede is at Chez Takeuchi, by which I mean, the apartment above the bike shop. This is not his apartment. It is Nanami's. It'd be weird if he weren't mostly used to living with Akemi now.] <@Ardweden> [What *is* kind of weird is Saori's here, and she and Nanami are watching some sort of romantic-action-comedy anime of some sort in the living room while he's making donburi for three. At this point, he is almost finished.] <@Ardweden> [Start!] * Kaede has been making it, getting used to familiar old haunts. Also trying to mostly ignore the television. Televisions are *jerks* when they're trying to convince you to watch a movie they really like. <@Ardweden> [But the TV really likes the movie. Every time Nanami or Saori laughs at a part, Kaede could SWEAR the TV is laughing with them.] * Kaede 's gotten *fairly* good at tuning that out by now. Just treat it like a laugh track. A horrible, repeating laugh track. His eyes glance around the old place before he lets out a small sigh, then leans his head over his shoulder to call out. "Dinner's almost ready!" <@Ardweden> ["Okay!" Nanami calls back, before Saori shushes her because, the television points out to Kaede, it's a *dramatic moment* right before... oh, great, now it's even spoiling the program for him.] * Kaede *really* tunes out the TV right now. Don't make him shut you off, TV. He'll do it, you know. Phone, help him out here. Phoooone. * Kaede doesn't call on Microwave. That guy's only got one setting. <@Ardweden> [Kaede can feel/hear the phone flip through various numbers he's called and texts he received recently.] * Kaede won't stealth dial the cable company. He just won't. He waits. Are they coming in here or want him to go out there? Because TV's out there. And he *really* doesn't care. <@Ardweden> [The phone settles on a text from Akemi, sent after he decided to go to Nanami's. "Okay! ^____^ Good luck!" And then a picture she sent, which is an off angle selfie of her beaming and, erm, cleavage? Akemi's not very good with cameras, at least yet. Or maybe she is and has been faking being bad this whole time.] * Kaede tries to blank that image out of his head and fails miserably. Really though, Akemi, this is why you have photographers. And Phone knows better than to try and upload that to the internet. <@Ardweden> [Phone can't. It really would like an internet connection.] * Kaede isn't getting you one, Phone. Everyone knows Computer is spoiled. He made it from scratch. He glances at the rapidly growing cooler by the minute dinner and then glances back out to the living room. "Um..." <@Ardweden> [While Kaede's unsuccessfully blanking that image out of his head, the program (blissfully) ends and the girls turn the television off with an "awwwwww~~~~*" from the device. Nanami enters the kitchen first, Saori trailing after her. Said high school fortune teller sniffs the air and proclaims, "This meal shall be delicious!" To which Nanami snorts a little. "That's not even a fortune."] <@Ardweden> [Saori shrugs easily with a grin. "You get what you pay for." And she bounds over to a chair.] * Kaede looks at Saori and gives her a snort. "You didn't pay for the meal. Does that mean you should get nothing?" He's clearly joking. Nanami will tell you. Hopefully. <@Ardweden> [Saori already started digging into her food, making happy noises, and when Kaede implies he'll take it away she clutches the bowl possessively. "Kaede," Nanami sighs, giving him a scolding look. "Not everyone's used to your... youness."] * Kaede flicks a small finger in the direction of Saori, glancing at Nanami as he does so. "She is..." And then he pauses to think about that. "I think..." Scratching his head. "Aren't you?" <@Ardweden> [Saori's mouth is full of food, and anything she says comes out as garbled nonsense. Nanami snort-giggles, covering her mouth with both hands.] * Kaede just looks at Saori and resists the temptation to roll his eyes. That counts for something, right? He plunks down in his own chair and looks down at his donburi, poking at it. "So she's still going on about that fortune nonsense then, eh? Has she told you yours then?" To Nanami obviously. <@Ardweden> [Nanami to Kaede: "A little, but I'm not willing to pay for it." Saori has since swallowed, and she points dramatically at Nanami and says, "More the fool you! I predict DOOM if you don't-" "Stop it, or I won't let you come over anymore." "-finish eating your food! It will be taken from you and devoured! By a gypsy thief!" Nanami starts giggling again, and this time, Saori joins in.] * Kaede sighs a little and pokes at his rice, looking down at it, expression neutral. "Never thought you'd find a friend in Saori really. And you're always saying doom anyway." He might as well taste his own food! <@Ardweden> ["Why not?" Nanami says. "We have a lot in common." Saori's mouth is full of food again, but at Nanami's statement she says something that *might* be Nanami's name. "What?" Nanami asks Saori, looking at her. "We do. It's not like it's a big secret."] <@Ardweden> [Saori huffs and works on inhaling the rest of the bowl, muttering something like 'oosh ish rbly ood.'] * Kaede looks up at Nanami quizzically. "You both enjoy bizarre attire and try to grift people for all they're worth while prophesizing their doom?" * Kaede then turns to Saori and huhs. That...*sounded* like a compliment. At least. Except the whole Talks With Mouth Full part. <@Ardweden> [At the question, Saori shrugs and Nanami rolls her eyes, eating her own donburi. She is pretty hungry. And she did miss her brother's cooking. Not that she'll admit it out loud.] * Kaede eats quiet for a little bit, thoughtful and then, after a moment. "...no really. What *do* you have in common?" He sounds genuinely curious too. <@Ardweden> [Nanami looks like she's about to say, but Saori gives Nanami a warning look, and she backs down and picks at her food instead. Saori chews the mouthful of food she was already eating, swallows, and then says, "We both needed money. Did you make enough for seconds?"] * Kaede blinks at Saori and looks at her confused, then to Nanami. "Already?" <@Ardweden> [Nanami looks at Saori's bowl, then Kaede. She pauses, choosing her words carefully. "She eats a lot," she says, finally. "I predict that some day, she will get fat." Saori huffs, folding her arms. "I *will not*. I'm the expert, not you. *I* predict more donburi will suit me just fine."] * Kaede glances at Saori for a moment carefully tilting his head. "Do you eat a lot at home?" <@Ardweden> [Saori blinks, and the spark in her eyes is closed off instantly. "Why do you ask?"] * Kaede looks up at Saori and blinks at her for a moment, then takes off his glasses, rubbing a smudge off them. "Well. Nevermind. You said you wanted some more? I...hold on." <@Ardweden> [Saori lights right back up at the promise of more.] * Kaede stands up and goes over to the fridge, looking through it for a bit, then sighs. "I actually...I swore we had more sauce." <@Ardweden> [Nanami stands. "Are we out?" Funny how it turns into 'we' when she claimed this was her apartment earlier.] * Kaede does blink at that and gives Nanami a small glance, then pokes about at the fridge, moving stuff around. "Looks like. Think we're low on garlic too. That really makes it..." <@Ardweden> ["Oh..." Saori's face falls. Glancing over at her friend, Nanami says, "I can go get some."] <@Ardweden> ["You don't have to-" "Seriously," Nanami says, "how often do you get to have the best donburi in the entire freaking *world*?"] * Kaede blinks slightly, again, at Nanami. "I...uh..." Then there's...is that a shade of red? "You *really* don't have to say...geez. Nanami!" <@Ardweden> ["Shush!" Nanami says to Kaede, and then turns to Saori. "It's the best, right? Even if he is stupid sometimes." That gets a smile out of Saori, and Nanami grins in return.] * Kaede closes the fridge. "Actually, I was thinking...could you pick up some, Yamaoka-san? It'd really help us out..." That's not a hush. You didn't even Shut Him Down, Nanami! <@Ardweden> ["I could-" Nanami starts, and then Saori cuts her off, "No, it's fine. You invited me over and you," she points at Kaede, "are going to make seconds, so I'll go. Can I have a list of what you need?"] * Kaede jots down a short list of ingredients. Garlic, vegetables, and sauce mostly. There's plenty of rice! "Is that an order, Yamaoka-san?" He looks at her blankly as he hands her the list and some money to pay for it. <@Ardweden> ["Yup." Saori grins at Kaede, and before he knows it, the money is gone. The list she takes more time with, looking it over. "This is easy. Be back soon!" And she hurries out the door, grabbing her coat and shoes on the way. Donburi!] <@Ardweden> ["I *could* have gotten it," Nanami says to Kaede once Saori's gone. "What's with you?"] * Kaede sits down without comment *or* expression and grabs his chopsticks again, calm as can be. "She offered," he points out casually. <@Ardweden> [Nanami eyes her brother and sits down as well. He wants to be like that? Fine. She puts her own calm face on and starts eating her donburi. Unlike Saori, she has a lot of food left in her bowl.] * Kaede says, after a few moments of Nanami eating her own food, almost off-hand. "...I could ask you the same question." <@Ardweden> ["*That's* what this is about?" Nanami snaps her chopsticks at Kaede, a grain of rice flying off. "I invited Saori over first. I wasn't going to tell her no."] * Kaede blinks slightly and looks up at Nanami. "Wha--*No!* I..." He looks down at the rice pile again and adds, quieter. "I don't expect you to tell her to go home or anything. I'm fine with Saori being here. I mean...it's..." He closes his mouth and goes quiet. <@Ardweden> ["What?" Nanami presses. "*What* is it?"] * Kaede sets down his chopstick and sighs a bit, pushing back his chair with a scoot. "I meant to say. It's your house." He picks up some of the dishes off the table and goes over towards the sink to start with some cleaning. <@Ardweden> [Nanami falls silent while Kaede picks up the dishes. When he gets to the sink, he hears her softly say, "Kaede."] * Kaede pauses halfway through washing a dish, hands still soapy as he stands there, but doesn't turn around. "What?" <@Ardweden> [Nanami's looking down at her half-eaten donburi. "I'm sorry."] * Kaede blinks and turns fully over his shoulder now, giving Nanami a rather confused look. "What?" <@Ardweden> [She slams her hands on the table, not looking up. "I'm *sorry*, okay." And then her head lands in her hands. "Ugh."] * Kaede turns his head down and leans back against the sink. "No. I'm the one who's sorry..." <@Ardweden> [Nanami doesn't say anything to that.] * Kaede tilts his head down and adds, by way of clarification. "...sorry I've been so busy. I don't *mean* to be always busy..." <@Ardweden> ["Yeah, well." Nanami pokes at her donburi. "It's not like there's ever been a time when you're not busy."] * Kaede dips his head, almost seeming *hurt* for a moment, then mutters quietly. "...it's just who I am, Nanami. You have to understand that. Just like..." He stops himself yet again. <@Ardweden> [Nanami looks up at Kaede, waiting for him to continue.] * Kaede continues, slowly, looking up at Nanami. "...you still planning to join the JMSDF?" <@Ardweden> ["Maybe. Probably." She shrugs. "I don't know."] * Kaede chews on his lips as he looks in the direction of the outside window. "I can't...I know I can't dissuade you. Never could..." <@Ardweden> ["That's right," Nanami says, confidence returning to her voice. "Why, are you worried about me?"] * Kaede jerks his head up in alarm to look at Nanami. "How--" And then he notices his voices is too loud as he dips his head and continues, quieter. "...how can you even ask that?" <@Ardweden> [Nanami ignores the question. "We're survivors. You know? Dad died. Mom left us. Even Grandpa's gone. You took care of me, but now you're not doing it as much anymore. And I'm fine."] * Kaede glances up carefully, giving Nanami a hard, even look. She's right. He's not even crying or anything. Ever the stoic. "So what? That means I can't worry? Did I lose my right to care, Nanami?" <@Ardweden> ["No," Nanami says, just as stony-faced. "But if you're going to, then you should stop being stupid about it."] * Kaede snorts and closes his eyes, cracking a small smile at that comment. "I'm your brother. I have a *right* to be stupid about it." <@Ardweden> [Nanami smiles a little. "Suuuuure." And then she sighs. "I get that you're busy, okay? I get it. It's part of who you are. Right up there with your 'secrets'." She uses air quotes, but Kaede can tell that she actually means it and that it actually stings. "I'm just saying. I'm gonna survive."] * Kaede goes over to noogie the poor girl. Yes noogie. "Of course you will. You're a Takeuchi. It's what we do." <@Ardweden> [Nanami laughs. "HEY! I wasn't looking!" She pushes Kaede's arm away from her. "No fair!"] * Kaede wraps his arm around her as she tries to get away to redouble her efforts. "You said you'd survive, didn't you?" He's grinning now. <@Ardweden> [Nanami bats at Kaede, then comes to a realization. "You got soap in my hair!"] * Kaede blinks at Nanami, then looks down at her. Which...is a lot less than he remembers he used to. "...I'm used to you wearing your hat." <@Ardweden> [Nanami rolls her eyes and shoves Kaede away, and even though it's playful he comes to the realization that she's a lot stronger than he remembers, too.] * Kaede blinks for that, then rubs his arm, readjusting his glasses. "So speaking of secrets, what was that one you and Saori were keeping from me?" <@Ardweden> ["Oh, it's just-" And the front door opens, cutting Nanami off. "Tadaima!" Saori calls, kicking off her shoes. "I got the freshest of fresh ingredients! They're-" She stops on her way into the kitchen. "Why do you have suds in your hair?"] * Kaede looks over at Saori for a second and then pops away from Nanami. "New look! Oh. By the way, I found some sauce. Apparently it was hidden behind a couple more jars. Thanks though!" He grabs Saori's equipment without further comment. <@Ardweden> ["Whatever," Saori says with a philosophical shrug. "It's your money." Nanami, for her part, flicks some of the suds from her hair at Kaede, getting him in the glasses as he passes by.] * Kaede takes off his glasses and rubs the soap off it, just as stoically as before, and then goes back to making Saori's well-deserved second helping, silently grateful the TV isn't around to kibbitz right at this moment. <@Ardweden> [End!]