Nobu Kobayashi (bakayaro) wrote in birthrightrpg, @ 2020-10-29 17:19:00 |
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Entry tags: | penny norton, ~nobu kobayashi |
Who: Nobu & Penny
What: Catching Up
Where: Las Vegas, Penny's Apartment
When: October 19th
Ratings/Warnings: Low
Nobu was bored and hungry. Never a good combination for the unsuspecting of Vegas. He sat in his animal form - a Japanese raccoon dog tucked away in a crawl space overlooking the strip - mulling over his options. He could attempt one of his impromptu shows to snag a couple dollars but he just wasn't feeling it. Then an idea struck him. Penny! He hadn't seen her in forever (an exaggeration, it had been maybe two weeks, tops) and that was unacceptable. It was about high time to go visit his favorite DJ. She would be up, right?
With a destination in mind, Nobu journeyed to the high rise apartment where Penny and her husband lived. A quick change into his human form and he was waltzing up to the locked entrance. He hummed as he read through the names. Not that he really needed to, he knew exactly which button to push, but it was fun to see if there were any name changes. None this time around. His finger hit the corresponding button and he immediately smiled up at what he had determined to be the camera several visits ago.
"Konnichiwa!" He greeted with a frantic little wave of his hand.
“Nobu-San!”
The buzzer chimed, allowing her friend access to the apartment. They lived in a corner unit, unburdened by neighbors at the moment. Of course that they had dwindled, leaving her as a singular. Penny had come by to change out a few clothes before returning to Ro’s place. She was glad now that she had decided to drop in considering she would’ve missed her friend’s visit.
Before too long the tanuki would be vibrantly making its way to her fridge; she didn’t remember what was in there and only hoped that Nobu could use his best judgment before diving face first into something that may have gone past its human printed expiration date.
Penny sauntered to the door, opening it up. She waited for her friend to arrive, leaning in the crook of where the obstacle met the jamb with a smile that looked more like her old self. Her expressions and moods of late had been tainted with the recent separation. But she was managing. Ro was a good friend, and the siren was grateful to have her during a time like this.
It didn’t take long for Nobu to make it to the correct floor though it would have been much quicker had the stupid elevator gone faster. He bounded down the hallway toward the waiting Penny with a wide smile. “Penny-chan!” He exclaimed upon arrival, immediately going in for a hug. “So good to see you! It has been an eternity. Eternity!” He invited himself into the apartment, motioning for Penny to follow as if he was inviting her into her own home.
“How have you been?” He practically skipped over to the fridge, perusing the contents. He knew Penny didn’t mind him partaking in the few bits of food she and her husband kept around. “Tell me everything. I need to know!”
Her arms curled around Nobu and she offered a warm hug. It was great to see him - she hadn’t been in touch with a few of her older friends very much lately. With everything going on with Derek, Penny had been swept up in that tidal wave of emotion and drama. And then the sudden ending to their marriage still had her reeling a bit. But Ro was a great friend, and Penny appreciated the support. It was wonderful to see Nobu, though. “I’ve missed you!”
As he slipped out of her embrace, she found herself turning and following him into the apartment. The door eased closed behind herself with a foot.
“I’m...well, I’ve been better. Derek and I are splitting up.” She couldn’t recall if her friend had ever met Derek or not, but that was alright. He didn’t have to meet him if he hadn’t already, unless it was done by chance. The last few days had been a whirlwind for the siren.
She never cared about the contents of the fridge, though the things in there weren’t always for everyone seeking.
“How have you been?”
Nobu stopped his rummaging, head popping up over the open fridge door, surprised. “You’re splitting up?” He had never actually met Derek but always thought he was a lucky guy because he managed to win Penny's affections. She was awesome and, as far as he could tell, really cared about her husband. So, why then, were they splitting up?
His eyes narrowed suspiciously. His imagination was running over all the possible reasons for the break up and none were particularly flattering to her ex. He closed the door, giving up on his search for something to munch on. “What happened? Did he do something? What did he do?”
Penny nodded. Her smile felt a bit tight, strained, as she moved to lean against the little island in their kitchen. Her kitchen. “Yeah, like not being married anymore,” she explained, biting at her bottom lip. She watched her friend’s face and brow contort as he thought, nearly bursting into laughter.
She sighed, shaking her head, “He didn’t do anything. Derek is a really kind, sensitive person. He’s a vampire - but he’s not like the traditional ones. And because of that, he didn’t feel like he could be with me anymore since I have to kill to survive, and he doesn’t.” That well of sadness was coming back but she managed to temper it and push it back down. “So, we’ve split up. I don’t know if anything will change between us, they can’t. I — I can’t change what I am, and I’m not sure that I should just to keep someone else happy. He needs someone who is better suited for him.”
“Uh, what?” Nobu asked, flabbergasted. “You broke up because of what now?” He knew it. It had been the other man's fault for the break-up. Though he hadn't imagined that Penny's eating habits would have been what ultimately caused him issue. Mostly because it seemed ridiculous for that to suddenly be a problem after they had been together long enough to get married. No, it didn't seem ridiculous, it was ridiculous.
His brow furrowed. “So let me get this straight. You are no longer together because he did not like what you eat?” He needed clarification because the whole darn thing was laughable. “Well that is just stupid,” he huffed, crossing his arms. His finger tapped against his bicep with frustrated energy. If he had been in his true tanuki form the fur on his back would have been visibly bristling. “Ano kusoyarou.”
She could appreciate Nobu’s passion on the subject, but it didn’t seem to have a resolution in sight. “Maybe it is, but being upset about it doesn’t change anything.” The siren had every right to be upset, to be angry and take it out on anyone in her path, but she chose alternatively to be cold instead. There wouldn’t be another chance simply because she wasn’t able to change and didn’t want to.
Penny wrinkled the end of her nose in amusement. “Really, it’s okay. But I appreciate your friendship. There’s cake in the cupboard,” she pointed at a cabinet though her gaze didn’t leave her friend.
“It is not okay,” he said with a pout. “It is rude. And do humans not kill things to eat too? It is the same thing. I do not see the issue.” While Nobu found humans absolutely fascinating and wanted to emulate them, he was ultimately a yokai. He didn't have the same sensitivities a human would concerning the consumption of their species to survive. Sure, it was sad to lose someone to a hungry predator, but that was life. The best you could do was to live life and keep yourself and those you care about from being someone's next meal.
“But I will leave it alone,” he conceded, uncrossing his arms and meandering over to the cabinet where the cake lay in wait. “For you. But if he tries anything I will not hesitate to strike.” He hit his fist into the palm of his other hand in a display of seriousness.
“He’s a vampire, but one that doesn’t kill people,” she explained, shaking her head from side to side slowly. It didn’t matter. Nobody knew Derek the way she did; he’d said what was in his heart and they couldn’t be together. Nor did she keep tabs on human reactions or emotions so her responses varied.
“Thanks, Nobu. I don’t think he will, he’s not that type.”
Penny moved to get them both something to drink with the cake, plates and utensils. The dessert itself was a chocolate type of confection with more chocolate on top.
She’d picked the cake up at the store a few days ago and had forgotten about it until just then, which made for a good reason to eat it.
“Think of it as a celebration instead.”
“Phht. I am sure any person he bites takes great comfort in that,” he muttered under his breath with a roll of his eyes. So he didn't kill the people. Good for him. He still drank them like a Capri-Sun. But he had promised to drop it so he said no more and concentrated on getting their slices of cake.
“Yes, a celebration!” Nobu said excitedly, the suggestion pushing away his lingering annoyance of He-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named. There was no time for anger and sadness when there was a party to be had! The two met at the table, Penny with the drinks and Nobu with the plates and utensils. He raised his glass in toast. “To you! A celebration of self! Of freedom!”
Penny wasn’t going to argue the point; by now it was moot. She knew Derek very well, even in the short time they’d been together. Nobu, any of her friends, would see only one side of the situation so she left things where they were to be interpreted how they wanted to see it.
On the Alexa speakers, Penny put on some uplifting music by Lizzo and a few other artists in that ilk, letting it stream into the apartment. She smiled brightly as soon as the music began to play, helping Nobu with the task ahead. She picked up their drinks and met the tanunki at the table, easing down into the chair.
“To a fresh start,” she countered, clinking their glasses together gently. A sip, and she dove into the cake. It was good for store purchased, rich and delightful on her palate.
"To a fresh start." With toast made, Nobu went about decimating the cake in front of him. He bobbed his head to the music as he stuffed his face; Lizzo was always fun to listen to.
"We should go to the salon," he suggested, suddenly inspired. The excitement at the idea was growing by the second even before Penny gave her input. "You deserve to be pampered." And of course he needed to come along because what was a salon day without a friend? Boring, that's what.
She sipped from her drink as the cake before her looked more enticing. Penny tucked into the mountain of sugar though not with as much zeal as her friend. She took a bite when the suggestion for the salon was made, and the siren considered the idea. “Okay,” Penny nodded.
Of course Nobu would come with her; he knew all of the best places and the salon could be boring without a friend. Some pampering time sounded like exactly what she needed just then. She hoped Ro wouldn’t mind a pit stop on the way back to her place.
“After cake, then we go to the salon.”
“Yesss!” Nobu cheered with a fist pump for good measure. While he knew plenty of salons around the city, he rarely was a customer. He'd mostly just shoot the breeze with the employees that wandered outside on their breaks. There was one salon in particular where the ladies would give him little gifts when he popped by so that was definitely the place he would be taking his favorite gal pal. Proof that it paid to be nice to the wandering street tanuki.
He inhaled the rest of his cake and drink. “I know a good place! The girls are nice,” he informed as he wiggled a bit in his seat, waiting for Penny to finish her dessert. “They will take good care of us. Probably get some candy out of it too.”
She couldn’t help but laugh at his excitement. It was refreshing, and contagious, because after a moment she began to feel the excitement too. Nearly bursting with it. “Really? Okay, that sounds like a good place if you recommend it.” Her friend knew how to get around in those types of places, so a recommendation meant it had to be worth the trip. “Candy is a bonus.”
Finishing up the cake and her drink, Penny got up. She gathered the dishes, put them into the sink for later, and then went about getting her shoes and her purse. “I’ll drive, you just tell me how to get there.”
Nobu gave her a thumbs up. "Can do!" He led the way to the ground floor, a spring to his step. He was one happy tanuki. A stomach full of cake and now going out to get pampered at a salon with his friend? It was turning out to be a pretty good day. Hopefully Penny would see it the same way.
As soon as her car came into view, Nobu was running to it, bouncing in place with his hand on the car door. "Going for a car ride do de doo." He said in a sing-song tone. "Going to glam it up, yeah."
Penny laughed as her friend sang. She couldn’t help herself, joining in on the impromptu ditty. Before too long they were both in her car, heading down the street in the direction Nobu pointed.
And then she was pulling into the parking space at the salon. She hadn’t heard of this one before, but was eager to try it.
“Come on, let’s go get pampered.” A wink, and the siren was out of the car and heading for the door of the salon.