InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "stay away from 'brim' "

kondo kozue | 近藤梢 (anthesphoria) wrote in disappear_rpg,
@ 2009-07-14 21:57:00

Entry tags:

keiichi, kozue

Who: Kozue and Keiichi.
What: It's a thing. Coffee and pastries are involved.
Where: Chagall Cafe in Iburi.
When: A few days after Toru's dungeon: after school.
Why: She owes him dessert! That's totally why.

When Kozue found out that tennis practice had been canceled - the captain was down with a cold or something, and the other girl in charge had sprained her ankle while running sprints in gym, and besides, they didn't have any matches coming up for what seemed like ages - it was the perfect time to make good on her promise to Keiichi. And to take a break and get some kind of pastry - which, really, she deserved after that insane experience in Ishinomori's version of "Paradise". Maybe she could get some kind of personal reward program going: a pastry or a candy bar every time she fought a Shadow? Or something like that.

Although the trip through Toru's dungeon didn't seem, in retrospect, as horrible as her team-mates were making it out to be - sure, the thing with the tentacles had been horrifying and sinister in a late-night-anime sort of way, but that "ren'ai" level had been no worse than a game of truth or dare. Well, maybe a bit of a risque one, but... Truth be told, that was one reason that coffee with Keiichi had jumped to the front of her ideas for her empty afternoon: she wanted to see what he thought of the fact that she'd kissed him. It had been a game - a kind-of sort-of game at least, but some boys sure got weird if you kissed them.

She made her way up from the athletic fields to the second year hallway, pondering that as she started looking for Keiichi. School had barely ended - she hoped he'd still be around, although, if not, she could always check the dorms. Still, she wondered, distracted, why did boys get weird like that? Weren't girls supposed to be the emotional, clingy ones? But no - she'd once kissed (well, that and maybe a few other things besides but) a boy from another school who had almost immediately started discussing what their children would look like and what kind of house they should have. Creepy.

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keiito
2009-07-15 02:54 am UTC (link)

Really, he would have been wandering the halls much sooner, if not for the fact that he was in the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror and running a brush through his hair.

He was planning on making a trip to a place he hadn't gone since, well, last year: the first year's corridor.

Paradise had been fairly strenuous for him for a variety of reasons: mainly the sheer length of it, how bad of a beating he'd taken, but it was the slightly more mental and emotional toll that was sticking with him.

He'd been kissed. It had been his first kiss. In a dating-sim run by a tentacle monster. Sometimes, Keiichi wished his life was more normal.

Complicating matters was the fact that he'd been paired with a girl. A rather pretty one. One he was going to go try and find and make sure things were normal with.

Stepping out of the bathroom, he realized that his reconnaisance mission would be unnecessary. Because, well, there was Kozue, walking towards him. He didn't know if she'd seen him yet or not. Either way, he waved.

This had potential to be mortifying, but he'd stared down a tentacle monster. He could do this. Really.

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anthesphoria
2009-07-15 03:15 am UTC (link)

There he was! Success! Kozue walked up, with a smile, swinging her school bag from one hand. Although not too wide or fast - that would have been disruptive. "Good afternoon, senpai," she said, stopping a few paces away. "I just found out my tennis practice isn't going to be happening this afternoon. Are you busy? I thought, if not, we could go down to Chagall like we'd planned."

She was vaguely conscious that people were turning to look at her and Keiichi, but it didn't slow her down: people had been staring at her since forever, although the reasons changed periodically. Now, they stared because she was beautiful and popular and scandalous, and that was better than a lot of other things could have been.

"I'm sorry I didn't notify you earlier, though. If you have plans, we can make a rain check."

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keiito
2009-07-15 03:30 am UTC (link)

It honest to God took him about ten seconds to remember that Chagall was a cafe.

"Of course we can," Keiichi managed, smiling at her. "No club today for me either." There were people watching them, he noted. Something he wasn't used to, but he really didn't care that much. Besides, time wasted looking at them could be better spent looking at her.

It was about at this point that he had the early signs of what one might term a 'crush.'

Step one, remain calm. Step two, keep smiling.

"Shall we?"

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anthesphoria
2009-07-15 04:40 am UTC (link)

"Great, shall we go?" Kozue said, nodding, and starting off down the hallway. She wanted to ask him more questions about Paradise - about his injuries and if he was feeling any less... well, he'd been a bit angry towards the end there. But in a crowded hallway she couldn't really open with So did the bruises from the tentacles heal yet? So, subtlety. "How are you feeling?" She finally settled for. "Have you had any time to recuperate?"

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keiito
2009-07-15 05:07 am UTC (link)

Keiichi followed after her, and of course, the subject of Unimaginable Terror IV had to come up. He supposed it was a fair enough question. Even if he *was* trying to forget about the more traumatic bits.

"I'm feeling better, yes," he whispered, as they walked towards the front door. "Still a little sore, though." Last night had been full of thoughts about more pleasant reasons for that fact. He had the distinct worry that he was turning into Kanaye. Maybe second year had something to do with why Satou-senpai was the way he was?

It would be nice to get out of school

"How are you holding up," he replied, the possible ramifications to anyone nearby hearing his next statement lost. "I mean, it was your first time and all..."

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anthesphoria
2009-07-15 05:58 am UTC (link)

The moment he said the last thing, Kozue flushed - could he have said something more suspect if he'd tried? Satou-senpai might have had to try to do better, actually. And she could see a few heads turning in the hallway. She was also unfortunately suddenly possessed of a great desire to laugh at this hilarious chance - but she choked it in.

"I'm -- Fine, fine, I'm just fine," she said, debating following it up with some kind of cautionary words about what he should say in front of half the school's population. But that would only make it worse. Acknowledge that you don't want something to be talked about, and twice as many people will talk about it. So she'd just play it cool and - oh hell, she could feel her face getting warm from blushing anyway. There might not be a great deal of damage control she could do after all...

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keiito
2009-07-15 06:11 am UTC (link)

He had the sneaking suspicion that he'd said something wrong -- which would be just perfect considering his already frazzled mental state. Fresh air. He needed fresh air.

She was...blushing? But why? "I'm glad to hear you're okay," he said, in a lower tone of voice, hoping that was acceptable. There were too many people here anyway. They couldn't really talk about anything of substances like this. Better to get to the cafe.

Reaching the doors, he held them open for her. 'Please, don't let me screw this up,' he thought, taking a slow, deep breath in.

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anthesphoria
2009-07-15 06:33 am UTC (link)

She walked out the door, nodding in thanks and willing her cheeks to be less red. It wasn't working terribly well, unfortunately. She grabbed her school bag with both hands, holding it low in front of her torso, and turned back over her shoulder to glance at Keiichi - "Thanks. Although I wasn't..." Oh, no, she couldn't say that. If she mentioned other people, well, her reputation might really crash and burn. As they walked out the school gates, she kept trying to think of a way to delicately talk about this, something she quite wanted to do, without making it sound absolutely terrible.

Ugh. It was hard - Kozue was almost never at a loss for words, and suddenly being in that situation frustrated her. After a few moments of silence and another false start, she finally hit upon a safe topic. "So, I got the impression you'd played some of those games?"

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keiito
2009-07-15 06:53 pm UTC (link)

"Some of them, yeah," Keiichi replied. "I'm not really into games, but I played them a lot when I was younger, before I got more into cooking."

He still had a few systems, of course -- what teenage boy didn't? -- but he was far more focused on being a chef and going into Paradise.

As they walked off the school grounds, he was surprised she'd adapted to it so relatively well. Fighting was only one aspect of that place -- the mental and emotional strain it put on them was almost worse at times.

Casting glances around, he noticed no one nearby. "We should be okay to talk about it now. This stretch of road is usually pretty deserted."

Well. Time to see if he'd managed to screw things up.

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anthesphoria
2009-07-15 07:21 pm UTC (link)

"Mmhmm," she nodded, looking around as well - it seemed to be all clear, so she turned back to Keiichi as they made their way into town. But though they were alone she stayed quiet for a bit longer, trying to choose her words carefully.

Finally, "I really wish I understood what was happening - did happen, still happening, whatever. I didn't realize when I signed on to try and save someone and fight some monsters or whatever they're called, that such insane things would happen. It certainly wasn't like any monster-fighting movie I've ever seen," she finished in a rather deflated way. It was hard to put into words, at least into the right words, the confusion that had set in as the adrenaline of actually being in Paradise had faded.

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keiito
2009-07-15 07:35 pm UTC (link)

"I know. So do I. I'm pretty sure all of us do." It was important to him to make sure that she didn't think they knew anything she didn't; they were all about equally in the dark as to what was going on. "No one knows. We're just sort of doing the best we can, really. Though, Ikeda-san was right last night. From what they've told me, the first time we went in wasn't anywhere near as strange as that..."

At least his own trip to the hospital hadn't featured a creepy tentacle monster.

"It's as much mentally and emotionally difficult as it is physically," Keiichi offered, finding himself walking a step closer to her than he otherwise would have, patting her on the shoulder. "I'd say it takes getting used to, but I don't know if I can get used to...things like that."

Of course, he'd gotten off emotionally easier than the others. For whatever reason, the tentacle monster hadn't put him in an awkward pairing.

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anthesphoria
2009-07-15 07:51 pm UTC (link)

"I'm pretty much fine," she responded with a smile, when he patted her shoulder - "Although that might be because I'm in shock. Who knows." The smile turned a bit flippant at that - she probably wasn't or anything, but making jokes made things easier. It was definitely something that the other Persona users seemed to have figured out, although 'making jokes at other people's expense' wasn't really how the old wisdom went.

"But I definitely don't want to get used to anything that has tentacles and a wish to try and kill me. It's probably not good for my mental health." Or schedule; or school work; or life in general. Would it actually be good for anything? Jury was still out.

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keiito
2009-07-16 12:24 am UTC (link)

Making jokes did seemingly make things easier. Even if some of them were mean-spirited and at the expense of others in the group.

"I don't think any of us do," Keiichi managed, weakly. "But we're the only people who can go in there. We've sort of had it put upon us, I guess." He wasn't especially happy about that fact, but nothing much he could do.

He didn't know anywhere near enough to make judgments. Which meant that he had to try to be a typical second year. "As long as you're okayish," he continued. "I would have felt terrible if anything would have happened for you." He did, admittedly, sort of consider it part of his responsibility to make sure that everyone came back in one piece.

As they walked, his hand subconsciously brushed against hers. At least this time it didn't almost give him a heart attack.