A Dinner Party [Closed]

[faithfulflame]

Who: faithfulflame, idolater, allergictoloveletters, bropane & zerotohiro
When: IC: Backdated to 3/30, OOC: 11/5-Onward
Where: The Sailor Apartment
What: The Sailor Senshi invite the Hamada brothers over for dinner with the aim of helping Ami and Tadashi get closer.
Rating/Warning: PG-13 for language And for Minako

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Well they'd been back in town for a few days now, and after discussing it a few times, Rei, Minako, and Ami had all thought it might be nice to invite some friends over for dinner. Minako in particular had an ulterior motive, but Rei was more than happy to help...so they'd put together a little get together for the three of them and the two Hamada brothers. Nothing too fancy, just three Tokyo girls and two immigrant boys all set to hang out, eat, and maybe watch a couple of movies or something on CERES-Flix.

The living room of their four bedroom place was set up as neatly as could be, cleaned, everything polished and the usual clutter that came from life put back into closed bedroom doors and the like. The CYBuddy, Lacus the Panda, meandered around still, but never really seemed to be too intrusive so it didn't feel like anything to worry about. Basically? They thought they'd spruce up the place since there was company coming. Even the TV was polished up, and everything just looked spotless!

Food was simple, various rice and fish dishes and hot-pot soups that Rei had either prepared or paid Archer to take care of for her. Ami had also put together sandwiches and other fingerfoods and most importantly of all they had kept Minako out of the kitchen and just had her pick up a cake. She may have grumbled but...this was for love and friends after all and nobody needed to be subjected to her attempts at baking.

Everything was as perfect as it could be by the time the Hamada brothers arrived, and they would find themselves greeted at the door by the trio. Come on in!

Comments

starts the party train, sorry for him, etc etc

[zerotohiro]

[There were worse things that could happen to him. The sky could collapse or Tadashi could die for a third time or he could be dumbed down to average intelligence. This? This isn't exactly terrible. He'd only been half-listening when the girls extended the invite for dinner to their apartment and at the time he wasn't thinking beyond "hey, free food that someone else cooked."

Now that he's in the home of the Sailor Senshi (and Minako, unknown to him a Senshi as well) he's...a little more muted than usual. Rei might notice the difference the most since he's closest to her but when he and Tadashi arrive he sticks a little closer to his older brother at first. It's a bit reminiscent of when they were kids, how the younger Hamada would practically hide behind Tadashi's leg when meeting new people or going new places. He's not as shy as he was back then but this is still enough to keep him on guard.

While the older teenagers (and Tadashi) are busying themselves with chatting and what-have-you Hiro finds himself slowly gravitating toward an abandoned corner of a couch and seating himself there. It's weird being in a girl apartment. Everything's so clean and organized and the place smells like delicious food. His feet are barely touching the ground as he tilts his head back to watch what else is happening in the apartment. He...should be social. He can do social!

But there's something happening here that he can't exactly pinpoint. It's best to do observations first. I'm so sorry I just wrote a hook that's literally "my character is sitting here, please bother him.]

[bropane]

[ oh my god hiro, tadashi and aunt cass taught you better!

tadashi's seated on the couch as well, just relaxing with the panda cybuddy. they're friends now. ]

What's wrong, bro? You okay?

[ are you afraid of getting cooties? ]

[zerotohiro]

[Dude. Still. He shrugs even if he's not quite looking at Tadashi because he's quietly watching the three girls and observing their behavior. This shit's like a nature documentary, okay, he has to figure out how all of this works. It's not like Honey Lemon or GoGo are normal girls anyway.]

Yeeeeah? [That was 100% convincing.] Everything's fine. [Let's ignore everything he's thinking/researching/absorbing and focus on the panda!] One of yours, or someone else's work?

[Tadashi help, he's drowning.]

[bropane]

Not mine.

[ he shrugs afterwards, not really sure whose work the panda is. he lets out a chortle after that, though, and he can't help but say: ]

Don't tell me you're afraid of the ladies.

[faithfulflame]

[Rei isn't going to let this stand. No. she is a nerd herself, but she didn't invite you here so that she could ignore you and let you get away with hiding on the couch. It's not like she's psychic, or anything oh wait right?

Disengaging from a conversation with Minako, Rei takes a seat next to her young friend with a plate of cookies.]

Is there something bothering you?

[zerotohiro]

[Reiiiii please put him out of his misery. He's awkward. He's painfully awkward today and he ends up giving her a slightly wary smile before immediately honing in on the cookies.]

I...not really. [What's the best way of saying "I am trying to be a good houseguest and your girlfriend's pretty and your friend's nice and you're my friend and I'm not a moron I know girls think Tadashi is attractive but Tadashi's dead and you're the only one who knows he's dead and I just want to keep him safe, not that you guys aren't safe but your apartment is really clean and pristine and sort of stifling for me because actual girls are kind of complicated and there are a lot of complicated emotions here and hi my name is Hiro I overthink everything and can I just stuff my face and hide?"] It's fine. [And he seems to be thinking of something else.] Um. Thanks for inviting us over, by the way. ["Even if I'm wondering why and I kinda feel bad for wondering why."]

[faithfulflame]

[Hiroooooo, she's not going to let you off so easy. But the cookies were there for both of them to enjoy, so she holds the plate closer to you so you can grab one.]

Of course. It felt like a nice thing to do. Given all that we've been through together.

[And it doesn't even take a psychic to tell there's something bugging him. She elbows Hiro slightly and leans down, keeping her voice low so that she isn't going to be overheard by Tadashi and Ami.]

And it was Minako-chan's idea. When she realized how happy Ami is when she's around Tadashi-san, she thought it might be good to get the two of them to spend more time with one another. Ah...I probably should have explained this to you beforehand, but honestly these things aren't my forte. But Ami-chan doesn't have many friends with similar interests, and I thought...it would be easier on both of them if you came too. It gives us a chance to talk, and you a chance to eat.

[Hi Hiro, sorry, Minako dragged you into one of her schemes. But Rei thinks it's good too.]

And for goodness sake don't look at me like I'm going to bite you. I'm not. Neither is Minako-chan, or Ami-chan. We trust you. You're an ally and a friend. So relax, okay?

[allergictoloveletters]

Hiro? Are you feeling alright? [Ami asked as she came up to the couch, a couple of items in hand. She had made it a point to clean the house thoroughly, and add a few snacks on top of the food Rei prepared. She had noticed Hiro's sudden closing in on himself, how could she not notice when she did it so often herself? She offered a gentle smile.]

We can get you some ginger to help settle your stomach.

[zerotohiro]

[For a few minutes...well, he just sort of stares at her. He's being kind of a jerk and trying to hide in her couch and she's...concerned. Part of him wants to go along with it. It wouldn't be the first time he feigned an upset stomach to get out of doing something or being somewhere, especially social gatherings, but it doesn't seem right this time.]

I'm okay. Really. [There's a crooked smile in return as he allows his eyes to dart first to Tadashi and then back to Ami.] Sorry, I'm...["Not used to really relaxing around people outside of my own personal space"? Ugh. How lame would that be?

Think, Hamada.] Fine. [And then, swiftly:] Thanks for inviting us. Tadashi's not a bad cook, but this is a lot better.

[allergictoloveletters]

Rei is a wonderful cook, if ever our dear friend Makoto shows up, you simply have to try her cooking. A better chef you shall never meet. [She laughs as she sits down next to him.] I'm glad you're feeling alright. I was a bit worried. [In more ways than one.]

Ah, I have something for you. [She held up the, what could now be seen as a file, in her hand.] These are for you. I even put the chemical compounds of the suggested metals since I wasn't sure what was readily available in the workshop.

zooms in late with CERESbucks

[idolater]

[oh no, team! we've got an introverted boy in the corner! what do we do?

coloring books? ...no, that's more of a girls thing.

legos? ah, but we don't have any legos...

puzzles? hey, yeah, we've got puzzles!

after dinner, while people are working on the dishes, Minako comes over, obviously holding something behind her back. she leans over Tadashi's brother with a big grin]

Hey! Hiro, right?

yaaaas

[zerotohiro]

[Minako totally imagined that jump. Really. He sure didn't twitch in surprise by her sudden (okay, maybe not that sudden appearance) and he snaps his head up to look directly at her.

He's never met Minako but he's heard about her from Rei...and thus the look is pretty close to that "deer in the headlights" look before he lifts his mouth into a lopsided grin in greeting.]

...yeah! Yeah, right. Hey, Minako. [God. Okay. Just be cool and remember that the girls are not actually going to eat you alive.] It's nice to finally meet you. Rei's told me about you. [Even with that said, his eyes flick down to where it's obvious she's hiding something. What do you have there...]

[idolater]

[oops! she hadn't meant to scare him. she quickly apologizes before taking a seat on the floor near the coffee table]

I've heard a little bit about you, as well. But I think it's more important to meet people for yourself, yanno? [the blonde winks, friendly, still keeping her secret behind her back. don't worry! she will pull it out soon]

[bropane]

[ after dinner, tadashi will try to help out in washing the dishes, but his plans may be thwarted since he's just a guest at the house.

he can also be found on the couch, without his hat off, of course. he had taken it off upon entering and left it on the coat rack. tadashi's jacket and sweater, of course, have not been taken off. YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE HIS SCARS, basically. someone talk to this poor guy because he's just petting the panda and being a nerd about it and checking its specs.

there's a part of him that also wants to turn the tv on and see what shows are available... maybe there's some kind of mecha anime up or something... he's not a nerd, he swears. ]

[faithfulflame]

[Okay. Well. Rei isn't about to miss Tadashi poking at poor Lacus. The CYBuddy doesn't seem to mind, but it's a pretty ordinary little guy. Y'know, as robot pandas are.

Rei wanders on up and takes a stance to one side, smiling faintly.]

Tadashi-san, are you enjoying yourself?

[bropane]

[ oh! he looks up and even gets up from his seat to properly converse, hands behind his back. ]

Hey, thanks for the invite. The food was really good.

[faithfulflame]

Absolutely, Tadashi-san.

[Rei folds her own arms on front and bows in a hostess greeting.]

I'm glad you liked it. And we were glad that you could make it.

[allergictoloveletters]

Looks like you took me up on the visit much sooner than I anticipated. Rei's a very good cook, did you like it? [She asked as she came up to the couch, though she didn't sit down. Unlike in Tadashi's apartment, she wore house slippers. Ami reached out and ran a gentle hand along Lacus.]

And on top of that, you got to meet Minako!

[bropane]

[ he stands up to talk to ami properly. ]

I did like the food, thanks a lot.

And yeah, I've only talked to Minako once through the CereVice.

[faithfulflame]

[Throughout the evening Rei makes it a point to spend a little bit of time with everyone. She's trying hard to be a good host, and it probably shows. But more importantly, she's actually enjoying herself. She likes having guests, and it makes her feel a bit more homey, and even makes this strange apartment feel more like a genuine home.

Midway through the evening, she slips over towards Minako to confer with her on a few things, and maybe share her good mood a bit with her partner. And if Ami is being a little bit too nervous, then Rei may very well just glide on over and give her a poke.

And to add a little Poe to the scene, throughout the whole evening Phobos and Deimos are sitting up on a coat rack, watching the little gathering with dark, sparkling eyes.

[allergictoloveletters]

Rei, I think perhaps we should invest in some board games. [Ami knew well that no one was going to want to play chess, two person game that it was.] We have a deck of cards, know any game we can all play?

[There was poker, she supposed, or blackjack, but she doubted Tadashi would want to introduce Hiro to anything like that.] Do you think they're having fun? [She bit her lip as she looked at the boys who after dinner... promptly went to sit on the couch. That wasn't very good.] What if they aren't having a good time?

[faithfulflame]

Board games? [Rei blinked at the suggestion. She hadn’t actually considered it mostly because the last time they’d played a board game Usagi had gotten frustrated and flipped the table. Rei had vowed never again to play monopoly, and never again to let Usagi or Minako play the banker.]

Perhaps we should…[Her eyes swiveled to Ami’s and she dropped a hand onto her friend’s shoulder.] But you don’t have to worry. We’re…all mostly introverts, here, Minako-chan aside. I think that they’re having a fine time, and that this is just how we all interact. Honestly I thought putting on CERESflix might be best. That seems like the sort of thing all five of us can enjoy and still maintain our personal comfort zone.

Movie Viewing: Rim of the Pacific

[faithfulflame]

[After a little bit of discussion with Ami, Rei decided to make an executive decision. A dinner party with four introverts and Minako simply wouldn't do. So, she turned on the television, and flipped over to CERESFlix. A short discourse followed, and they settled on a movie. An action/scifi film called Rim of the Pacific. The theme song is appropriately catchy, and with several bowls of popcorn and drinks at the ready, the lights in the apartment dim for this epic feature.

For her part, Rei is definitely sitting next to Minako, trying to give Ami and Tadashi a chance to sit together. She might be a little snugglier than usual, too, since it's been a bit of a day full of social interaction. The movie though, seems rather entertaining so far.]

Kaiju, hmm. Interesting choice for an antagonist.

[She keeps her voice low, but some talking during a 5-person viewing of a movie is bound to happen, so she doesn't feel too bad.]

popcorn.gif

[idolater]

[so yay! a movie! Minako is all about that, even though she was having fun talking to everyone too. she sits on the floor beside Rei, a large bowl of popcorn in between her crossed legs]

So this is a monster movie?

[allergictoloveletters]

There is technically no rim to the Pacific. [Ami said as she did in fact sit next to Tadashi.] They may as well have called it "Ring of Fire" considering where they actually want this all to take place and to sound remotely plausible. [Ami sipped her iced tea.]