choo choo open log train

[unevoke]

Who: Shinjiro (unevoke & open
When: misc. days after event 9
Where: PLACES
What: THINGS
Rating/Warning: shouldn't be anything crazy!

---

a - mcceres
[By this point, work's become a monotony. It's a way to earn money, and he doesn't bedgrudge it for that purpose, but the forced socialization doesn't suit his tastes and the risk of running into someone he's conversed with - particularly after the events of the previous week - leave him tenser than he usually is.

At least he's an entertaining sight, dressed in his standard uniform of brightly colored apron and hat, sporting one of the flattest looks known to man as he asks:]

What can I get you today?

b - some random thrift store
[Shinji's stay thus far in Cerealia has been unkind to his limited wardrobe. His hat's looking particularly worse for the wear, his pants have small rips in them, and his coat is probably going to disintegrate the moment someone touches it.

Hence, his presence at the local thrift store.

There's not a whole lot on display, most of either not in his size or in atrocious colors and patterns he would never think to wear in public. Like the shirt he pulls out off the rack in sheer disbelief: a lemon yellow, with pink beach balls and blue umbrellas.

Who the hell even thought this was a good idea? And no he's not going to buy it, don't you dare ask.]

c - the cybuddy store
[Out of all the places in Cerealia though, the CYBuddy store is where Shinji's spent the most time of late. His guilt over attempting to sacrifice the things (and in some cases successfully) have led him to return time and again, to offer assistance in the store and give the remaining CYBuddies some proper attention.

It also gives him an excuse not to be social, and to put off thinking about the terrible things he tried to do.

Of course, there's no point in spending time in the CYBuddy store if he's not going to buy anything. There's Mitsuru's CYbuddy to spoil, and since he can't exactly buy gourmet CYBuddy food (does that even exist?) he settles for toys, picking out two and weighing them against each other.

He turns, eyes questioning.]

Hey, you got any idea which of these lasts longer?

[Quality over quantity, yo.]

d - game center
[Shinjiro isn't much for games. Having played only a rare few during his childhood, he'd never developed the fervor for them many of his peers had. That said, the pseudo-game of live action Pac-man he'd played his first day here had been kind of fun. He wanders into the game center one day when it's mostly empty - blame the early hour for that - and spends a good ten minutes just walking down the rows, checking out what there is on offer.

He stops in front of a fighting game and cracks a small smile. Akihiko would probably love this.]

e - choose your own adventure
[ooc: feel free to make your own scenario or pm me for an individualized prompt!]

Comments

[journaler]

Mmm... nope!

[Leia makes room for him when he meanders over, and looks approvingly at his choice. She reaches out to feel the material it's made of and doesn't seem bothered by his apathy. She's got enough energy for the both of them after all.]

It feels so warm and cozy, too! But I guess we don't really have to worry about that much.

[Spirit climes, weather... not really huge factors of life here on this unknown planet. She kind of misses it, though she can't find it within herself to complain about being able to wear whatever she wants without worrying.]

[unevoke]

[Ah, she does have a point there. It only makes sense that in a place ruled over by technology that even nature itself would be influenced by metal and pieces of code running through a circuit. He still finds it weird and unnatural, but there's little he can do about it now.

Besides, investigation and interrogation is more Mitsuru's forte.

Still, this stranger seems mostly unbothered by it, which is more than he can say for himself.]

Seems like we don't have to worry about a lot here. [Everything's taken care of by robots for them.] It doesn't bother you at all, all the technology?

1/2

[journaler]

[Even the pets are robotic...

Her hand falls back down to her side when she's satisfied, and she leaves the sweater be. She looks just a bit thoughtful. Shouldn't the technology bother her?]

To be honest, I don't really know. Back home... in Elympios, mainly, we're pretty technologically advanced as it is. But some things really are out of this world.

[Leia pauses there, quietly sighing.]

It's weird. It... doesn't really feel like there's any threat at all.

[journaler]

Then again, I haven't been here for all that long.

[unevoke]

[Elympios, another place he hasn't heard of. The unfamiliar countries (worlds?) that get brought to his attention each day surprise him less and less, but they still fill him with an unsettled feeling. The whole place gives him an unsettled feeling, despite Mitsuru's assurances to the contrary.

But maybe it is his awkwardness that's keeping him so off-balance. This girl seems perfectly at ease, after all. All the same, he keeps frowning, looking at the sweater like he doesn't fully see it.]

What do you think about the government? They don't seem very professional, if they're sending us creepy emails all the time.

[He's still not over Yukari and her panties.]

[journaler]

[These serious questions are throwing her off her care-free groove! But... she's a journalist. She can be serious like the best of them, and Shinji just seems like a serious guy in general.

She can do this...!!!]

I don't know anything about creepy emails, but professional isn't the word I'd use.

I mean, I can see how they try to be, with the official-looking presentation and all, but... you just get this uncomfortable feeling that they aren't really on our side.

[unevoke]

[Ah Leia, so accommodating!! Shinji appreciates it, he really does, and he listens with full attention as she talks, making note of the impression she gets (the same impression he and many others have, it seems).]

But you're okay with being here otherwise, even if they aren't exactly on our side?

[Said without any accusation whatsoever. He's just curious, really.]

[journaler]

[Oddly, she hadn't considered that before. Is she okay with being here--with the fact that Rieze Maxia and Elympios are supposedly in ruins? ...That her parents, and so many people she loved could be dead?

...When he puts it so plainly, it makes her uncomfortable, like she's being tricked into answering simply when she shouldn't. She can only be honest about it, though, despite looking sheepishly cheerful in her answer.]

As long as I'm helping in some way... you know?

Whether it's them, or the aliens, or others like me that lead me to answers... it gives me something to work towards. And that means I can keep moving forward.

[unevoke]

[It's honesty that's certainly appreciated, and he gives her a thoughtful nod for that answer. She's not all wrong, either - better to be useful in some way, even in some alien place, than to sit around and sulk and complain about the suspectness of it all.]

Makes sense. You're pretty optimistic, huh?

[It's meant as a compliment, even if his voice doesn't change much from its usual gruff state. And that's probably enough for that line of thought now, so he returns his attention back to the clothes on the rack.]

Were you lookin' for anything?

[journaler]

[She grins proudly to answer his question and takes it for the compliment that it is; though at his question, she does look a bit surprised, almost like she'd forgotten why she was there.]

Oh, yeah.

[Her gaze shifts over to the clothes that caught his attention on the racks.]

I was out shopping and just kinda figured I should expand my wardrobe. No biggie, though.

I don't mind distractions.