estoria | (OPEN) i don't know enough lyrics for the subject line

Entry tags:

(OPEN) i don't know enough lyrics for the subject line

Who: Touka Kirishima (

ukakus) & PEOPLE.
When: OOC 02/20; IC SOMETIME DURING A WEEKEND FOR I AND II......?????? And then during 11/21 for everything else.
Where: Shopping District + Residential District
What: Barrista shenanigans and shopping, among other things.
Rating/Warning: NONE for now.

OPTION I; WORKPLACE.

[Led by the smell of coffee and the promise of perfectly cut ~~anime~~ sandwiches, you might find yourself standing in front of a random coffee shop. Once you open the door, you'll be greeted by the sound of an electronic bell chiming and the sight of a teenage girl cleaning one of the tables. She'll immediately turn around, a very costumer friendly smile on her face.]

Welcome! [WELL. Customer service is something she's good at.

Now, you have two options. You can either a) ask to sit at the bar so you can watch the coffee making process firsthand, or b) sit down at one of the tables and wait. Alternatively, you can take options c) through z) and stay on your feet, do a little dance, or just be a general weirdo. Your choice, yo.

Either way, should you sit down, she'll eventually come and ask you:]

Are you ready to order? [Or some variation of that.]

OPTION II; SHOPPING.

[Not in the mood for coffee or dainty little coffee shop treats? That's alright. Touka can be found sometime after her shift in the shopping district, entering different shops and boutiques and trying to add a few more items to her wardrobe. Occasionally, she'll pick up an item, examine it closely—and then visibly balk at the price tag. "Way out of anyone's price range", indeed.

You can also catch her at CERES Tech & Auto Shop, making a quick stop by the CYbuddy section. Why, you ask? So she can stare rather intensely at the rabbit shaped options. Please don't mind her. It's not like she can afford one at the moment.]

OPTION III; CHOOSE YOUR OWN MYSTERY FLUID™.

[Of course, it's just her luck that right after she exist the Metro-rail at the Residential District... she ends up stepping in some weirdly colored puddle. Is it murky water? Is it a drink? Is it human piss? Whatever the case, Touka's nose twitches once, twice, thrice—and she jerks away rather violently, having gotten a whiff of whatever it is. That's one heck of a potent sense of smell.

If you happen to be passing by, beware. You don't want to step in the same puddle... nor do you want to get elbowed or stepped on as Touka jerks away. Maybe. Just don't get in the way; it saves lives.]

OPTION IV; MAKE YOUR OWN SCENARIO.

[Are none of these options your cup of tea? If so, feel free to bump into Touka elsewhere.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ There are a lot of times when mindreading is very convenient. When you're trying to blackmail someone, for example, or when someone is trying to yell at you for something stupid you did. It's also especially convenient when you are lost in your own world and end up almost walking into the back of someone who is recoiling in horror from a puddle of peedrinkwater.

If he were anyone else, he'd have probably taken that elbow straight to the gut and gotten a few ribs shattered or something, but he's on the ball today and manages to catch Touka by the elbow, sparing himself a lot of pain and agony. From the outside it just looks like he's manhandling a girl half his size, but this is the price a hero pays. ]

[In this case, mindreading is going to save his ribs twice, seeing as how the first thing to cross her mind when she feels a hand on her elbow is that she's being manhandled by a pervert. Almost immediately, she whirls around, expecting to either have to punch or squirm her way out of this and—ah. Huh. Blinking at him, once. Has she seen this guy before somewhere...............?]

...Oh. [Okay. Yeah. Now she remembers.] It's you.

[OH THE BRIGHT SIDE, she's decidedly less domineering today. On the not-so-bright side, she pretty much remembers him as the weird dude who was stupid enough to listen to her... This is bad.]

[ She is decidedly less domineering today, and he feels absolutely zero desire to listen to everything she says. It's pretty relieving, because she'd probably make him lay down in this puddle so she could walk across freely, and he's not particularly interested in getting any closer to that puddle than he already is. ]

Yeah. It's been a while...

[ It hasn't been that long, but he's trying to push it out of his mind. Needless to say, he won't be carrying her across this puddle.

... Unless she seemed particularly distressed about it and asked...

... God, he's weak. ]

[He can soothe his pudding-soft sensibilities, because she is 100% more likely to punch him in the face today than she is to step on him like a doormat. Not that, um, that should be relieving—but, you know. She has a pride to conserve and all that. Idiots who do everything they're told are better off depositing themselves in the nearest waste bin.]

Yeah — it has. [The NOT LONG ENOUGH is left unsaid, but implied there. She's just going to give him A Look, furrowing her brows like he was the one acting like a gigantic weirdo last time.]

So, what do you want?

[Because she totally didn't almost elbow him in the ribs a few seconds ago...]

[ The Not Long Enough is heavy in the air and felt mutually between them; Sooha certainly doesn't want to be reminded of that level of embarrassment so soon after it occurred. In fact, he'd be fine if he never saw Touka again and continued through the rest of his life without ever being reminded of what happened between them again.

Alas, here he is, here she is, and he distinctly remembers carrying her around for far longer than any boy should ever carry any girl around for. ]

You walked into me.

[ Like he would actively seek her out after what happened! He has some pride! ]

[SAME, BRO. Same. There's no amount of time that will make the fact he carried her around any less mortifying. It's like something out of a bad TV drama. Except, it's very real and very gross. He better watch his hands, because she's mildly temped to chop them off. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.]

You— [THERE'S A PAUSE HERE because, uh, she actually did. Coughs.] You got in my way. Or are you implying I can't see where I'm going?

[People don't generally don't see where they're going when they're recoiling in SHEER HORROR over a puddle of mystery fluid. A puddle she's totally almost stepping in again as she tries to take a step back, and stops when she gets another whiff of that stuff. Seriously, what in the world is it?]

[ A TV drama where a boy carries a girl around for far longer than necessary, definitely nothing he's ever experienced... at all... ever...

He shoves his hands into his pockets, just in case. ]

Can anybody see where they're going with the back of their head?

[ Don't try to put words in his mouth Touka, it won't end well!

Just like this bizarre gesture of his, where he takes a hand out of his pocket out of reflex, almost going to catch her when she starts to step back into the puddle until she stops herself, and he does the same. Curse his savior complex, stop trying to help girls keep their shoes clean! ]

Shut up. [The snappish, short tempered way she says this means he's totally 100% right about that and she knows it. But she won't admit it. And will most likely get in a fist fight over it if she's challenged over it... or something like that. She's very mature, really. Ready to be an adult and everything, gosh.

She's going to glare at him when she notices what he almost did. Sheesh.]

Hey, keep your hands to yourself.

[If she's going to step in a puddle of unimaginable horrors, then she's going to step in a puddle of unimaginable horrors. With dignity. Which is an oxymoron, but that's where being the proud owner of a wounded pride gets you.]

[ She can try to get into a fist fight with him if she wants, but she'll probably find that it's incredibly hard to hit someone who can read your mind and sidestep every move you try to make.

He's not really interested in that though, and would rather just avoid that situation altogether.

Which is why he raises his hands palms-out to show her how to himself his hands are, and he's not about to save her from stepping in something nasty. She can go and pissfoot herself up as much as she wants. ]

I got it, I got it.

[It's a pity because she has a mean left hook, but that's okay. Seeing his hands up in the air gets her to chill significantly, and she's """softening""" her glare into a scowl as she makes absolutely sure she isn't about to spontaneously do something to make him act like a total weirdo. Once was enough, thank you very much.]

Good. [Crossing her arms.........] Don't you have something important you should be doing?

[Like, say, heading in the direction opposite to her? She can be an optimist, okay.]

[ In his defense, that was completely her fault. He didn't even go see the fortune teller, Touka is the one who made everything weird.

She's shit out of luck if she thinks he's going in a different direction though, and he answers her thought for her without prompting. ]

We're going in the same direction.

[Shhhhhhh... She's pretty content blaming CERES for that whole shindig, okay. Nothing would have happened if they didn't plant that stupid fortune teller game there...!!

That said, she's totally going to stare at him like she wishes he would spontaneously catch fire. Alternatively, that she could vomit acid on him. This is very unfair.]

H-Haa...?! And how the hell would you know that? [She didn't even say anything? IS HE A STALKER???]

I'm not stalking you.

[ Quick to cut off that thought too, very exasperatedly. Things like this it's easy to play off his head games as him guessing the natural flow of conversation and picking up cues from her facial expression. It's just a coincidence that he happens to be answering the exact thing she's thinking, definitely! ]

That's damn specific denial.

[Even if he were following the natural flow of the conversation, that was a pretty quick response. Not to mention, she doesn't enjoy being that easy to read. She's grilled people for less... and she's side-eyed less sketchy behavior, too. Please try those headgames on someone who doesn't survive by being paranoid...!]

That's what you were thinking, right?

[ He's been playing this same game for 10 years now; being able to prove that he gets a constant stream of thoughts that aren't his through his head is impossible, and anybody he tells is going to think he's insane.

She's suspicious of him, but many people are, and he lets it roll off his shoulders. ]

[Normally wandering around himself, Masrur has found some interesting scents. His senses were far beyond human and sometimes it can cause an overload on his senses. So when he walks by the Metro-rail he catches a whiff of the scent. With a small groan he covers his nose...well, until he sees the girl that stepped into it.

There was a strange odor to the woman, but it isn't as bad as the puddle. Quickly he moves over to her. The elbowing was strong...but not enough to break through his muscled chest. Grabbing her on both sides he lifts her and steps back with her.]

...You okay?

[YE...AH... If there's one thing Touka seriously doesn't appreciate, it's being manhandled. So, it's only natural that she starts squirming around as someone decides lifting her is a good idea, even if she is making a conscious effort to keep her strength in check. It wouldn't be good if she accidentally injured a guy as huge as this one felt in a crowded area like this.]

I'm fine. [That comes out a little more strained than necessary.] So could you lay off already?

[Ungratefulness, thy name is Touka.]

[It was more his way of helping the girl out. Manhandling was not what he meant to do by any means. Still she could try to injure him there was little chance of it happening. Masrur didn't have to worry most of the time about injury.]

...It smelled horrible. [Once they were away from it, he sat her down. With a small little he gazes over her.]

... [She...didn't smell human, but he doesn't want to comment about it.]

I'm Masrur.

["Horrible" is accurate. And unfortunately for her, the some of the stench now lingers on her boot. Hopefully, rinsing her foot with water would keep her from taking it home with her.]

Kirishima Touka. [And she's too aggravated to specify how she wants to be addressed, since this guy sure as heck doesn't look Japanese.] Uhm... Thanks for you help.

[Being polite, if not a little unsure of what to say.

She would be less polite if she knew he could pick up her scent, but it's not like she's willing to take a dip in human blood like other ghouls to cover it up...]

[It was the best work he could think of. Yeah, that would need to come off...what was that stuff anyway?]

Touka? [That is easier to deal with than that last name...sorry.] Mn...

[The scent of human blood would be far more of red flag to him. There was already an odd odor around her. He knows he doesn't smell human himself.]

Do you live near here?

[Fortunately enough, he doesn't smell like a ghoul nor does he look like a Dove — so any red flags concerning his smell are stored away in the back of her mind. She'll have time to think about that later.]

Hmm...? No. My apartment complex is somewhat far from here. [L...aughs...] But I won't be heading there until I've gotten rid of this... smell.

[Lying through her teeth. Her apartment's closer than she's making it out to be, but like hell she's going to tell a stranger that. She's too paranoid.]

[It is lucky he doesn't...since he would hate to get into a fight with her.]

...Ah. [Masrur begins to walk in a direction.] You can get the smell off at mine...Sin is at work.

[He doesn't like the smell but he knows there's a place she can get rid of it.]

—Huh? [A bit startled, and also tentatively following him. Apparently, this guy did not share the same sense of paranoia as her. Or maybe this was a trap and she should stop following him like, now.

Okay, no. There's a certain point where even she has to keep her own paranoia in check.]

Are you sure? You might have to clean your floor later. It's on my shoe, remember?

[Masrur stops in his path to looks back at her. He could understand some of the nervousness for her...the only other option is. Oh that could work? Hopefully she wouldn't mind the new location.

Turning around fully to face her, he nods softly.]

...I'm fine. We could go to my work, we have a shower there?

That would work, I guess. [And it feels infinitely less iffy than following a stranger home, not that she's sure she would have gone through with it. In any case, now she's curious.]

Oi, Masrur-san. What kind of workplace is it, that it needs a shower?

Mn...

[If it worked out better that way then that was good, whatever was more comfortable for the lady. Blunt as ever though he answers the question.]

I work as a pole dancer...we have showers to clean up after work.

[POLE............................ DANCER........................................ HE JUST SAID POLE DANCER.

You can almost hear the record scratch here. Almost. She pretty much stops mid-step.]

...Are you, by any chance, leading me to a strip club, Masrur-san?

[Yep, that's what he said...sorry, Touka.

He can see her expression quick enough and he raises a hand to try and lessen the mood.]

I'm taking you in the back way...you won't see anything. [Unless she wanted to.]

[Y...EAH. NO. She would probably, uh, die if she saw anything like that, so her reaction is pretty strong. And while the prospect of not seeing anything is pretty nice...]

And the back entry is — safe? [She may or may not have uncomfortable experiences with back entries... ay ay ay.]

[He can save her from that sort of experience, right? Besides this was an easier option...he isn't quite sure how old she is. The age of consent in his would...is younger than here.]

Yeah... [At her worries, he gives her a serious look.] I won't let anything happen to you.

[Alas, even if she is months away from taking her college exams, her sensibilities say a high school student probably shouldn't be lurking around places where people go to do the deed. Never mind she survives on a steady diet of human meat, but, you know. Girl has gotta establish limits somewhere.]

...All right. Thank you. [He's a stranger, so she doesn't wholly trust him... But she trusts in her own ability to get the heck out of dodge.]

[If she was uncomfortable at any point, he will leave with her. He can see she's young but not...too young.]

Mn. [Not a big talker he leads her inside and to the back room. Luckily no one was really around.] Go ahead.

[Even if he says to go ahead, she throws a wary glance at her surroundings before walking further into the room. There's nobody here now—but she wants to do this as quickly as possible in case that changes.]

I'll take a moment. [Still gotta make sure to obliterate the stench entirely, however.] Do you mind?

[With a firm nod, he stands near the showers and keeps an eye out for anyone that might come in. He didn't want her to be caught off guard in anyway.]

Take your time. [He can wait all day, he was done with work for the day after all.]

[Good thing she doesn't plan on making him wait all day... nor does she particularly want to! That said, she's going to be slinking into the showers with a nod to get this done and over with as quickly as possible.

While waiting, he might hear the sound of the water being turned on, some shuffling as she removes her shoe, and—]

—Urp.

[She might have, uh. Accidentally sniffed it up close and personal.

IT'S OKAY, THOUGH. She only gagged. Thank you, potent sense of smell...]

[The smell is dizzying for Masrur so he can't imagine having it on your shoe...

When he hears a sound he blinks and calls out from his spot.]

...You okay?

I'm fine. [HISSING. She's kind of mortified about it. Don't bring the gagging up again.

After a minute or so, however, she comes out of the showers. No more yucky smell. Though, uh, her shoe is squeaking something awful.]

There. All better.

[Totsuka chooses to sit at the bar because watching people do anything is pretty fascinating!! his video camera is out, and he's busy recording the whole place before he turns around as Touka addresses him]

Ah, yeah! [POINTING THE CAMERA AT HER... sorry touka] I should probably order something, huh?

[who is this guy... at least he doesn't look like a bum or homeless. just light-haired and smiling, holding a camera that looks a bit out of date compared to the newer styles]

[IS THIS GUY... A TOURIST??? Well, no. Probably not, because she doesn't think tourism even exists here, but that's the first thought that comes to mind. The second thought is a little more profane and involves a thousand reasons why she doesn't want a camera aimed at her, just in case she gets in trouble down the road.]

I can give you more time to decide, if you're not sure of what to order. [Smiles! And then she makes a little show of looking a little apologetic...] But — I'm sorry, I'm going to have to ask you to hold off recording.

[CONSPIRATORIALLY WHISPERING HERE.]

The owner of this place thinks cameras bring bad luck... or something. They're that kind of person.

[Touka, that doesn't even make sense.]

['trouble down the road' touka pls don't do anything illegal... also THAT REALLY DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TOUKA. still Totsuka seems to be okay with this, since he lowers his camera enough to peer curiously at her.]

Ah... The superstitious type! Okay, I definitely understand. [WHY IS TOTSUKA GOING ALONG WITH THIS the world will never know, he lowers the camera down all the way and presses the button to pause it.... it's not turned off it's just on pause] Then do you know where I can reach the owner? It'd be interesting to know why he thinks that!

[the saddest part about this is Totsuka genuinely wants to know why someone thinks cameras would bring bad luck, even though a part of him realizes how ridiculous it is in the first place but JUST IN CASE]

[SHE CAN'T HELP IT DUDE she's a (literal) man-eater......... but even if it sounds completely ridiculous, she doesn't care as long as the job gets done. As such, it's a relief when he lowers the camera and hits the pause button. Hopefully, he won't consider turning it on again.]

Jeez... I wish I knew, but he seems to be very cagey. [Scratching the back of her neck, looking appropriately perturbed by this. She makes a show of glancing around, like she's making sure nobody can overhear her gossiping about her boss.]

The last time I saw him was during training. I think he said — "technology steals your soul"...?

[Totally imitating a gravely, old man's voice there. Touka, this is even worse than impersonating a witness to sneak into a government agency.]

[Xion may have been in the colony for a while, but she still has a lot to learn about things... the more mundane it is, the less knowledgeable she probably is about it. the purpose of today's exploration is to find out more about food; she's gotta expand the variety of foods she eats...or even just knows about. one can't live on ice cream, after all.

she's pleasantly surprised to find that she's familiar with the waitress she runs into when she enters the cafe! she remembers her from the game testing sessions, and it relieves her; she's always glad to see a face she already knows.]

Oh, hi...! [...she realizes she doesn't remember them exchanging names. she kind of just shrugs it off and quickly continues:] Um, do you guys sell ice cream here?

[...even though she means to try out new things, going back to her comfort zone won't hurt, right?]

[It takes her a second, but she definitely remembers meeting this girl, back when she arrived and got shuffled into that game testing thing. She should count her lucky stars that it wasn't when she started acting aw...ful................ That would be awkward.]

Oh— [Polite smile! One that she manages to keep after being asked about ice cream in a coffee shop.] Hmm... No, we don't sell ice cream. But I could recommend trying our iced coffees, if you're looking for something similarly cool.

[SIMILARLY COOL because she, like. Has never eaten ice cream before. Don't ask her to compare flavors. Just don't.]

[awkward is better than awful, right?]

Iced coffee? [she tilts her head a little. she's never heard of that before...! she's a little disappointed to learn she'd have to keep looking to find her preferred treat, but hey, it gives her an opportunity to try something new.] What is that like?

It's very sweet. [She... assumes... having never put a single spoonful of sugar in her own. Never mind that you can drink it black, too.] But the flavor can vary, depending on the blend and cream you use... You can pick those from the menu on your own, if you would like.

[Which is a bad way of explaining things, but it's not like she can speak from experience. The only saving grace here is that she learned from the best and isn't, like, totally winging it. Either way, the menu is displayed on a board behind the bar, with the usual options you'd expect to see in a coffee shop: vanilla, hazelnut and caramel creamers... and some blends that may or may not contain more chickpeas than actual coffee beans. Oops.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

(OPEN) i don't know enough lyrics for the subject line

iii

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

III

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

I!

no subject

no subject

no subject

i

no subject

no subject

no subject