(open) if you don't want to, i can live with that

[jokey]

Whomst: akira and you~ ✨
What: akira wandering around doing akira things
Where: various places around campus
When: late january
Warnings: none, will update as necessary

i. CHATTY CATTIES

[The resident cats seem familiar, their toe beans pleasantly plump beneath his thumb and their fur silky soft... but something is off. Something doesn't feel quite right, and it's neither their beans nor their silky soft fur, so what could it be?

Stooped in the hallway, Akira turns to the black cat and shakes his head.]

I could've sworn you had a name. [Akira taps his chin, brows scrunched up in thought.] ...Miyuki? No. Morris?

[Akira's been here trying fruitlessly to converse with the cats for the better part of an hour. Crazy? Possibly.]

ii. STEAL BOOK, GET NAILED

[Incidentally, if you're studying hard (or hardly studying) in the library, you'll bump into Akira sooner rather than later. He's quiet, if not exactly shy, and strides up to eye the book in the other student's hands.]

That's a new one. Let me guess, another novel no one's heard of?

[The sharp-eyed might notice that all the fingertips on Akira's right hand have been thickly wrapped in bloodied bandaids. Curious!]

iii. STORE LOSER

[Should someone be headed towards the student store late in the evening, they might coincidentally find Akira giving the vending machine a nice, solid kick. He looks he might fire off a second when he feels the gaze of another student all but boring into him.

Turning, Akira brushes his blazer into place a little too casually. This is exactly what it looks like, and so Akira doesn't bother trying to save face.]

Sorry. The vending machine ate my homework. [Stepping aside, Akira flippantly motions to the machine.] All yours.

Comments

[mermaidcursed]

this place is disconnected from everything. it's a purgatory. even if we could call for help, help couldn't get to us.

i mean that very literally.

( the purgatory thing, that is. but he probably figured that out. )

we're supposed to be growing stronger and healthier here, but i don't see it.

[jokey]

['A purgatory' is putting it lightly, Akira thinks. To have your freedom stripped from you and be left trapped with and despairing is hellish at best.

He has no reason to doubt what Nene's saying, and leaning back in his seat, a quiet sigh whistles past his lips.]

I'll spare you more tedious questions. ["Has anyone tried to break out," for instance. There's no way they haven't.] How do you keep yourself sane here? Given the circumstances, I'm surprised I haven't seen more miserable faces.

[mermaidcursed]

( oh-- haha, the thing is, they don't. or she'd make that joke if it didn't feel horribly prophetic, honestly. nene hums a bit but repeats the process of typing and sliding the pda again. )

we have clubs and games- ishigami-san got people to set up a game club with boardgames and old consoles- and places to explore. in the beginning, we were all trapped inside the building itself, but over time we've gotten to go outside more and more. i teach people to cook or sew, or invite people to garden. others play music.

its about making things for yourself i guess.

[jokey]

[Well! If nothing else, it sounds like everyone's making the best of a crappy situation, and Akira can't help but appreciate that, smiling softly.]

I enjoy cooking too, but my repertoire isn't very diverse. What do you like to cook?

[He can make a different curry for every day of the week and then some, but that's not quite the same as being a seasoned cook. He's willing to bet Nene's much more well-rounded than himself.]

[mermaidcursed]

( oh- that's familiar. she had decided immediately to see how the dice would land this time but some things never change, do they? nene can't help but smile a little. would he come up with the same nickname for her? or something else? she'll let that land as it does, too. )

i've been trying to pick up lots of things so we don't always have the same thing here- people who can take turns cooking- but i have a lot of fun with egg dishes. i like soups and stews too, something about making them feels like home i think
otherwise i like to just see what i've got to work with and go from there, you know?
oh i do make good donuts though!!

[jokey]

[Her smile is pretty telling— his previous self must've shared his passions with her in a similar manner. #justakirathings, he supposes. What matters more right now is keeping a smile on Nene's face given these dour circumstances they're stuck in. She wears her smiles rather cutely, after all!]

How would you feel about taking on an apprentice? I'm a quick study. [...And, he adds with a quiet, self-aware laugh:] I wouldn't mind sampling your donuts either.

i am so sorry about how late this is please forgive me

[mermaidcursed]

( ah. some things don't change. it'll be fun teaching him again, she thinks with a fond smile and a nod of her head. )

i don't mind at all! i'll have you cooking well enough that people will swoon!

and i can make some tonight. it's good to have treats available