recolle | [semi-open]

WHO: Koutarou & some people, and also you
WHERE: All over
WHEN: Month of July
WHAT: Bingo etc
WARNINGS:

[ An entry for collected prompts for various people. But it’s also a catch-all and wildcard option, and you can do any starter of your own that you want. Or you can shoot me a message either through pm or

hailingjavelin There are some open prompts below in the entry, and his bingo card is over here. ]

Park; all month
[ At random points in the month, Koutarou goes to the park to sketch. He sits under a tree, or on a bench, or in the middle of the grass, and as time passes he might end up filling the one he’s working in and puts it aside to use the pages in another. ]

The Inkwell; Primarily 3-8
[ Every night during his sister’s so called “visit” he goes to The Inkwell. It’s not like he gets drunk because his tolerance is seriously high, and he knows to be careful so he won’t get a hangover. Of course he’s sketching again, but that doesn’t need to stop you. He’ll look up if he’s addressed, and sometimes he’ll also pause to order another drink or stare out blankly ahead of him, where he sits at the counter. ]

Wildcard
[ Whatever you like. Grab one of the not-taken prompts (depending, you might want to shoot me a message; or write if you want the square in the subject line), or if we have anything planned, post a comment here, or if you just want someone to throw one of your own squares at. I can set something up as well, if you'd prefer that. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ When Koutarou informed his best friend of his sister’s paying a visit, and Togusa said that he wanted to meet and talk to her, Koutarou was honestly unsure if that was a good idea. He doesn’t want to make a fuss and he doesn’t want to pull his friends further into his family mess than they already are.

But he caved and arranged to have him meet her without the rest of her family around. Mainly because Koutarou actually likes his niece and nephew well enough, despite not really meeting them in person very much at all. This specific niece had been born about a year before Koutarou left Japan, so he had helped babysitting her sometimes,though unfortunately the nephew is the heir to the dojo because he’s the oldest of Koutarou’s father’s grandsons.

He thought that bringing them to a restaurant that has some a little more private sections for people. It’s traditionally Japanese, a teppanyaki place simply called "Teppan Yaki", where there both are tables where show-off chefs can fry your food, and more private areas where you can fry your own food. Koutarou booked a table, requesting on off in a corner. He has showed Kayoko there, and found the table which has a frying pan in the middle and tools to the side, and they only have to wait for Togusa to show up and Koutarou is very, very nervous about this whole thing. ]

Togusa has known Koutarou for nearly a decade now. He's been right there at every step while his own family seemingly turned on him. But even trying to see through Koutarou's attempts to minimize the situation, it's always been hard to tell how much of Koutarou's distress is his sisters' faults versus his father's. In Togusa's eyes, they are still complicit, in their silence, if they wouldn't stick up for Koutarou. But, why, then, is Kayoko making the effort to come see Koutarou?

Togusa is, as usual, precisely on time. He's just about never early, was doing something right up until the moment he came in. In this case, it was getting his head straight. Focus on what Kouarou wants. Koutarou wants to just get through this visit without incident. Getting a better answer about what she thinks of Koutarou would be very satisfying to Togusa, but would upset the precarious balance that Koutarou feels he has with his family. Togusa won't go on the offensive, but he also won't sit silently by if she is insistent on adding to Koutarou's misery.

Togusa arrives, dressed in that same suit he brushed off for his first date with Gentiana. He has a warm smile for Koutarou, an attempt to set his friend at ease, before he is on his best behavior. Instantly into Japanese, with a slight bow. "Koutarou, good to see you. Hitori Togusa, good to meet you, miss."

Koutarou draws a short breath that was an attempt at a deep breath. “You too.” He’s very nervous about this and he’s almost regretting choosing to schedule this meeting at a restaurant. It was still a good decision if he wanted to make sure nobody caused a scene, particularly his sister was concerned with image, both hers and her family. Which was why Koutarou was wearing clothes free of any paint stains, which was very rare of him. But she had inherited that personality trait from their father, and she had become even more conscious about it since Koutarou left, as far as he knew. Because as the first of their father’s daughters to have a son, a boy now eleven years old, she was technically inheriting the dojo. Not really, but sort of. But he’s feeling sick with nervosity, and honestly he most of all just want to go home and hide for a couple hours.

Kayoko looks at Togusa critically, but eventually she inclines her head in a greeting. “Hisakawa Kayoko. It’s a pleasure.” In Koutarou’s ears, she sounds a little doubtful, but he doesn’t call her out on it.

The introduction was intentional, because Togusa could not for the life of him remember her married name. Koutarou's appearance is jarring, because it doesn't quite look genuinely like him. But Togusa bets that he looks a little out of place, right now, too. It's a physical reminder of what is happening here, the way Koutarou bends himself around his family, to try to keep them happy. Well. No harm in it for one week, so long as nothing permanent occurs, right?

Togusa keeps the look on his face pleasant, and gestures to the table. "Shall we sit? I haven't been here in forever." Koutarou's choice of tactics here was good, and Togusa can see through what he's up to. The nice restaurant adds a little bit of that public 'on stage' feeling to their meeting. Keep it public, keep them all nice and polite.

"How are you liking your trip so far?" Start out with a somewhat innocent question.

There are a lot of married names, with three sisters. They all have different ones now and Koutarou doesn’t mention them that often. He loves them all, but it does bring a lot of stress, particularly meeting them like this.

“Very well. You have been here before, then? Both of you?” She casts a glance toward Koutarou, but it’s clear that she is, currently, at least, more interested in figuring out the stranger. (If he’s worthy of associating with the family name, maybe. That’s happened in the past.) She sits down, Koutarou sits beside her though he had, since he reserved the table, wondered if he should sit beside Togusa instead. But this was probably for the better.

“It is nice enough. My children seem to enjoy it.”

Togusa doesn't seem to mind, he doesn't need the buffer from Kayako's attention. And perhaps this way he can act as a good distraction to keep the obviously appraising eye turned in his direction. "Years ago, with the woman I was dating at the time," Togusa clarifies. A swift glance to Koutarou. Hey, he's getting better, there wasn't even a note of regret in that sentence! He didn't say Misaki's name, but still! Progress!

"How long are you here for? There's a lot to see in the city if you've got the time for it." Togusa idly reaches for the food menu. Sticking to water and keeping his wits sharp for this, even if he can keep it from turning into a confrontation, it won't help.

Koutarou is glad that Togusa is making progress, and a small smile passes over his face to show that he thinks it’s good. But it’s a brief smile, and he hides that it disappears by taking a sip of water, after the waiter came to give them water and menus, to they could decide what they wanted, while the other two was talking. He already took a peek at the menu when he went here earlier to reserve a table, so he doesn’t need to look at it now, but his sister takes one for herself.

”Is that so?” She’s probably thinking something that’s not correct. ”A few more days. I’m sure we’ll get to see some things we don’t get to see usually.”

[semi-open]

For Togusa

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject