( OPEN ) it's the time for ugly sweaters

[maskreant]

WHO: Akira Kurusu, local nasty crimeboy and people
WHERE: places in Recolle
WHEN: throughout this god forsaken month of December
WHAT: December happenings (includes event log stuff, Catmosphere Cat Santa, and... stuff) Thank god i wrote up a comment. Reply to the plotting comment if you would like Akira to send your character a Christmas card, too!!
WARNINGS: Akira existing.

santa is coming to town

[ The cat cafe staff have spent relentless hours deliberating over the limited edition Christmas menu all for naught, but they changed their process for the whole month. All hail aromatherapy! You'll be hit with the refreshing smell of fresh pine, peppermint, cookies if you lurk any deeper. Everyone's favorite carols are also playing... mixed in with carols sang by cats. You may curse the owner for this. They also have a cat music video for these carols on some of the flat screen TVs that would usually show menu items.

So Akira is at work dressed up as... Santa. Without the beard at least, but his outfit is rather extravagant for the occasion. Of course there's that small touch of cat ears attached to the hat. It wouldn't be Catmosphere Cafe without it! He's seated on a grand throne, decorated with snowflakes, ribbons, and presents around it. The cats aren't tearing it apart, either. Amazing. ]

Have you been naughty or nice?

spice adventures

[ Usually, he would ask someone he knows to join him, but... He feels a bit off as of late. It means that he'll be dragging some poor soul (or even call up random people) to join him on his quest. With taste being gone, this is one way to entertain himself when he's hungry.

If you even look at a restaurant momentarily with a spicy challenge, Akira is there with a flyer for it. ]

Want to give it a try together? It'll warm us right up.

[ If you need a reference as to how well your character handles spice, please refer to this chart. Akira is three chili peppers hoping to level up... This will help with anyone's courage stat, too. ]

christmas event surprise

[ Akira definitely has been a victim of garlands, mistletoe bats, and slipping on ice like an idiot. Go ahead and and pick your choice! He's running away as fast as he can from two out of those three and, like his predecessor, will pretend to be dead if he slips on ice.

Also, for those that are around when he opens his present from the Retrospec Christmas tree, you'll notice he has been staring inside the box he opened...

For a long time. He remember reading the description as "a stone worth 100k yen" on his ticket, but... Uhm. ]

wildcard!

[ HIT ME. Akira's cat won't be joining him later in December due to the cold, but he's around the university and sometimes the most desolate of areas. Anyone may even catch him or a dragon in the forest. ]

Comments

[maskreant]

[ Hey. Hey. Hey, You're way too close! Akira is presses further against the throne, but there's no escape. ]

What lies have you told him—[ Checks the cat. ] Her... Now?!

[nachetanya]

Oh, I told her nothing and nothing but the truth! Don't worry!

[ WINK WONK ]

[maskreant]

Some of the ugliest clothes cost over a fortune, so I wouldn't be surprised?

[ But... The way he describes it makes him squint. Yoshitsune is done carving the top, but notices Miles dropping the snow. Don't worry. The samurai will pick up that same pile of snow and put it back in his hands. Perfect. ]

You must have been really flashy.

[maskreant]

[ Hmm. This is such a gracious opportunity to put Eren under his thumb, make him do whatever he wants, or even leave a favor lingering over his head for half a year before actually using it. It's a type of torture he's fond of. He forgets about the vomit despite the acidic odor tickling his nose, looking contemplative with his gaze on the trinket forced upon him. If anything, the remnants of a meal... warms his shoes, I guess.

It's fine. He knows Eren didn't mind anything for it. He does, however, take out a handkerchief from one of his pockets and wipes the glasses down before offering it to Eren. ]

Later. The snow will soak it all up, so let's get you home first.

[ Hooking their arms together, he forces him to move. Gently. He shouldn't jostle someone that just threw up, after all. ]

[maskreant]

[ Bows can be for men, Elliot. You don't know what boy cats like? Akira chuckles nervously as he rubs his neck. Oh, boy. It's true they're both Arthurian names, but they have to be so similar.

So awfully similar. It got him wondering— ]

Maybe Morrigan is actually Morgana. They're both black and white with blue eyes.

[ SEND HELP. ]

[maskreant]

If they don't, I will. Don't worry.

[ It's okay. He makes whatever Leon is doing into an official high five before the slumps against his seat. His stomach... Does not feel well. He can feel the walls burn, but he only laughs. Even if they take taste away, at least spice is still around. As he says, he plans to take responsibility and buy them medication if needed. His poor wallet is dying this December, but he feels it has been worth it.

Stretching his arms up to get the server's attention, he notices something about that expression— ]

You don't do well in the spotlight, huh?

[ They have to write down their names and take a photo, but do answer him. ]

[maskreant]

No, I'm leaving the best for last.

[ Stop calling him out on stuff? He never asked for this...! Anyway, she asks a good question. ]

You don't think dressing up as ghosts of her past flirts would be too much, right?

[fiddlestick]

Really?

[He takes a moment to think about it. It seems like...a long shot, but at the same time...]

Huh, he could be? I mean, they said they grab souls, but they never specified it was only human souls. And Morrigan is really smart for a cat..!

I'm not sure how you could check though.

[complementing]

A prisoner, huh.

[Who exactly is imprisoned? Her automatic answer is to say Minato is. Her expectations of how he should act, her hopes to become close again-- surely that's imprisonment. She didn't mean to. She only recently realized she was pushing those desires onto him in the first place. But intentions mean little when all he wants is space. She has to stop thinking of him as the little brother who will go along with everything she says, because he clearly wants to break away from that.

And yet here she is, still wishing he was that boy again, or at least wishing he would open up to her more, because it means a shared connection. Shared history. Something nobody else (not his roommate, not Lalli, not Angela) has with him. Their childhood, so precious to her, the foundation of the person she is today. She didn't want to let it go.

She probably has to, for his sake.

So maybe Akira is right, and she's been the prisoner all along. Too wrapped up in preserving their shared memories and recovering their lost fourteen years that she fails to see where he's going now.]

If I am, then...should I start from scratch? Give me and him a new beginning?

[usurpers]

[ he makes quite the objecting noise, a little reluctant to move. how much of that got inside them? if any got inside them, he’s sure there’d be a different reaction if it did. if they were porous sneakers, he’d want to die. boots were better, but what would keep those from staining or something?

one look at the pair offered back to him has eren averting his gaze in a snap, holding his free hand up and finally getting him to step with some urgency: ]

I don’t want it.

[ he probably won’t vomit again so soon, but his stomach agrees with another twist that makes him feel a brief cold sweat. he can’t look at those without seeing a very detailed human fruit snack. ]

[ascatic]

I don't mind it. I have to take care of a store and my employees, but at least it's on my terms.

[ and he should feel a little more frustrated at the fact he can't be as controlled and calm in front of others, especially Akira? a good black cat? he should be setting the proper feline example and lick his wounds later when no one's watching, but the spice has truly destroyed him. ]

... I hope you don't think poorly of me. Especially when you seem as cool as a cucumber.

[ with a weak smile, he takes one more sip of water before brushing his hair out of his face. ]

[maskreant]

[ Hmm. He strokes his chin as they find themselves a bus stop. Might as well hop on so they can head home and hide Elliot's sin. ]

... He would be a user on Retrospec's directory even if he didn't have a phone, right? That's the easiest way.

[ Some people just don't have phones?! Cats obviously don't. ]

[fiddlestick]

[Yes please help him bury it. He'll never tell anyone about your 100k yen salt rock in return]

If he's considered an app user, anyway. Not everyone that's been reincarnated or whatever is.

[Buuut he'll help a bro out and dig out his phone to check. You watch out for a bus ]

[maskreant]

[ Let him assess the situation— ]

I'm sorry, miss. I think I must arrest you.

[maskreant]

[ He sees that they're both prisoners, but he isn't talking to Minato right now. It isn't about him, exactly, but about Minako. While he doesn't know anything about their past, he can see how much it's tearing her apart right now—it's different, these disillusioned expectations and misplaced hope. He doesn't think there's anything wrong with hoping to re-establish a connection, to reconnect...

But it's hurting her. Sliding his hands into his pockets, he scuffs the ground with the tip of his shoe before sighing. ]

That's for you to decide, Minako. Do you want to keep going at this? Do you want to start over? Whatever path you choose, don't regret it.

[ He just doesn't want to see her despair, but that's her life. ]

[maskreant]

[ Stop thinking about the inside of his shoes. It's considerate, but weird. Akira has better priorities. His shoes are cheap, but he has more pairs at home... Good thing these aren't his good boots. If Eren ever decides to buy him a pair, he won't reject it. ]

All right.

[ He slides his handkerchief back and puts the specs into his bag for now. There are some guesses... One being this is a reaction to the item itself, but he doesn't press. That wince gets more back rubs as they head on out, though. ]

By the way, I'm expecting Versace shoes.

[maskreant]

[ He listens intently since Leon is quite older than him. While he has been casual all this time, Akira respects authority a little more in Recolle... Just hasn't ran into trouble with them yet despite how he knows what his other self felt about adults in general. People with power tend to abuse it. They stomp on everyone beneath them to stay on the top.

Leon seems kind, so such emotions don't stir. Akira keeps a bright expression even though his stomach feels uneasy with some forewarning sloshes. Rubbing his neck, he chuckles nervously as the pain blooms each breath. ]

... I'm dying, actually. [ He wouldn't call himself cool right now. ] There's also no reason for me to think poorly of you. You did go along with with my dumb adventure.

[ Doesn't that make Leon a fool? Akira doesn't mind that, apparently. ]

[ascatic]

[ thank god shitty human adults aren't the same as shitty cat adults. :^) ]

Couldn't let you do it alone. [ and he laughs, though it hurts him to do so. ] The dying part, too.

[ though his smile, as wracked with pain as it might seem, is firm as he shakes his head and reaches out with a somewhat clean hand to pat Akira on the shoulder. ]

Not dumb. Unforgettable? Yes. Impulsive? Yes. But not dumb.

[ being a fool is probably the least offensive thing to be called, especially by a true Fool. ]

[nachetanya]

On what charges?

[ She taps her foot, giving hi ma skeptical look as she draws back entirely!! ]

[usurpers]

[ eren looks up to give him a sour look, but it’s uncertain whether or not that’s from the taste in his mouth or the hunch that he’s being taken for a sugar daddy

he was just worried about your shoe vomit ]

Don’t push it. [ unlock sugar daddy at a level four friendship ] How much do yours cost?

[maskreant]

Yeah. I've checked and he isn't on there, but maybe in the future.

[ Akira thinks about it a bit more before the bus stops for them. With a pat on Elliot's shoulder, he notions they should board. It's packed, but they can stand. No big deal. ]

Some people come back, too.

[ It seems to be a once in a while occurrence... Not common, but not a miracle, either. ]

[fiddlestick]

Oh...[He pockets his phone and pulls out his bus pass, boarding the bus, he'll tap the card machine and head to a spot to stand in. He's just a bit too short to reach the ceiling holds, so he'll just lean against a wall] New users usually join around the beginning of the month, right? We can check then.

[Ah...that bit. People told him that when his brother left the app]

I heard that... [But it's curious that Akira brought it up] Is there someone you're hoping will come back?

[maskreant]

[ At first, he thought Leon would say that he could die alone, so he's caught off guard for a moment. With a perplexed expression, he's... blown away by how kind his new acquaintance is. Akira knows in his heart that he has caused his man a lot of suffering and possible bowel issues for the rest of his life, so why?

They're both fools. ]

You've truly proven than I thought, Mr. Aksera.

[ Tough as nails with a heart of gold— ]

Shall I escort you back?

[maskreant]

[ If Akira wanted a sugar daddy, he has other prospects, Eren. Don't make too many assumptions. It's obvious that he isn't hopeful for some brand shoes... Brand isn't even his MO, either.

Despite the smell, he chuckles behind a hand. ]

I think these were twenty? Not much.

[ He spares him. ]

[maskreant]

Indecency.

[ He takes a stand. Santa will have to take this into his own hands... Even if it's occupied by a cat. ]