recolle | [OPEN] I’d feel like I’m not alone for the first time

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persona 4: souji seta

[OPEN] I’d feel like I’m not alone for the first time

WHO: Tatsuma Hiyuu and you!
WHERE: All over Recollé
WHEN: All month prior to Christmas Eve
WHAT: Catch all for the month! Spending time with friends and grandparents, doing charity chores, getting caught by mistletoe bats and - maybe even meeting someone new!
WARNINGS: None for now

[12/5 - Out and about]

[Tatsuma’s on a mission today.

With a ticket in hand, he approaches the tree, looking over the various packages until he locates his own. It doesn’t take long to tear it open, revealing...

A toy? He’s clearly pretty puzzled as he takes it out, examining it from all sides. The poor thing has definitely gone through something, that’s for sure; not only is it covered in dust and grime, but there’s evidence of dents that have been since buffed out, even if there’s still creases and warping in the material that couldn’t be fully repaired. ]

It really is...

[...Well, about what it had been described as. It definitely looks like something he’d get, that’s for sure. But he hasn’t seen it in any of his memories up until now, so...

Just where did this come from?]

[Mistletoe Bats]

[He’d spotted them as they flapped about - they’re hard to miss, honestly. But in his curiosity, he actually pauses to allow them to come close, peering up at then instead of taking the opportunity to flee.

It’s because of this that he ends up with a little mistletoe bat companion, flapping right over his head even as he continues to walk. It’s... not going to leave him alone, is it?

Currently, he’s debating making a fine use of his powers to sprint away. But maybe someone else can save him from this sad fate first?]

[Family and Friends]

[With the weather as cold as it is, anyone who comes by to visit Tatsuma may well find themselves invited inside by his grandmother. It’s so cold out these days, they’d best come inside and get warm - oh, and there’s apple cider and fresh pie, so help yourselves!

Tatsuma’s cheerful enough, his expression only dropping to one of annoyance when his grandmother parts with a teasing “Hii-chan,” because of course she can’t let her grandson have his friends over without poking fun at him.]

Ta-tsu-ma. Not Hii-chan. [Hmph!]

[That said... Starting on the 18th onward, any visitors may notice that his gaze lingers for a bit on his grandmother as she excuses herself from the room for the moment. There’s a slight, very slight frown before he turns back to the guest.

Whatever it is... Maybe it’s just his imagination.]

[Charity Chores]

>[A. Souji]

[It’s inevitable that the pair would sign up to work on chores together. The list itself seemed mostly harmless in Tatsuma’s opinion (if perhaps not in the eyes of whichever poor soul they settled on for a caroling victim). Although, of the list, the most suspect option was most definitely...]

Red and Green Chili Pepper Eating Challenge...?

[It’s been a sad discovery, finding that he could no longer taste his most favorite foods. However, little does he know, the lack of taste is not going to save him from the fate that awaits them.

There’s already a line ahead of them. They don’t have long before they’re called up, and Tatsuma watches the other competitors blithely. It couldn’t be that spicy... right?]

>[B. Jack]

[Tatsuma’s never met Jack before, but he’s sure that their charity work will go off without a hitch. Not so much because he expects it to be easy, but more because - it’s charity work. Everyone who’s signed up for such a thing must want to help, and all of the charity work assigned must be things that a general crowd could accomplish, right?

But then they get their assignments and he finds himself staring at that very first line, the echoes of his grandmother’s scolding in his head. Uh...]

Are you... good at baking?

[Please, please, please be better than him.]

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Mugs.

[Simple, but still good for customizing.]

They need to go in for the final glazing.

[They've already gone through a bisque firing, so with this, they'll be complete-!]

Wanna see?

[He nods along.]

Sure, why not? Let me see a pro's work in action! And take a picture... it'll be a real mug shot!

[Tatsuma nods, taking along his plate of pie and fork. He still can't really taste it, but he's not about to break the illusion of enjoying his grandmother's food over something as small as simple as his sense of taste up and vanishing. Besides, it's not the first, nor will it be the last time baked goods end up in the studio.

It's significantly colder once they leave the house proper to enter the more open ceramics studio, with garage-style doors open to the elements and a kiln in open view. His grandfather hunches over the thing, carefully setting pots inside. When he rises with empty hands, he appears ready to greet his grandson, only to pause in surprise at the new face.

Oh? He's got a friend over today?]

Mm. This is Kurt.

Edited 2017-12-12 00:53 (UTC)

[Kurt follows his lead and brings his own plate with him as well!

As they enter the studio, Kurt briefly hugs himself for warmth while adjusting to the cold and then looks towards the kiln with an impressed look. He gives a whistle, and then he smiles and waves at the grandpa.]

Yo! I'm a pal of your grandson here. Don't mind me... I'm just here to watch the magic happen!

[His grandfather chuckles. Well, he wouldn't call it magic, but if Kurt thinks it's interesting enough...

There's a couple more pots that are soon set in the kiln, each splashed with different glazes that drip artfully down the sides before he closes it up and sets the temperature. Those ones are still unfinished of course, but Kurt is welcome to take a look at some of the other pieces. There are, for example, some pieces that are still drying, painted red in colored clay slip that will turn black once fired.]

These are mine.

[Tatsuma helpfully points at a couple of mugs in particular, etched with simple animal drawings of cat faces and the like.]

[Kurt takes a curious glance as the grandfather loads up the kiln, and then he looks through the finished pieces, 'ooh'-ing and 'aah'-ing at them.

Then as Tatsuma points his out, Kurt looks at them with a smirk.]

Nice! They're so you.

Grandpa's are...

[He peers through the metal racks, finally settling in front of a set of unfinished pieces, bone dry with white slip painted on. They, too are predominantly pots, but the shapes are far more unique to each, the form of each pot artfully wavering and bending in ways both functional and yet so obviously handcrafted. If Kurt is at all familiar with the concept of wabi sabi, he may recognize the influence of the aesthetic on grandfather Katou's works.]

Ooh! [Kurt is not actually familiar with that concept. A beginner's pottery class only covers so much! Probably. But they still look impressive.]

Neat stuff. They look super artsy! [That's close enough?]

[Close enough indeed.]

He says it's based on traditional tea ceremony bowls... But he also said he cheated and tried something new for these.

[His grandfather gives a laugh as he overhears. Well, he can't just let the young people get ahead of him, now can he?]

[He laughs.]

Doesn't sound like cheating to me! Your grandpa's got some rad new ideas, I'd say!

Not what you'd find in Japan.

[Or at least, that's what he's been told. None of his family lives there any more.

His grandfather dusts off his hands, planting them on his hips as he looks over to the boys. They're free to spend however long they like in the studio, but he's going to freeze if he stays out here any longer, so he'll be going back inside. Tatsuma looks over to Kurt, head tilted curiously. Want to look around more, or should they head back for more sweets?]

[Kurt waves to the grandpa as he sets off and issues a quick thanks for showing him around! Then he smiles at Tatsuma.]

Hmmm... Maybe we should go back too. You never know, the taste of snacks might have come back in the last ten minutes!

[Grandpa Katou pauses at the door curiously. Taste...?

But it doesn't seem to bother him for long, because he soon returns to the house. Tatsuma, on the other hand, suddenly looks down.]

...I just want to taste strawberries again.

[Sigh. But he'll go ahead and head inside once more, the interior much like an oven in contrast with the chill of the outdoors. Grandpa Katou's already settling down to partake in some desserts himself, and Tatsuma finishes off his slice of pie before returning to his seat.

Did even more desserts appear on the table since they left? It's more likely than you'd think!

Of course, once they're back, it also leaves them open to a barrage of kindly questioning once more. So, Kurt's a friend of Tatsuma's from... high school, was it?]

[Whoops, sorry Grandpa...

Back to the kitchen they go! Time to smell some more desserts and hope it doesn't feel torturous.

At Grandma's question, he laughs nervously.]

Actually, we just bumped into each other a few months ago. And... the rest is history!

[Oh? Though neither grandparents seem to question it much. Grandma actually just beams, chattering about how nice it is - he's made so many friends since he moved here, it really is such a nice city, the people are so friendly--]

Yeah. [Man, everything smells so great. Why can't he taste any of it. He pokes at another slice of pie, wondering if it's even worth it to try.] Kurt's been really nice.

[Kurt nods along, agreeing with Tatsuma's friendliness. He might not really know the dude that well, but he definitely seems like a decent person. And he might as well flatter him for his grandparents! He takes some nice sniffs of his slice of pie before he continues]

I try! [He says with a smile.] But hey, you have a really nice grandson here too. He's super nice and thoughtful! I guess he just attracts friends! [The bunny probably helps.]

[The bunny is good for that. And apparently Kurt's hit on the right words, because grandmother Katou beams when she hears that. Hii-chan's always been a shy boy, she says even as she moves to ruffle his hair, and once again the smile vanishes in favor of a pout.]

Not Hii-chan.

[--Is the part worth arguing here, apparently. But he soon shoots Kurt an amused grin again.]

Besides, I haven't had that problem since I moved here.

[...Orrr more accurately gotten the app, but. Look. He had a couple friends even before Retrospec, it just happened to work out even better later on.]

[Bunnies are good for everything. Btw nothing bad is ever allowed to happen to the bunny-

Kurt just looks at Tatsuma with an amused chuckle in response.]

It's okay, Hii-chan. What can I say? Recolle's just... a magical place! You never know what'll happen next! [The poor grandparents will never know how literal he actually is being.]

[The bun will be fine, if nothing else.]

It might be tough if we lost another sense, though...

[His grandparents give him another odd look, but mostly brush it off, perhaps assuming it's some sort of inside joke.]

[Endure, bun!!]

Ha! [He laughs, to make it sound more like some weird injoke for the grandparents' sake.] Let's hope! Now that would just be... nonsense!

[There's a pause before Tatsuma gives a small snerk into his hand as the pun occurs to him.]

Well, as long as I can keep doing my art.

[Oh, yes... That was that time over the summer where he struggled with paintings, his grandmother recalls. An art block, wasn't it?]

Mm... something like that.

[It's so hard to do much with color when you don't have blue or green.]

[Yes, pun successful! Kurt smirks proudly.]

Right. Now you're back on track! Who knows what kind of rad new art this guy's going to come up with next? [He says, offering Tatsuma a friendly elbow. He doesn't think he's ever even seen his work before, but he may as well sell him up!]

They had a bunch of blue on sale. [Just. Blue. All of it.] You can't normally get oils that cheap.

[Oh yes, grandmother remembers that. They've got enough oils, glaze, and slip to last them a lifetime, she recalls with a laugh.]

Sweet! [He claps his hands together with a smirk.] So that's how you really... blue away the competition!

...There wasn't really competition, though.

[But, y'know.]

Painting was the hardest. [Between the skies and the ocean, he was really out of luck there...]

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digthefuzz - 2018-01-01 00:14 (UTC) - Expand

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