( closed ) tyger tyger burning bright

[catsudon]

WHO: yuri & gokotai
WHERE: the zoo
WHEN: sunday 4/2
WHAT: a kid and a teen visit the zoo. it's really fun!!!
WARNINGS: i... cannot possibly think of one rn

( Yuri tips his head back, examining the clouds scattered across the sky as he waits at the bust stop for Gokotai to show. It's a direct line to the zoo; they could have met in front of the zoo proper, but that got busy earlier in the day, and Yuri wanted to deal with looking at the map on his phone and seeing if there were any other exhibits they cared to hit up before or after the tigers.

As far as zoos went, Recolle's at least did a decent job with proper exhibit sizes and animal health, working with breeding programs and rehabilitation where it was possible. Crafting mentally stimulating lives for its residents when release wasn't going to be possible. He rocks back on his heels, hands on the straps of his backpack keeping it in place even while his fingers tap against his chest. He's not the most laid-back when he's waiting. )

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[5kotai]

[ Don't worry Yuri, you won't have to wait too much longer! Gokotai arrives at the bus stop, cheerful and happy but also a little nervous. He's still twelve and his aunt worries about her tiny nephew going on his own... especially after the February's TDM elevator incident in the pursuit of discount mall chocolates.

..Okay she was concerned about this Plisetsky fellow up until Koukichi showed her his Retrospec profile. She then deemed him 95% harmless and told Koukichi to keep his phone on him for emergencies. ]

Yuri! Sorry if I made you wait too long.

[ Koukichi has some photos of himself uploaded to Retrospec (friends and family are to thank for that), but just in case to prove he's the kid who asked for a zoo trip, a certain plush tiger is sticking out of his bag like a passenger. He took off the ribbon with the Yuri's Angels tag, it's 10% less embarrassing. ]

So... this bus will take us right to the zoo? That's convenient!

[ How do small talk... at least they're both young and share at least one interest. He also pretty much bounces over to Yuri. Kou looked up the zoo a tiny bit, but not so much that the surprise is taken out of going for the first time. So, excitement? Excitement! ]

[catsudon]

( AND THAT WAS THE MOMENT HE REALISED HE WAS GENUINELY HANGING OUT WITH A TWELVE YEAR OLD though this doesn't actually bother him much, it's still kind of hilarious. Then again, he'd been a highly independent and driven twelve year old.

Clearly that's normal.

He waves a hand, dismissing any question about waiting. He'd have been irritated if he'd actually had to wait, or Gokotai was a jackass, but he's not been so far. He's a tiger enthusiast. Proven by the familiar image of the tiger plus sticking out of his backpack.

Yep.

Yuri is officially hanging out with a twelve year old. )

Uh, yeah, it'll take us right by there. Koukichi, right?

( Just to be sure.. he's so. Bouncy. Which reminds Yuri of himself when excited and relaxed. How often is he like that anymore? Not often enough, probably. It makes him miss his grandfather strongly at the moment. )

We've got either three or fifteen minutes 'til the bus shows. When did you last head out to the zoo?

( and with who







your mom??? )

[5kotai]

[ Koukichi's family situation makes him for a surprisingly independent twelve-year-old, so it's fine!

Also, please appreciate that someone is short and you can spare your neck the strain of having to look up. Koukichi also can do that a little less, he appreciates it. Five years what five years. ]

Yup! And your name is Yuri. It's nice to meet you in person.

[ He even bows a little out of habit. Usually Koukichi is a bit more timid, but he's trying to ride out the excitement than... sit on it. Also it helps when the people of Recolle are suffering from like secrets being exposed and crossdressing mayhem. Currently, he's very positive and wants to forget April Fools creepypasta. ]

Okay, that wait is fine. Um, I went a year or two ago, and back in Japan with my parents. I live here with relatives! But I never told them I wanted to go to the zoo that much, so.

[ It might have been hinted at since his mom was sending the kid photos from Tama which wee then forwarded to Yuri, but she could have been on a trip, as far as Yuri knew. Not... leaving her kid with her big sister in Strangeandstrangertown, USA. ]

[catsudon]

( she could just be traveling... assuming everyone's parents offloaded them was too far, even for Yuri. not that it doesn't end up true off and on, but he's run into fewer examples of it here in the city than he expected. )

When did you end up in the States?

( he keeps running into foreign born individuals... mostly from Japan. still reassuring, though as the buss arrives, he perks up and steps forward to wait closer to the curb. )

[5kotai]

[ Recolle: the drop-off site of many a foreign child into the quirky modern and wealthy city, or perhaps a very peculiar melting pot is a way to describe it. Perhaps more peculiar than any of the folks here realize... ]

Half a year ago... I'm good with English because my dad works with international clients, so he started teaching me when I was little.

[ Like a little game of follow the leader, and because Koukichi is alert like a tiny cat, he moves a bit to the curb to when Yuri does. He pulls out a bag with change for the fare, counting it just in case. ]

"Yuri" is also a Russian name, right? Is your family from there?

[catsudon]

( he blinks, impressed. not even in spite of himself: just impressed. )

Your English is very good.

( he says, knowing he can keep his own accent free, but deciding in that moment to slip in some accent closer to the one his grandfather uses when tired or irritated. it probably ends up sounding assholeish even if he means it as a "i know what that's like, you're doing good, kid." )

Huh? "Also?" I mean, yeah, I was actually born in Russia, but my Mom was a citizen here and my Grandfather's been in the states for decades.

( he has his own electronic pass out, waiting until people offload (there aren't many who do) before hopping on and tapping his pass on the terminal. he waits for his younger... ??? friend??? his mind balks at that, so he goes with his Younger Responsibility Sort Of. anyway, he waits for him to deposit his exact fare before heading for seats near the back of the bus. he even asks: )

Do you like window seats?

[5kotai]

[ Yuri is trying...! But hey, surely that message of encouragement will go through somehow. He was a lot more timid as a kid, but in a twist of irony, he doesn't have the looming awkwardness that native Japanese folks feel trying to speak it... maybe because he's trying to overcome to overcome shyness already. ]

Yuri can mean "lily" for girls.
...But for boys it can mean "courage" with the right spelling!

[ A guy like Yuri probably wouldn't want to hear the first meaning, so a quick save was made. He was trying to remember the names of classmates, or ones written on boards back in school.

He wants to be nice! Somehow he feels like he ended putting an unexpected amount of responsibility on the teenager, even if they're doing fine, board the bus and paying the fare without a hitch. One step down. ]

Yes! But if you like them, you can sit at the window since you're first. We have to take the bus again to get back, don't we?

[catsudon]

( surprisingly, he doesn't much mind the idea of "lily." it's a flower, but flowers can be badass, and besides: tigerlilies. it's also not what his name means, and so he nods, finding it an interesting bit of trivia. )

What else does it mean? I mean... with other... characters, right? Japanese has a really different writing style than English.

( so does Russian, but most people don't seem to be as aware of that, or more just. not care. he shrugs and moves on with his life, likewise letting himself take the window seat with a small snort. )

Unless we're inspired to walk a few extra miles on foot, yeah, we will.

( not that he hasn't seen all this stretch of the road many times before. he just likes being near the distant form of an outdoors. )

[5kotai]

[ Koukichi gives a small laugh. Public transportation deserves more credit. At least, he feels that way until his cousin gets that motorcycle he's always wanted... Actually, maybe a bit longer. ]

If my feet are going to ache, I want it to be from walking around everywhere looking for where they hid all the horses.

[ Koukichi has to think for a bit. The woderful world of kanji... He does that when they're seat down though and on the way. It makes for something to talk about. Also yeah fair, tiger lilies are a fierce kind of flower. ]

Hm, "-ri" is there to make it a name against other words, but "yu" can mean a lot of things. Or maybe way too many Japanese words are pronounced with "yu"! "Friend", "evening", "abundant", "permanence"...

[ All good things! ]

My mom wanted to use the character for tiger in my name because her nephew has dragon in his and our moms are silly that way. But then we might be fated to fight eachother, so she used a... homophone, which means "happiness".

[catsudon]

( He snorts, shaking his head. )

They hid them in plain sight. Turned everything into birds. So much for evolutionary theory, huh?

( When it has been so neatly done away with. It makes the reality of their lives more malleable. He's not comfortable with that; his mind instinctively shies away.

So the topic of meaning behind names keeps his attention, even if he's fairly sure in Russian his name ends up being a reference to what ultimately means farmer. Farming talent, that he'll take. Nothing less. )

Dragons and tigers are fated to fight each other?

( Is what he asks after nodding; he understands the purpose in having a name be like, but not quite, one thing or another. )

i believe this called a backtag, ah...

[5kotai]

[ he's glad he could make Yuri laugh, a snort counts! ]

I think they went backward a little. Aren't birds the closest to dinosaurs after reptiles?

[ A world that changes without much of a "fuss" byt the public... A life that can change in an instant and with lasting effects. Koukichi is perplexed and concerned too. Who is the cause of these things? Why is that not everyone notices...

Question that bug a curious kid, but yes, distraction with names and legends, that's good too. ]

They're opposites in personality! They're... yin and yang? Dragons are patient and wise, tigers are brave and passionate.

Ryusei and I get along anyway, even if we're different.

[ As well as the opposites of the personalities associated. Then again, Mrs. Ashikaga might have just wated a nice kid, not one who tear into bullies. ]