september catchall | open

[flowrite]

WHO: Fai + Everyone
WHERE: Carmen Sandiego's building in Enprise, anywhere else in the city
WHEN: All month
WHAT: Catchall for therapy threads with Fai, general prompts, and anything else we may have planned!
WARNINGS: Probable warning for thought bubbles featuring self-loathing, harmful thoughts, possible mention of substance abuse and self-destructive behavior. Please warn in headers if anything comes up in an individual thread, will update top warning as necessary.

General note: For most therapy appointments, Fai would have texted beforehand to offer to postpone due to the thought bubbles/possible privacy issues. If you'd like to thread that out please let me know!



[A1 - therapy | home]

[For a few of his friends, or in some cases simply people who hadn't seemed to mind the idea, a therapy meeting was set up in Fai's own apartment. This is largely for Fai's convenience because he's still hurting from monster fighting last month; he's functional, but multiple broken ribs mean that everything's just that much more painful, and if he can get away with meeting at home so much the better. His apartment is small but cozy, with bookshelves everywhere stuffed with paperback romance novels and music paraphernalia, and it always seems to smell like he's been baking. Probably because he has. The glass coffee table is covered with miscellaneous baked treats when the appointment time arrives.]


[A2 - therapy | Enprise]

[For everyone else who'd wanted a more neutral meeting place, Carmen Sandiego had graciously offered Fai the use of an office in her building in Enprise. The office is on the first floor, small but comfortable, with a handful of comfy chairs and a table that... is also covered in baked treats. Fai likes to bake, okay? There are also a few bottles of water handy, and Fai is nursing a cup of coffee. For the moment he's settled into one of the comfy chairs with an ice pack tucked against his side, flipping through a paperback book until his next appointment arrives.]


[B - shopping | around town]

[It's been an overall bad month for Fai so far. At some point he decides to engage in a little retail therapy, and what better way to feel better than to wear a cute sundress while engaging in said retail therapy? And HAHAHA it's not like Fai's ever going to go to actual therapy himself anyway.

So he's puttering around one of the shopping districts in the city in this adorable dress, because the bruising on his torso has finally faded enough that only very pale patches of yellow are still visible through the straps on the back. He's wearing cute sandals, his blond hair is long enough now to twist into a real ponytail!!, and he's wearing his big Audrey Hepburn sunglasses. And he's carrying a big, overpriced, sugary looking iced coffee. He's skinny and pretty enough that he's able to pass pretty easily, unless you already know him. Feel free to run into him (hopefully not literally) however you like!]


((ooc: Individual starters to be added as needed. If I promised you something or if you'd like a starter we haven't discussed yet, please hit me up either via PM on this journal or at hellblazing! ))

Comments

A1

[thesettingsun]

You really don't have to bake for therapy, I'm pretty sure...

[Shuji deposits a bottle of wine on the coffee table alongside the treats when he arrives. The therapy is important, and helpful, he just feels like he's imposing too much on Fai right now.]

[flowrite]

Oh, I know I don't have to--! [Fai flaps a hand dismissively, grinning.] But baking for my friends makes me happy, it's kind of like my own therapy! So don't worry about it at all, really~

[He gestures to the pair of wingback chairs and the sofa, offering any of them up for Shuji to have a seat, and moves to take the bottle of wine from the table.]

Ah, but thank you so much for this! You really didn't have to. I'll put it on ice though, and we can have some later if you like?

A2;

[reticence]

[Faolan has never been to this building, and the exterior of it nearly has him doing a double-take to make certain that he's gotten the right address. He lets himself inside, picking his way across the office towards the door to the office that Fai had given him. Pausing to collect himself -- he doesn't honestly know just what sort of a person Fai is, other than the fact that he's French, that he had worked together on Team Cognac with Laurent, and that he knows Laurent's brother (which could mean anything really, Laurent's brother really has always been too kind and trusting a person) -- Faolan knocks gently on the door before poking his head inside.

The office inside is honestly more homey than he expected it to be. Perhaps that has something to do with the baked goods that he hadn't expected either. Faolan takes a moment to take in the array before glancing to the man folded into the chair behind it.]

I, ehm. [He begins, his voice low and warm, his accent faintly Irish as he hovers in the doorway, clearly still a little uncertain about the fact that he's here in the first place, before trying again.] Fai, is it?

[flowrite]

[Fai's head perks up at the first crack of the door, while Faolan is still taking in the sight of the baked goods in the room. Not surprising, really--for some reason a lot of people seem to be very confused by Fai's love of baking?? He watches with amusement as the man looks around, and smiles broadly at him when he finally looks right at Fai.

...and then a thought bubble immediately betrays him, though he doesn't even notice.

Oh no, he's cute...!]

That's me, yes! And you must be Faolan? Am I pronouncing that right?

[Fai himself has a French accent as expected, faded from years of living in the States but still noticeable.]

B

[scarlet_devil]

[ Remilia had still not noticed her own thought bubbles, mostly because most of whom she's been speaking to weren't on Retrospec and thought it normal. Her intention today is to get a dress to replace the one that was ruined by seawater.

Also no running into Fai here... She spots him right away. ]

Oh! Hello.

[flowrite]

[After the tabloids outed some of his past just before the city exploded into monsters, maybe it's not the best idea to be out in the city dressed like this... but Fai is largely counting on the fact that most of the people who know him are either already in the know and comfortable with him like this, or don't know at all and probably won't recognize him.

Which is why a little expression of surprise flits across his face underneath the sunglasses as he turns. Ah, but Émilie has seen him in drag before--albeit with a wig, that last time--so she already knows. Whether she'd seen the tabloids he doesn't know, but for now he'll just have to operate under the assumption that this is a friendly encounter and hope not to be proven wrong.

Fai grins and lifts his free hand, the one not holding the monstrosity of caffeine and sugar, in a little wave.]

Ah, hello again! We seem to keep bumping into each other shopping, don't we?

B

[wordcarvings]

[ Koutarou was taking a break after a nap after a long work session, looking at poetry books and wood carving, mainly. It's when he comes out of another shop that he spots a familiar face, even hidden by sunglasses as it was, and he heads over to him. ]

Hey.

[flowrite]

[It's a little hard to tell behind the giant sunglasses, but Fai's face always lights up when he spots Koutarou, pretty much no matter where they are or what they're doing. Especially now, however, since they haven't seen each other in person since the month-long monster fiasco finally ended.]

Koutarou!

[Fai doesn't go in for a hug, like usual--instead he snuggles up to Koutarou's side, grinning. It's a little absurd, given Fai's height, but he doesn't care.]

Ah, I'm so glad to see you!

B

[brokenlight]

[Going around town had always seemed like a good idea, and he needed to pick up some supplies, anyway.

He's a bit surprised when he ends up brushing shoulders with Fai, jerking a bit and looking immediately apologetic.]

Oh, I'm sorry!

[flowrite]

[So far Fai's been pretty lucky not to get bumped or jostled too much, and he took some ibuprofen before he set out from his apartment a while ago, so he's feeling almost like normal--which is why when he brushes up against someone and sucks in a sharp breath, most of it's surprise and not actual pain. Not that anyone else would know the actual difference, of course, because broken ribs aren't the kind of injury you can splint or put a cast on.

He turns, eyes wide beneath the big sunglasses, but when there's no flare of pain he smiles at the stranger.]

Ah, it's no problem! I should have been watching where I was going a little better than that. Are you okay?

[He has a faint but noticeable French accent, and while his voice is light and high and effeminate, it's not actually feminine. So yeah, it might be pretty obvious by this point that the pretty, six foot tall, skinny blond is a guy.]

New Foster Brat Incoming.

[chaoticwhimsy]

[Luna frowned at the lady at the front desk, looking at the paper she'd been handed.]

But I always go to the same office. Did they move Mrs. Langden?

[The woman just shrugged like she didn't know and told her to go where the paper said, and the teenager let out a slow, frustrated breath before she rolled her eyes and turned to head further into the Child and Social Services building. Okay where was she...this way.]

[It took her a few minutes to find the new office, and she gave one quick knock before pushing the door open.]

Hey Mrs. L, sorry I'm late they...shuffled me around...

[She trailed off, looking around the room slowly. Definitely not the office of a 60 year old woman...[

[flowrite]

[Fai's been out of the office for almost three weeks now, on medical leave, and damn if he isn't feeling it already. This job has always been pretty fast-paced and losing three weeks feels like he's trying to dig his way out of his own grave. There's a stack of paperwork in the "In" tray on his desk that... well.

It's going to be a long week.

He's not really expecting any visitors at the moment, and especially not any new clients--Luna's paperwork is probably buried somewhere around the middle of the formidable stack on his desk. So when the door opens Fai looks up, expecting it to be a co-worker, and his eyes widen in surprise when it's definitely not.

(His office, by the way, is decked out with just enough personal touches and cutesy stuff to be just shy of unprofessional. His wall calendar is kittens, there's a poster for a symphony orchestra, and there's an adorable amigurumi dragon on his desk. There's also a decision maker, a magnetic sculpture toy, and a bowl of candy, all within reach of the empty chair opposite Fai's at the desk.)

And that name placard definitely says "Lachance," not "Langden."]

Hi there! Can I... help you...?

B! lmk if this is cool!

[lostapprentice]

[Ren isn't the kind of person to ever seek out real therapy for himself, either—the difference is, he's also not going to seek any other kind of therapy. He doesn't have the money for the retail kind, and he knows how dangerous it can get to go for the substance kind, so really the only thing he does to try and deal with the current goings-on is punch things, which usually ends up making him feel worse.

So he's just sort of taking a walk in another failed attempt to clear his head.

There's a cut on his lip and a bruise near his temple, making him stand out even more than his six-foot-three height, even if he's dressed in (hopefully) forgettable clothing and slouching like he's sort of trying to make himself look smaller. His hands are shoved in his pockets, and usually that, his posture, and the dismal expression on his face are enough to keep strangers from bothering him, but. It's not as if there are any real physical barriers keeping any particularly outgoing strangers from snagging him if they so wish.]

[flowrite]

[It really isn't even Fai's initial intention to latch onto a tall, dark and handsome stranger today. Not that he'd ever turn that down, honestly, but it isn't necessarily the goal of this little outing. He's just trying to shop, honest!

But, well. There's some rude asshole having a fight with his girlfriend or something, and unfortunately they decided to have this little tiff right in the middle of a crowded shopping area. And maybe the guy didn't actually mean to slam into Fai like a jerk as he was storming past, but he did. Hard enough that pain flares through Fai's battered and broken torso and he has to bite back a yelp, and in turn Fai falls against someone else.

(Sorry Ren.)]

A2 9/7

[belligerentwarrior]

[This was the address she was given. Freya hesitated a little, down the hallway. It really wasn't such a big deal. She wasn't committing to anything. She was pretty sure this wasn't getting put on her medical records or anything, if this guy was still in school. Were psych things even recorded on records? Whatever. Not like it was a big deal, even if they were.]

[Still, Freya felt a little on edge, and she wasn't sure why. She pushed herself on, knocking on the doorframe.]

Hey. You're Fai, yeah?

[The ice pack doesn't escape her notice. Freya's own injuries were on their way out; a couple of the deep bruises were still healing under her shirt, and there are still a couple of bites visible on her arms courtesy the pale, recently-healed flesh. Mostly, though, she looks like she hasn't been sleeping.]

[flowrite]

[Fai looks up from his book and smiles brightly. The bite marks and the apparent sleeplessness don't escape his notice, but first thing's first.]

Yes, that's me! You must be Freya?

[He tucks the book down in the seat and uses both hands on the arms of the chair to lever himself up to his feet, moving slowly and letting the ice pack fall to the seat as he does so. It's only polite, though, to stand when someone enters the room.]

Come on in! Take any seat you like. You're welcome to any of the snacks as well, I made them just for this.

B

[totallynotanoni]

[ Kath is currently walking through the mall with a cup of coffee in her hand, still obviously tired after all the nightmares. Her thought cloud, at this point dully accepted as coming and going as it pleases, hangs above her head lazily. She's currently stuck in a mental state of tired confusion, trying to keep her thoughts together and ignore her most recent regain, and managing to repress anything from reaching the cloud.

This mixed state of exhaustion and focus is broken only when she bumps into Fai, jumping a little at the contact and possibly knocking any bags from Fai's hands. ]

Oh, I am so sorry!

[ She moves to help pick up the fallen bag, placing her coffee aside as she does so, looking up at Fai for a quick moment.

Her thought bubble immediately betrays:

"Wow she's pretty." ]

[flowrite]

[The collision isn't entirely Kath's fault; Fai's been distracted himself, so there was really no hope of avoiding bumping into each other. And ordinarily a little bump like that wouldn't hurt at all, so it's definitely not Kath's fault when the pretty blond hisses as if struck and recoils, letting that bag fall to the floor.

He immediately feels bad about it, although he's moving too slowly to get to the fallen bag before Kath.]

No, please, it was my fault! I'm so sorry, you don't have to--

[A faint splash of pink spreads across his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose under the sunglasses, after seeing that thought bubble, although for the moment he's too worried about the collision to address that properly.]

For Minako~

[flowrite]

[It's early in the month, just as the thought bubbles are starting to appear and right before Fai's therapy sessions are scheduled to start. If these were ordinary circumstances he'd be in the kitchen now, baking a few (a "few") things for his appointments, but after cooking so much for Zoro's housewarming party he's realized just how uncomfortable even these usual actions can be with five broken ribs. And he hates it.

But Fai likes to be a good host, and he's not going to go into his appointments empty handed. So just this once he'll suck it up and visit a bakery for some treats. Which is how he ends up in the Confectionary, standing back so he's not in the way of the line, examining the various items on the menu.]

aah sorry for lateness!

[complementing]

[Minako is on shift today, which means that she's the one popping out of the back to serve him. A bright smile lights her face when she recognizes her customer.]

Fai! Welcome to the Confectionary~

b

[vitis]

[ and john had just been passing through on his way back from work; he's not really one much for retail therapy, after all. he's got a little whistle of a tune on his lips, a spring in his step as is typical of him; he offers any strangers passing by a polite smile before continuing on his way. and a smile for the pretty blond lady, too! how nice. and stepping past


except.

hold on a second.

john stops, turns back. ]

... Fai??

[flowrite]

[Well

...it's not like running into someone he knows was completely off the table. Recolle is a big city, sure, but Fai also knows a lot of people. And even though John is sweet there's one very long, heart-stopping moment where Fai isn't sure how this is going to go. Flirting is one thing. Finding out someone is a very blatant cross-dresser is another.

And then Fai is smiling under the sunglasses and just... rolling with it. Because right now that's all he can do.

He takes a casual sip from his iced coffee and then beams at John.]

Hey~! Fancy meeting you here!

A2; 9/15

[livingdeadgirl]

[For now, Ami's done lying to her parents about where she's going. She doesn't want them to worry about her, especially when there's really nothing they can do to help, but... they'd be more worried and upset if she made a habit of lying to them.

So she tells them, and her mom drives her over to Enprise after school. Introductions are made - Mrs. Aihara explains that Ami just started high school, that a friend of hers passed away recently, that she's having a tough time right now. Also, that she's very proud of Ami for reaching out, and remember, there's no shame in asking for help- Ami, teenage and embarrassed, gently hustles her out the door after that.

So yeah hello we are in le office now! get outta here with those tl;dr formalities. Ami laughs as she takes a seat.]

Sorry about that, she can ramble sometimes. Moms, right?

[flowrite]

[It's a bit of a surprise, meeting Ami's mom like this. Doing things legitimately (more or less). But Fai rolls with it as best he can; he's used to dealing with some very problematic parents, thanks to his job, so Ami's mom is a breeze. Fai can be pretty damn charming when he wants to be.

Once they're alone in the office, Fai tucks himself back into his seat with his ice pack and smiles.]

Hah, yep! Moms~

[As if he'd know.]

I'm glad you made it, though! Help yourself to any of the snacks you like, and I've got bottles of water over here if you need one.

For Iwai, mid/late September

[flowrite]

[Gosh, these clothes from Jirou are lovely. And it's an entire wardrobe, practically. Fai really wasn't kidding when he'd told his friend that he wouldn't have to go shopping for clothes for a whole year. Beautiful dresses, sharp suits....

He's already been through it all, making note of what fits well, what fits well enough, and which pieces are a bit too long or loose for him. He and Jirou aren't really that different size-wise, or at least they didn't use to be, but sometimes that extra inch means the difference between walking on a hem or not. Especially when the clothes are beautifully tailored to begin with, to fit the wearer exactly.

The pieces that need to be altered are all packed up into a set of garment bags, which Fai has loaded into his cute pink Prius. He arrives at the tailor's shop in one of the upscale shopping districts a little before his appointment, and he's in the process of unloading the garment bags from his car while he waits for Iwai to arrive.

It... probably wasn't really necessary for Iwai to be here, but what fun are beautiful clothes if you don't have someone to show them off to?]

[geckoman]

[This is a fancy ass part of town. Iwai takes note of that as he arrives in the area, pretty sure he stands out like a sore thumb in his old jacket, jeans, t-shirt, and combat boots. For a change he's actually not wearing his hat. That's about the nicest he can do for all his casual clothes and after getting the address to this place he figures he might as well try?

Well he's tried and still looks too dressed down but nothing he can do about that. He just sucks on his candy as he spots Fai and...

Wow that's an impressive number of clothes. He blinks in surprise before looking back to his friend.]

You need help with those?

[Hey, he's got arms.]

For Sakura

[flowrite]

[Later in the month, sometime after their grocery shopping expedition, Fai shows up at Pizza Port (his go-to pizza place for treating other people, apparently) dressed simply in jeans and a button-down with the sleeves rolled up, and his pink Chucks. He lets the waitress know that he's expecting two more, so he's seated at a booth and accepts a cup of coffee to sip while he waits for Sakura and her brother to arrive.

He's never met the brother, and he's not really sure what to expect, so this should be... interesting. But he's always happy to see Sakura again, and maybe this way he can get a better gauge of how they're doing by themselves. If they need help, if there's anything he can actually do to help that won't be completely invasive in their lives.

He also takes the liberty of ordering a basket of breadsticks, so there'll be something on the table for them when they arrive.]

[keystaff]

He said we should be here about n--ah! There he is! There's Fai-san!

[Sakura points at the blond, pointing Fai out to her seemingly far less enthusiastic brother who trails behind her. At the least, this seems less intrusive perhaps, less personal meeting here than at their place, or Fai's. Which is probably just why her brother did end up agreeing. She tugs on his sleeve, leading him over to the booth and taking a seat.]

Here, we made it. You weren't waiting too long, were you?