recolle | september catchall

Entry tags:

ffxiii: oerba yun fang

september catchall | open

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! ))

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

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.]

[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?

[ 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.

[ 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.

Edited 2017-09-08 14:07 (UTC)

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?

[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.]

[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!

[Shuji has a seat on the sofa, drumming his fingers on the arm of it without really noticing.]

Wine and snacks sounds pretty nice. I don't think I'll say no to that any time soon.

[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...[

[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.]

[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?

[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!

[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.]

[ It was all simply a case of remembering the sound of his voice from the last time she had met him. That and she's good at recalling faces. ]

Huh, did I guess right? It's been a while since we last ran into each other like this.

Edited 2017-09-09 06:42 (UTC)

[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...?

[ How unusual that he doesn't give him a hug first. It's something that he's become accustomed to, so it's a cause for concern. Koutarou wraps an arm around Fai's waist in lieu of a hug though it's probably equally absurd, still because of Fai's height. ]

I'm happy to see you too, Fai. How are you doing?

[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.]

[ 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." ]

Edited 2017-09-10 02:51 (UTC)

[Luna scanned the room again before her eyes finally settled on the owner, someone she...didn't recognize at all.]

Uh.

[She frowned, reaching out to make sure the door didn't close on her.]

Not sure. I'm here for my meeting with Mrs. Langden, but they sent me up here.

[Faolan glances up at Fai's thought bubble, a healthy flush spreading across his face before he manages to gather himself together enough to formulate a response.]

Er, it's Faolan, [he corrects gently, but it's okay Fai, he knows his name is weird and absurdly Irish, don't take it personally] that's right.

[Stepping forward tentatively, he shuts the door behind himself and glances down once again at the array of baked goods between them, unable to help the quirk of his lips as he comments:] This is quite the spread.

[Hikari looks extremely relieved when he hears that the older wo-...man? say that he's alright. He hopes that a thought bubble hasn't popped up; he'd be embarrassed and flustered for years if it did.]

I am. And really, I should've been looking at where I was going too.

[He's a bit of an airhead sometimes, so he still looks a bit guilty for running into Fai, even by accident.]

[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.)]

[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.

[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.]

[Fai grins and pads into the kitchen with the bottle of wine, returning a moment later with a glass of water which he offers out to Shuji.]

For now? And feel free to help yourself to anything you like, I certainly can't eat all of this! We can break open the wine after we're done.

[There are muffins, croissants, cookies, bars... basically pick something Shuji would like and it's probably there.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 10

september catchall | open

A1

A2;

B

B

no subject

no subject

B

no subject

New Foster Brat Incoming.

B! lmk if this is cool!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

A2 9/7

B

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject