[open] because i can only be me

[simulatio]

Who: Goro Akechi and YOU
What: catch-all for august
Where: heavenly blanc, wall market; others tbd
When: yes
Content Warnings: threads with p5r spoilers will be tagged as such! please toss a comment on my spoiler opt-out post if you'd like me to avoid mentioning any p5/p5r spoilers in tags with your character.

Comments

[anciently]

Aww, I didn't really do anything. He's a really nice guy, and he's been a big help. Plus, he makes great coffee! And curry too, or so he claims. No chance to test it out yet, though!

[ It seems like the pair is pretty close. She smiles genially, happy to help...particularly when it's helping someone who's done her a few favors, too. ]

You two are the only ones here from your home, right?

[simulatio]

He's a man of many talents.

[It's taken practice to say that without a hint of bitterness or resentment, but he manages it. He only nods at the question, drawing his feet out of the bath and reaching for the nearby towel to start drying them off. It feels weird to be sitting while she's standing, after all.]

That's right. Even the other Japanese people we've spoken to don't know anything about things that are common knowledge for us. It's made for quite an interesting puzzle, wouldn't you say?

You're friends with Tifa-san and Cloud-san, yes? It must be reassuring to have them with you.

[anciently]

[ Aerith, for having walked in on a guy trying to enjoy the peace of a bathhouse and taking it upon herself to chat him up, seems perfectly unbothered by him sitting and her standing. ]

It sure has. A puzzle without all the pieces for us to find, if you ask me.

[ Not yet, anyway.

The mention of her friends' names perks her up a little, and she's quick to nod. ]

Yup! They're two of the people I was with right before this. [ To be fair, Red XIII isn't exactly..."people." ] It really is nice having them here...I don't know what I'd do if I'd showed up alone. Though, I guess I still wouldn't be alone, huh? There are so many others who were brought here, same as me...

[ And she's already befriended quite a few of them, as is her Way. ]

What about you? Is it just you and Ren from back home?

[simulatio]

[He nods. It sure is like someone had helpfully hidden the majority of their figurative puzzle pieces under the couch before they'd even gotten to start their puzzle.]

As far as we know, it's only the two of us. It's fortunate to know people from before our kidnapping, but even so, I've yet to encounter anyone who hasn't been willing to work with us. [He gives her a smile, almost rueful as he finishes drying his feet and heads over closer to her. Not in an attempt to breach her personal space or anything, just to converse more comfortably without having to call across the room. Though, come to think of it, had that even been an issue...? He'd been able to hear her perfectly fine, after all.

Another oddity of this place to file away as he folds his towel in his arms.]

By the way, considering that you know about flowers, do you know much about flower language? I found the strangest flowers in my room, [thanks, Ren,] and was wondering if there were any meaning to them. A tall pink flower with a fern-like bottom?

[He's trying to describe Astilbe, but simply doesn't know enough to say so.]

[anciently]

That's a good point. Most people here are really friendly, which is nice. [ Kaiba had been one of the few who was...less so, but that hardly seems to concern her. ] It makes a lot of sense, since we're all in the same boat.

[ The question has her tilt her head curiously at the description, and she taps her chin in thought with a considering "hmmm." After a moment, she offers: ] Sounds kinda like Astilbe, maybe? Almost kinda spiky-looking in a bunch?

[ Funny that he found them in his room, though. Why that flower? ]

Pretty sure they can be seen as a symbol of patience, if I remember that right.

[simulatio]

[Honestly, Akechi almost respects Kaiba for being so open about his contemptuousness for others. He wishes he could do the same, sometimes, but alas, he wants to be liked too much. It doesn't benefit him at all to be hated, not when there are so many unknowns here still.]

Yes, that sounds like them exactly.

[And he frowns. What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Ren??]

How strange... thank you. Hearing first-hand from an expert is even better than an internet search, wouldn't you agree?

[anciently]

I guess so. Not sure how I feel about being compared to an internet search, though, considering I'm not sure what that is!

[ Is it like the Worldwide Network? She's not a big tech geek, or anything, so she doesn't vocalize a guess. ]