2022-08-29: Encounter

• Log: Encounter
• Cast: Anti, Rikka Takarada (NPCing Orie), Yuta Hibiki (NPCing the Neon Genesis Junior High students)
• Where: Junk Shop Aya, Tsutsujidai Colony
• Date: 2022-08-29
• Summary: Anti visits Rikka's home to try and see her. He finds the Neon Genesis Junior High students and Orie, instead. Anti learns more about the things people say to each other, and everyone learns a little more about Anti, too.

---

<Pose Tracker> Anti has posed.

        "A little longer."

        Again he speaks to Leina, with conservative syllables. Again it is a request -- has the shape of a request; the tone is much more curt, claiming space, not asking.

        "Rest. I need to see that girl... Rikka Takarada." The name in his phone. It's not Akane Shinjo, and Anti has never been a dishonest boy.

        It's inconvenient for her, he thinks. He looks at her and thinks that this trip has inconvenienced her. The words for acknowledging inconvenience are... "... sorry about this."

        Regardless, he leaves.

        _-_-

        He knows the way.

        He does not call ahead.

        It is so, so close.

        _-_-

        He is tense, when he comes to the door of Junk Shop Aya. Though he still has that dressing, over his eye, his skin is intact -- his wounds are deep to it, written on a heart half unspoken.

        He slides the door open, and steps inside.

        He scowls, and it seems his disposition hasn't changed, except... the selfsame intensity on his face is drawn tight as a bow across his face, tight as a fresh scar.

        He is close; he is afraid. His heart pumps blood too quickly through his veins. He has veins. He has blood.

        The wounds are writ too close to his eyes.

        He does not move with killing intent; he is uncertain.

        "Where's... the girl? I'm looking for the girl... the girl who lives here."

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

The Junk shop is empty, save for the Neon Genesis Junior High students. They're amusing themselves while the kids are away -- Borr talking about the beach concert he'd been to, watching over Rikka and Yuta.

"This young Sheryl Nome is quite talented." He says, leaning back against the couch. Calibur and Borr sit at the bar, while Vit is leaning against it, coffee in hand.

In the same heartbeat that Anti enters the shop, Calibur is on his feet, sliding one of his swords free. It's a slow, deliberate action -- a message. If Anti was here to fight, Calibur wouldn't hesitate.

But once Borr gets a good look at Anti, she sighs. "Calibur, sit down." The lanky man obeys, scowling. "The girl, huh? You mean Rikka, or mama?" Borr continues, casually flipping a serrated knife up and into their hand.

It's perhaps more information than he should reveal, but really, Anti's standing in the junk shop. It's not like their identities are a secret at this point. Vit sips his coffee, the same bored expression on his face as always.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Having the Neon Genesis Junior High 'students' around has been great for Orie Takarada. They're good workers, they handle the store while she's away and Rikka's off work, they're nice to look at, and they give her some peace of mind by looking after the kids when they're off doing their thing(though whether or not anyone involved is aware she's aware of this is another thing).

She's taking care of things elsewhere in the house, at the moment... but the sound of the shop's bell carries by design, so it isn't long before Orie pushes through the curtains, drawn onto the shop floor by the ringing.

"Oh, a customer?" She asks, a welcoming smile on her face... and finds herself greeted by the sight of Calibur standing, sword drawn slowly, and Borr with their own knife at the ready. Orie, of course, takes this all in stride, instead focusing on the unfamiliar boy that seems to be the cause of all this. Golden eyes study for a moment.

He's looking for 'the girl', he says - the girl who lives here. Unless he's actually a massive flatterer, which she wouldn't mind, but doubts, there's only one person that could mean.

"You must be one of my daughter's friends. Is there anything I can get you?" She asks. She asks this, but she's already stepping behind the counter without waiting for an answer, checking on the various kitchen implements.

<Pose Tracker> Anti has posed.

        He is so WEARY, as his sunset gaze falls, half obscured, over Calibur. It settles on Borr and their weapon. The last time he crossed paths with the Neon Genesis crew, he was animated -- hateful -- alive. A boy who tore himself from task to task, even the task of leaving.

        He tears nothing now.

        "..." He says -- says nothing; lips parted, throat tight, he fails to offer any justification to Borr or her knife whatsoever.

        This... was her house, wasn't it? This is where she brought him. But... she isn't here, the thoughts file through his head, slowly. He shifts back half a step, onto his heel, as he thinks he has made a mistake.

        The curtain parts -- his attention moves to it --

        "Not you," he dismisses Orie, and in the same gesture his weight sways forward again, centred on both his feet, less retreating.

        He fails to answer her question, all wound up, all crushed down, all undefined pronouns.

        His stomach growls, anyway.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Max steps forward, putting a hand on Anti's shoulder to steady him. "You look like you're about to faint. When was the last time you ate something?"

With one more critical look over the small boy, Borr flips their knife away, back to whatever hidden pocket it emerged from. "Mama, do you think you could make something for this guy?" He turns his gaze to Vit. "Hey, go help her."

"Fine..." Vit says, putting his coffee down. He walks around the bar, standing near Orie. An apron is placed over his suit, and he turns the stove on. "What do you want, kid?"

Calibur continues staring at Anti. "W--why did you come?" He asks, slouching in his chair. Max tries to guide Anti to the nearby couch -- he didn't want to watch a child break his nose on the ground.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Anti dismisses Orie, but that smile doesn't leave her face. It does strain a little, though, as she notes the way he sways, and the growling of his stomach.

"I'm already on it." She assures Borr and then offers a nod of thanks toward Vit as he moves behind the counter to help out. Something good for someone who is very hungry... she already has a few ideas in mind which she gets the ingredients set aside for, but she listens out for the answer to the question of what he wants.

In the meantime... she gets a glass of juice poured out and set on the counter, which is then accompanied with a prompting glance toward whoever is currently unoccupied so they can pass it over to Anti.

"Here. Fluids are important, too." She notes.

<Pose Tracker> Anti has posed.

        A hand comes down to his shoulder; the muscles there tense up, expectantly, for a future not like to pass.

        They ask if he's eaten; they ask what he wants. He thinks of Leina, and the food she's said is waiting for him on his return. He feels something leaden and chill in his chest. "..."

        He glances, sidelong, to Max, as he tries to guide him. He steps away. He

        climbs onto the couch

        and sits on the backrest.

        It is possible no one has been able to properly explain proper couch etiquette to Anti yet.

        At least he's sitting down, now.

        He is still silent, gaze focused on Orie as she works. Her daughter's 'friends'... it seems unlikely to him he'd qualify. But, she's the closest Takarada.

        The silence is very long, and very awkward, and broken without warning. "She... helped me." Quiet words, close to the gravel of the ground, and begun with hesitation. "So I wanted to see her."

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Max feels Anti tense, and gentles his touch just a hair. "It's alright." He watches Anti climb onto the couch, a smile tugging at his lips beneath his mask. "If that makes you more comfortable, perhaps you could take your shoes off? We don't want to get the furniture dirty."

Calibur picks up the juice and delivers it to Anti. He looks at the small boy perched on top of the couch, then joins him. The lanky man has surprisngly good balance up there for someone so tall. With slow movements, Calibur takes his own shoes off, letting them fall to the floor. "There. Li--like that." The samurai is careful to leave enough space between them to be non-threatening, hopefully.

"Rikka helped you, huh? That sounds like her." Borr leans back against the bar, keeping an eye on the situation. "Looks like she's out. But if you wait around, she'll come back sooner or later."

Vit rolls his shoulders in a shrug as Anti doesn't answer. "Guess we're freestyling, mama. I'll make some eggs." He moves to do just that, cracking a few in a frying pan over the stove. "So. Looks like you're alive. That's nice for you."

Max settles into Calibur's now-empty seat. "We'd be interested in hearing what happened after the Death Knight battle. Your absence has been notable."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

They ask what he wants and they don't receive an answer. Orie considers that for a moment but then pauses, as Anti... climbs onto the backrest?

...Well, hey, as long as he's comfortable. She's not going to complain - and it looks like Calibur has things handled, too. He's pretty good at that.

There's a long and awkward silence, filled only with the sounds of the cooking going on behind the counter. Eventually, it's broken suddenly as Anti explains why he wants to see Rikka, specifically.

Orie looks, briefly proud before resuming her usual expression.

"She should be back before nightfall, but if I can let her know you came by if you have to go before then." Orie notes, and then nods toward Vit.

"Looks like it. Let's see... I've got all the makings of a toast combo here already, so..." She says, getting to working. The cooking gives her a convenient excuse to not ask about things she shouldn't know.

<Pose Tracker> Anti has posed.

        There is juice. He takes it.

        He grunts, noncommittally, when everyone starts talking about how his feet are currently presenting. It doesn't make much sense to him to fuss about the exact configuration, but...

        The next time no one is looking at him, he translates his appearance a little, and the next person to glance back will find him barefoot. He makes no motion in the process.

        There is juice. He drinks it.

        Is it nice he's alive? Well. He doesn't want to die.

        He looks at the glass, and for a time, he is silent.

        Finally: "Some women let me stay with them. The Second, too." Nidaime let him stay with her? Or Nidaime is being allowed to stay with these mystery women? It's hard to say, so he's economical with his words.

        He falls silent, again

        and looks out the window.

        (The one leading in direction of the townhouses, not far away at all.)

        "I can't stay."

        It is too, too close.

        "... Leina Ashta wants to express a greeting to Rikka Takarada." Well, what she said was probably a lot closer to 'say hi to Rikka for me!', but...

        Well, maybe that's a clue about what kind of woman would take Anti in after something like that, anyway.

        He does not think to leave any message of his own.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Borr, presumably looking to the side to talk to Vit, is keeping half an eye on Anti. Just in case. In the space between blinks, it seems the young man has removed his shoes... really, really quickly. Huh. At least he did it.

"Do you h--have a phone?" Calibur asks Anti, when he says he can't stay. The samurai brings out his own phone, demonstrating, just in case. It's a sleek smartphone, pretty unremarkable... Except for a charm hanging off of it, a samurai sword. "Here's my number. We can tell you when Rikka comes b--back."

Vit bustles around, sliding the finished eggs onto the toast Orie prepares. "There, a meal fit for a prince. Doesn't get better than mama's cooking, Anti, you're a lucky boy."

It doesn't seem like Anti's going to talk about himself much at all -- or what he's been through. Max carefully looks over the bandage on his head. Had that come from the Death Knight battle? At least it looked capably treated. "Some women... and Nidaime is there? I suppose this is outside of Tsutsujidai?"

"Oh, Leina!" Yuta mentioned her. Borr doesn't say this. They didn't need Anti to think about Gridman and go on a rampage in the Junk Shop. "Seems like a good sort -- helped with the evacuation, yeah?" Borr speaks up again, slowly turning her full attention back to Anti. "You know, she wants to get Nidaime in school. Seems like they're pretty close."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Orie listens idly to the conversation, taking in information. She doesn't see much point in interjecting, though, and the rest of her attention remains conveniently on the meal she's preparing.

"Well, that's a shame, but I'm sure she'll understand." Orie replies, then notes when Anti mentions a Leina Ashta. "I'll let Rikka know about that, too."

The food is finished! There's toast, eggs thanks to Vit, and a salad, too - all loaded up onto a tray, and passed over to be handed to Anti.

"Eat up!" She encourages. With that done she turns back around to handle the cleaning up, letting them get to chatting.

<Pose Tracker> Anti has posed.

        He notices Borr's attention. He doesn't say anything to him about it. If they want to stare, it doesn't bother him.

        His own stare settles on Calibur, grim. A phone... he wonders what the point is, now Akane won't ring him. It's always been someone else, ringing him.

        He doesn't trust these people, certainly. They're Gridman's guardians. (Yuta's guardians.) But... they don't seem to be trying to hurt him, either.

        (It doesn't make sense.)

        "..." He says, and finally drops the empty juice glass to the couch cushion -- it safely avoids rolling to the floor and breaking, because Anti releases, and does not throw, the things he doesn't need any more -- and pulls out his phone. It's the standard sort one might expect a teenager of Tsutsujidai to have.

        Of course it's typical. It's a gift from God.

        He transfers his details to Calibur's phone silently, and returns his phone to his pocket.

        He does not say anything on the virtues of Leina or the Second -- but his stillness is interrupted again, to look to Borr, and nod. Once, sharply. What does he confirm? This, too, is hard for him to say.

        But the food is ready.

        He does not think to put his shoes on -- where did they even go? -- when he hops up off of the couch, in a movement which is trickier than it looks. He goes to the food, rather than waiting for the food to come to him.

        (He does not like it when people are holding food near him.)

        He stares down at the eggs -- the toast -- the salad, all loaded up

        and he lowers his face, hands to either side of the tray

        and opens his jaws

        and CHOMPS.

        "GNAMRPHMMPHNRRMMARMF" he says, insomuch as it is the sound which comes from his throat as he gobbles up the food with ferocity and alacrity.

        When the food is gone -- very much all of it, though thankfully the utensils remain -- he straightens. There is food staining his face. He pauses, for a breath of an instant, staring at it with a shallow kind of despondence. "Hmh," he grunts, as he turns, and starts walking away.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Vit nods his head in return for the thanks, then takes off the apron. He finds a space on the wall, leaning against it casually. Picking up his coffee, he takes a drink, then frowns. It's gone cold.

All of the Junior High students frown in unison when Anti drops the juice glass. Max holds a hand up. They'll let it go. This is a starving child they're dealing with, it's only normal for him to act up a little.

"T--thanks." Calibur says, saving the contact. He sits in silence with Anti. It's a companionable sort of thing. Two strange little men sitting on the top of a couch together.

Max huffs in annoyance as Anti devours the food like a wild beast. "Geez, kid." Vit offers, grimacing. Anti's meal passes in silence, everyone watching with various measures of horror and amusement. It's not until he tries to walk away that the silence is broken.

Borr's knife makes another appearance. "I'm gonna stop you right there. Don't you have something to say to mama?" The knife is held out, blocking Anti's path, dangerously near his neck. "Or do I need to teach you some manners?"

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Orie watches as Anti takes the tray himself. That says a lot. He was fine being handed a glass, but food... She'll keep that in mind. She leans on the counter, watching as he tears into the meal face-first, glancing briefly toward the Junior High students with a questioning raise of an eyebrow before back to Anti.

"I'll take that to mean you liked it." Orie decides, then watches as Anti stands and turns to leave... only for Borr to move to stop him, knife drawn.

Orie watches this from her position behind the counter. If it actually turns violent she'll move to intervene... but right now, she wants to see where this goes.

<Pose Tracker> Anti has posed.

        He has had... some experiences, with food.

        And not so far from here.

        Well, this one wasn't a bad experience.

        Unless it is.

        Anti stops, when that knife comes out -- stops before he walks into it, stops very, very still. He stares forward, and does not meet Borr's eyes. Neither does he answer her question.

        ... given his behaviour at the dinner tray, does he even know what manners are?

        The seconds stretch on, and it becomes clear... that Anti is just going to wait this out.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Moments pass. Borr doesn't relent, and neither does Anti.

Eventually, Calibur gets up from the couch and pushes Borr's knife out of the way. "Hey--!" They protest, but Calibur holds out a hand.

"W-when someone feeds you, you say 'thank you'." Calibur says, his face neutral. "You have my number now. I--if you feel hungry again, call it. Or if you need something else."

Borr makes an irritated noise, but flips his knife back away. "Somebody put this kid in charm school. He's worse than Calibur."

Max sighs, looking to Orie. She didn't seem offended, so really, it was fine. There was no point in getting worked up for the sake of someone who didn't care. "Vit, do you have anything to add?"

"What?" Vit says, staring at his phone. "Uh -- yeah." He doesn't look up. "Stay safe, kid." It's clear he hasn't been paying attention.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Things could have gone bad. But they don't - Calibur stands, pushing Borr's knife away, and explaining how to act when someone feeds you. Behind the counter, Orie cracks a small smile. Maybe she just trusted that things would turn out this way - and her trust was rewarded.

Borr puts their knife away, so Orie offers Anti a wave of farewell.

"Take care out there, kiddo. Come back any time, you hear? I'm sure Rikka'd like to see you, too." She replies. She doesn't know if he'll take it or not, but the invitation is extended, at least.

<Pose Tracker> Anti has posed.

        'Thank you,' the Second, carefully taking the earbuds back and putting them both back into her ears.

        'Thank you...' Grace O'Connor, taking back the bottle of hand sanitiser which didn't taste very good at all.

        'On behalf of Dr. Jacket and the Crucible, thank you for coming on such short notice.' Hephaestus, asking their help to capture Liam.

        'Thank you for being there - supporting Sheryl, protecting something important to you - even if almost noone knows it.' Ranka Lee, making a terrified effort in the alleyway.

        'Thanks. For telling me.' Rena Lancaster, after she learned some of Tsutsujidai's immeasurable weight.

        Perhaps no one can blame Anti -- for hearing the usual meal pleasantries -- and not figuring it out, when gratitude can mean so many, MANY things.

        His gaze -- Anti's gaze -- tracks to Calibur. He thinks of Geed, again. (Riku.) If he feels hungry... there's a certain sort of person who makes that offer, Anti thinks.

        (A little more himself. Perhaps it's the meal. His problems aren't solved, but he's not the sort to ask, and at least now his belly is full. These are small actions. Did Rikka learn them from somewhere, too?)

        "Mm," he grunts.

        He pauses, and thinks about all the meals he has eaten, lately.

        " ", Anti says, lips parted, and leaves the store, and leaves the street, and leaves the pressure she exerts.

        With such a constricted throat, it might be difficult to hear what he says -- but Calibur might just be close enough to catch it.

        thank you.