2024-01-07: Whose Birthday Has Crab?
- Log: Whose Birthday Has Crab?
- Cast: Knight, Nidaime, Akane Shinjo, Rikka Takarada
- Where: Mass Villa, Spain
- Date: 2024-01-07 (ICly January 19th 0098)
- Summary: Akane, Rikka, and Nidaime plot a birthday lunch for Knight: all the crab he was promised when he was created, finally on his plate. Nidaime reveals that she's a college graduate, and the three of them make plans to go fishing and ride ferries.
<Pose Tracker> Knight has posed.
As Akane may well remember, on the 19th of January, she made a kaiju, and did not get him crab for his birthday.
Today, the 19th of January 0098, Knight... is going to get his god-damned crab.
Which isn't to say this is a big affair -- Nidaime couldn't really organise a big affair without Knight getting wind of it. She's just asked the staff of the villa nicely, with sprinkly-stars on top, to get them a crab spread for lunch. She got Akane involved in the petition, and together, they made sure they knew that it's SUPER important. And she's called Rikka in to help, to make sure they're here, together...
... for crab.
Rikka's job, of course, is to make sure Knight gets here. Nidaime arranges a little napkin folded in the shape of a turtle on the table, and then reaches over it to high-five Akane, who she has naturally been setting up the lunch alongside.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Bit by bit, Akane's been putting together that many of the things she agonized about were less worthy of agonizing over than she thought. As a result,
She is going to get Knight his god-damned crab if it kills her.
The U-FITS is still fairly freshly past, and she hasn't had the chance to hear back from her universities of choice yet; this is a great distraction from waiting for the other shoe to drop next week. As she gets the table set, she passes Nidaime and gives her an enthusiastic high five before giving the table one last look over.
"Hmmm..." Her lips pout out slightly, and she seems deep in thought for a few moments.
Then, very carefully, she moves the crab cracker tool and related picks just a bit closer to Knight's table setting.
... It is an open question if he'll know how to use them, but it's the thought that counts.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Today is Knight's birthday... and as such, a plan has been organized. Rikka was happy to be invited to be a part of it, really - and more than happy to lend her assistance.
Akane and Nidaime's role is to secure the god-damned crab.
Rikka's role, meanwhile, is to secure the Knight.
They should be ready right about now... and so she goes to find him, wherever he happens to be right now. She doesn't want to make it seem like there's trouble - so when she approaches him, it's with a casual wave.
"Hey, Knight..." She greets. "If you're not too busy, could you come with me for a bit?"
If he agrees, she'll lead him to the appointed meeting places... and steps aside, for Nidaime and Akane to act!
<Pose Tracker> Knight has posed.
Knight is, obviously, perched on a stone wall like some kind of broody cat observing an apparently-random street corner and chomping on a CalorieMate stick. No one has thought to question how that young man is sitting on a six-foot-high structure as if he just hopped up there. No one is asking questions about the sword, either.
Perhaps he's waiting for someone. Does he expect someone to be here, all wrapped up and ready to go?
He sees Rikka approaching, and his attention and his face shift, just so, to focus on her instead. "..." He says, blinking down at her.
"Sure." Zero followup questions.
And so, he finishes off his stick of I Can't Believe It's Sustenance -- shoves the wrapper in his pocket, because he's not a monster, he's not going to litter the streets of Spain -- and hops down from the wall.
He lands on his feet, because Buer taught him well.
And so --
"Perfecto!" Nidaime flashes a victory-V, and then turns towards the door. "Oooh, here he comes!" She adds, moments before Knight tries to walk through the door and gets his swords caught in the doorway because he's distracted by Akane and Nidaime getting up to crime.
"Hm," he grunts, as he remembers to tilt his whole body to the side and sidle in that way. Once he's safely inside, he looks from the crab, to Nidaime, to Akane. "... it's lunch," he evaluates, at length.
"Yah-huh!" Nidaime grins, as she shoves Akane forward. "We had a great idea, and -- tell him! Tell him!!" She is ABSOLUTELY just putting Akane on the spot, here.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Sometimes you just successfully parkour onto something! No one asks questions about an urban environment and weird perching.
When Knight arrives, Akane greets him warmly -- though she doesn't quite have Nidaime's raw energy.
"Wh --" Akane quails a little at being put on the spot, especially since this particular putting-on-the-spot will require her to acknowledge her past. ... That doesn't mean she doesn't manage, though. (It gives her something to do besides suppress a giggle at Knight getting caught in the doorway.)
"Well... on your first birthday, we were going to get crab and then didn't, right? And then on your second birthday things were... pretty haywire," Akane explains. "So this time -- we're finally doing it! We're getting crab."
A pause, as she gestures to the spread. "... A lot of crab," she finishes, brightly. "Happy birthday, Knight."
Akane discreetly asides to Rikka, "Thanks. I think this worked out a lot better coming from you than it would have from me."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka's pretty used to Knight by now... which is to say, she wasn't all that surprised to find him perching on top of a stone wall. He looks down at her. She looks up at him.
...And he agrees, without any further questions.
Rikka offers a smile, stepping back to give him space to land.
"Right this way!" She says. And once there... Nidaime immediately puts Akane on the spot.
Rikka offers her an encouraging look. It can't be easy... but she gets through it!
"Happy birthday, Knight." Rikka say, offering him a bright smile... which soon gets directed to Akane, as she thanks her discretely.
"No problem. I'm glad I was able to help out..." She replies. Akane's probably right about that... so, she's glad they both reached out to her. This is important to her, too.
<Pose Tracker> Knight has posed.
Nidaime is a truly cruel woman. It might be for Akane's benefit. It might also just be funnier this way!
Either way, it works out.
"Oh," Knight blinks, and looks back to the spread of crab. "... I like crab," he says, and he's still wearing that same stoic expression, but he's not lying either.
He looks from Rikka, back to Akane, and to Nidaime. A gear audibly turns in his head before he says: "Thank you. This is great." Those lessons from Orie's haven't gone to waste!! He even uses Nidaime's language in describing it, which makes her squeak and wiggle, hands all clutched to her face. ("Eee!!")
"This way, this way!" Nidaime says, gesturing with a flap-flap-flap of her hand to the seat Akane carefully prepared for him.
But first, Knight pulls out a seat for Nidaime. Obviously.
Then he sits himself down -- rearranges himself so he's not sitting on his sword in a REALLY awkward way -- and looks at the crab. He reaches over for a crab claw.
And he bites it, with his big dumb chompers.
He missed the crab cracker.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"It really was a huge help," Akane affirms to Rikka, before likewise settling in. She turns her gaze toward Knight, and --
Oh no.
Strictly speaking, Knight can probably get through it that way eventually. He is much stronger than a human. That said... someone should probably teach him how to use utensils. "Uh -- if you want it to be a little easier," Akane starts, trying very hard not to sound judgmental, "You can use this thing."
She takes a crab leg, and inserts the utensil; giving it a squeeze, she uses it to press out from the inside, cracking the crab. Then, she moves it smoothly to between the gripping surfaces to give it a second squeeze from outside.
"And now it's a lot easier to get at the crab meat!" Akane explains, before finally eating some crab meat.
"So, uh. I'm probably moving back to Japan in April, unless things get really weird," Akane announces. "Even my way-down safety school is in the OCU..." She uses that to slide into a different topic entirely: "What are you two doing next? Any plans?"
Turning to Rikka, she adds, "And what about you? Have you heard back from any schools yet?"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Orie would be pleased to hear that her lessons have been useful.
"I'm glad." Rikka replies to Knight with a smile. She nods back to Akane, and then, once Knight is settled in, follows suit - taking her seat next to Akane.
And then she watches as Knight takes a big ol' bite of crab.
Withhh...out breaking the shell first. Fortunately, Akane quickly moves to help him out - and once he's situated, she joins in too.
She listens, then, as Akane makes her announcement, that she's moving back to Japan.
"Yeah, I'm curious, too..." She notes, as Akane asks Knight and Nidaime what their plans are... and chuckles awkwardly as Akane asks her if she's heard back from any of her schools yet.
"Well, I've heard back from one... but, it was a rejection." Rikka admits. "I have a few fallbacks, still, but that was the one I was angling for so it kind of stung..."
<Pose Tracker> Knight has posed.
"Oh, yeah," Knight blinks, watching Akane demonstrate the cracker. "That thing." He might have encountered one before! Or maybe he's just good at observing Akane. Either way, he uses the tool to crack the crab, and it's much easier on his teeth.
"Snicker-snack!" Nidaime chimes, as she uses the crab cracker, just the same, to decimate a crab's claw. She's a tortoise kaiju, you see, and so she has to demonstrate her shell superiority.
Knight swallows his mouthful of crab before he says to Akane: "The borders will be difficult. But it might be more familiar, too." Chomp, chomp, before he looks to Rikka, and says, "... it's their loss." Who would reject Rikka? Honestly.
"We're going to do... whatever we want to do!" Nidaime chirps, holding up her crab claw like a beacon of light. "Maybe we should go to school, huh, Naito? Huh?" And she elbows Rikka, and grins to her, sly. "Heyyy, Rikka, don't you think I'd make a hot teacher?"
"You look like a student," Knight points out, diplomatically.
"What?!" Nidaime gasps, hand to her mouth. "But I graduated! I got the paper and everything! See, see?" She puts her crab claw down, and fishes out from her pocket...
... a piece of lined A4 paper, with 'CERTIFICATE OF GRADUATION - AWESOMENESS STUDIES - AWARDED TO ANOSILLUS THE SECOND, WITH ALL HONOURS' written on it in red marker.
"Oh," Knight says. "You did."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane nods to Rikka, at the mention of a school rejection. Knight says it's their loss; Akane says, "It seems like a really competitive year. Lots of people wanting out of the Federation and making their school picks with that in mind, I guess." ... Though, given she and Rikka had the same first choice pick, that suggests that maybe things went out...
... while Akane and Nidaime were wrangling crab?!
... it can wait. If Rikka's not going, she's not going unless Rikka gets into another school in Tokyo, so it's not like it really matters that much. Still, it claws at the back of her head... just a bit. She distracts herself by agreeing, "The passport situation is probably gonna suck... mine's up to date, but still."
After having a little more crab, Akane considers Nidaime's certificate of graduation very thoughtfully. "That seems pretty legit to me," she says, nodding once, firmly. Then, for good measure, she gets some mashed potatoes.
"You know, European-style mashed potatoes actually kinda work better for me than Japanese-style ones? Ever since I started eating again, Japanese-style mashed potatoes make me feel kinda bad afterward..."
Akane has not put together that she's becoming more lactose intolerant, somehow.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Knight successfully uses the crab cracker! It does make everything easier. Nidaime certainly seems pleased with it.
Knight's comment definitely helps ease the sting, though, and Rikka smiles.
"Thanks..." She says. She's not going to let it bother her. She still has options, and everyone's confidence certainly helps. She nods, though, at Akane's comment. "Yeah... There's so many shake-ups going on right now." She sighs. "...Sucks that it had to happen during our graduating year."
She knows it's not entirely fair, but she can allow herself that selfish complaint in present company. (While eating shellfish?)
Knight points out a legitimate concern, though, and Rikka considers Akane for a moment.
"...Yeah, that's going to be rough. I don't know if there's any way I can help, but..." Rikka offers, trailing off. ...She's kept hers up too, of course. It was difficult, at first, given her situation - but it's gotten easier, recently.
And then, there's the matter of Nidaime and Knight! Rikka laughs, as Nidaime declares they'll do whatever they want.
That sounds like them. She wouldn't have it any other way.
She returns Nidaime's grin with one of her own.
"...Yeah, I think you could pull it off." She agrees. And it turns out... Nidaime has graduated!
Rikka nods approvingly.
"Well, look at that. I knew you could do it." She says. She certainly isn't going to gainsay it.
Akane's comment gets a considering look from Rikka, then.
"Oh yeah? Huh..." She thinks it over. Akane might not have put it together... but it does bring things to mind for Rikka. "...Has anything else?"
<Pose Tracker> Knight has posed.
"Humans sure do love drawing lines around stuff," Nidaime says, nibbling in a claw, as she reflects on the Federation's changes.
"It's territory," Knight explains, around his own claw.
And Nidaime grins, and says: "Oooh, right!"
"It's inconvenient," Knight agrees, at length, with a nod to Rikka. He's not going to give her any shade for making selfish complaints.
"We have passports, too," Nidaime says. "Auntie Sayla got them all set up for us, so they're totally legit!" Knight's stoic expression suggests, somehow, that there may be some white lies in the paperwork. He says nothing. "But don't you worry about us," Nidaime adds, waving her claw, "we're pretty good at getting in and out of places."
"We have a boat," Knight says.
"Naito loves the boat," Nidaime adds.
"It rocks back and forward," Knight explains.
So basically, it's stimming for free.
Akane talks about the mashed potatoes, though, and Knight reaches over to ladle some out onto his plate. Chomp, chomp.
"It's starchier than Japanese potatoes," he remarks.
So, you know, halfway there.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Yeah... it does suck," Akane agrees, with a small sigh. "We'll figure it out." Sure, it won't be perfect -- but if you wait for the perfect thing, you'll wait forever.
When Rikka inquires after her food habits, Akane thinks. "Well, hrrm... there was that pizza... the mashed potatoes thing isn't super consistent either?" She goes through it in her head, as Knight points out the starchiness of the potatoes Villa Mass-ward. "Actually, sometimes yogurt drink does it too now..."
Akane pauses, blinking as she sips at her tomato juice again. "... Oh," she says, blinking a few more times.
She decides not to go into the fine points of her GI system at the table, content with a potential line of best fit for now.
The topic of borders does get Akane's attention, a bit. "I think people like to feel like stuff belongs to them," she says, without a hint of irony about it. "And that they belong to something, I guess? I dunno." Practicals on passports are a little more accessible than lofty philosophical stuff. "A boat's a pretty good idea for a situation like you guys's..."
... and it gets her thinking, too. "... You know, it might be fun to do a ferry ride to Sapporo or something in the summer? ... We might be doing it kind of on the tail end of it, but it still sounds kinda nice."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Drawing lines, territory... It sure is a lot to have to keep in mind.
Knight agrees with her, and so does Akane, and Rikka nods.
"...Yeah. We'll figure it out." She agrees with a small smile. Akane considers her question though and Rikka listens... and, it looks like Akane makes a realisation.
"We can... discuss it later." Rikka decides. It'll be something important for them to consider in the future, after all.
Akane has Thoughts on the subject of borders, and Rikka listens.
"...Yeah, they really do." She agrees.
She looks back to Nidaime.
"Oh, you do? That's good." She comments. And, they have a boat! Rikka considers that. "...That sounds pretty nice."
She listens, then... as Akane makes a suggestion!
"Oh, that would be fun... I'd definitely be up for that. It'd be nice to visit." Rikka agrees with a nod.
<Pose Tracker> Knight has posed.
"I have some more CalorieMate in the pantry," Knight offers. "You can have some. It's not hard to eat."
It's also incredibly boring and maybe only technically food. It's also his favourite. No one can tell who did this to him, and he's not saying.
"The bonds people share are proof they're alive," Nidaime agrees with Akane, immediately getting into lofty philosophical stuff with regards to passports and citizenship. "If it weren't for the connections between people, the Earth wouldn't have nearly as much to say to its neighbours. Isn't that funny?"
She laughs, so it must be funny.
"Let's do it," Knight nods, still entirely serious. "Ferries are a superior mode of transport. And there are seats on the outside."
"Yeah!" Nidaime cheers. "And maybe we'll take you guys on one of our clan~dest~ined boat rides sometime, too!!"
"We could go fishing," Knight says, fishing out some crab meat from his claw.
"We could catch crabs!" Nidaime bubbles, enthusiastically.
They have so many plans for the future, and none of them, evidently, involve getting a job.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
They do have rather a lot to discuss later, huh?
Stretching out a bit before getting back to the crab, Akane looks like she's deep in thought for a few moments. Whatever it is, she doesn't seem to share; instead, as table talk floats around, Akane snags another side dish: steak bites. ... She goes pretty easy on the garlic butter, though.
"I used to eat a ton of that kind of thing," Akane says to Knight. "... I don't know if I made myself sick of it? I'd have to actually try one again... it's been a while." It sounds like she does intend on taking him up on that, eventually.
... Akane starts giggling when Nidaime does, so whatever's funny about it is clearly funny to Akane too. "A boat ride with you two... yeah, that sounds nice. It's been a long time since I've gone fishing... What about you, Rikka? Have you ever been fishing?"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
The bonds people share are proof they're alive...
Well, that's certainly true. Rikka rolls that over in her head a bit. She doesn't giggle, though. And in the meantime - it looks like everyone's onboard with the ferry idea!
"Great, I'm looking forward to it." Rikka says brightly, and then chuckles. Seats on the outside... "It's nice, isn't it? I like being able to watch everything as it goes by..."
And just as importantly - clandestine boat rides!
"Oh yeah, that sounds like fun, too." Rikka agrees. Fishing, and catching crabs... Rikka looks toward Akane and shakes her head. "No, I haven't... I'd like to try, though. So, you'll have to teach me!"
Rikka sure doesn't mind learning - and she sure doesn't mind being kind of bad at it until she gets the hang of it. Either way, that does sound like a good time.
<Pose Tracker> Knight has posed.
"They're not going anywhere," Knight assures Akane, when she talks about how she used to eat a lot of CalorieMate.
"Seriously," Nidaime adds, "I don't think it's technically food, so it never expires."
"It is technically food," Knight informs her.
Nidaime waves her hands in front of her face, and insists: "Okay, see, the way you say that REALLY makes it sounds like a not-a-food food!"
Knight blinks. "Oh."
A moment later, he goes back to eating his crab. He's really into that crab. He will absolutely eat nothing but crab, plus-minus some mashed potatoes. Luckily, kaiju probably don't have to worry about nutritional balance.
But everyone takes to the idea of fishing, and Nidaime pumps her fist in the air. "Yeah! We'll all learn how to fish up crabs together!! Akane, you'll teach us, right? C'mooon!"
Knight thinks, for a moment. "... we'll need hats."
"Oh, yeah! Those weird fishing hats! We've gotta have the weird fishing hats. Let's go shopping for weird fishing hats, and then fishing, and then --" Nidaime throws out her hands, "-- we'll fish up a WHALE!"
Knight nods, quite serious. "That might happen."
It probably won't, but it might.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
The back-and-forth about whether CalorieMate bars are technically food gets a big giggle out of Akane; she's always been a sucker for manzai comedy, and this definitely at least kind of qualifies. The request to teach everyone how to fish catches her off guard, though.
"Oh jeez, I haven't been fishing since I had, like, a novelty fishing rod..." Akane says, laughing a little nervously -- but she doesn't sound like she's opposed, either. "It does seem like it'd be a nice activity that doesn't involve getting up and moving around a whole bunch, though... so sure! Let's figure it out together."
... she has a few things to plan for in the summer. It's important.
"Ooo, we do need the hats," Akane agrees. "... What if it's a kaiju whale? There was one of those in the original Tarabaman, back when they were more committed to the sea thing..." That actually seems more plausible than fishing up a normal whale.
... and more solvable, with Knight there.
"Happy birthday, Knight," Akane says, with a smile. "I hope the rest of them keep getting better."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Knight and Nidaime's back and forth gets a chuckle out of Rikka, too. It's good to see them like that - and it's good to see him so into that crab, too.
"Definitely." Rikka agrees as Nidaime pumps her fist about learning how to fish up crabs - and Rikka smiles as Akane makes an admittance. "Yeah. It'll be great."
She does nod in agreement - they have to have proper fishing hats. It's non-negotiable. She chuckles.
Fishing up a whale - a kaiju whale, even.
"Either way, we'd have quite the story to tell everyone when we get back. And I'd make sure I got a picture of you with it, too..." Rikka comments - and then smiles Knight's way.
"Happy birthday, Knight." She echoes Akane. She hopes that for him, too.