yumemigaoka | (no subject)

Ah-! [he looks up from his phone, a half-finished cup of juice on the table in front of him, with a start. It takes a second before he relaxes and sits up]

Hello, Ai-san.

... Oh- No, no, it's fine! I can move if you want to sit. [he laughs, sheepish] There's always room in the back, but it's just easier for me to move back onto the floor if Yugi-san needs me for anything.

Oh come on, no way am I kicking you out when you're on your break! And besides, you were here first. Maybe we can just double up for a little bit, if you don't mind sharing?

[ There should be enough room, since Keiwa doesn't have a meal or anything - so she carefully settles herself into the booth and sets her laptop down in turn. There's enough space that they're not crowded in, at least, but it's a good thing they're at the back of the store regardless. The last thing she needs this month of all months is anyone getting the wrong idea. ]

There we go, that should work... ah, how is work today, anyway? Not too busy?

Oh, yeah, sure.

[even with all the avilable space, Keiwa still moves his juice before shifting his seat over as well, clearly giving the lion's share of the table to Ai without any sort of prompting]

Well... It was busier a little earlier... Ai-san's lucky to have just missed it, I think. Even if it was mostly just coffee and small orders, or people coming in to buy flowers for loved ones.

[he seems pretty cheerful about it. In spite of the romantic atmosphere, it seems Keiwa really is just happy to see other people are enjoying themselves]

So it's getting busy for Valentine's, huh? That's good to hear. I guess it's true what they say about flowers never going out of fashion.

[ She sets her tea down with a little clink as well and opens her laptop back up. Almost immediately there are several email pings. Ai seems entirely unsurprised. ]

You guys aren't too swept off your feet, are you? I think this is the first year they've had so many people on board, so hopefully things won't be too rough on all of you.

[there's a nod as he takes a sip from his juice]

I'll help ring through orders, but it's all Mr. Yugi and Shinsha's hard work on the flower side. [he hums, thoughtful] I overhear the customers talking to them about 'flower language' sometimes. The season really does bring out everyone's romantic side...

[Keiwa tilts his head at the email pings, though he's polite enough to make no attempt at looking at her laptop screen]

Otherwise, it's not too bad here... Ai-san seems to be as busy as always. I guess it's hard for idols to really find time to relax, huh?

[ Ai's smile turns just a little wry. ]

For idols, Valentine's Day is kind of like Christmas times ten. When you spend all your time singing about love and romance, it's kind of an occupational hazard.

[ For certain kinds of idols, especially. Once a fan base falls in love with you, there's really no going back no matter how hard you try. She's changed her image over time - a superhero role model as opposed to a perfectly airbrushed fantasy girlfriend - but there's really no escaping it. Especially when you're the only one who wants to. ]

I'm doing my best to take things a little more slow this month, though. I thought with everything that's been going on over on the other side, the DU needed me in the Dream Sphere more than over here for once.

Is that so...

[he actually stops to think about it. All the advertisements he's seen pop up for the holidays along with the accompanying specials that he'd heard his classmates talk about... It does seem to be a lot more unavoidable for Valentine's than for Christmas, huh?]

Pacing yourself in the middle of all of that would be important, wouldn't it? [he trails off after that, unsure of where to go from there. Probably unintentionally remembering Mio's Disturbance and the atmosphere in there.

He hasn't encounter anything like that while in the Dream Sphere normally. Keiwa sort of hopes it stays that way]

But I'm surprised to see you here at Camellia. [he smiles and says jokingly and completely obliviously] Thank you for your patronage.

It sure is. Well, putting it like that, I guess it's pretty much like any other job. If you don't give yourself room to breathe, you'll end up burning yourself out, big time. And that's no fun for you or anybody else.

[ Her tone's light enough, like it nearly always is coming from Ai, but it's clear from her words she's speaking from experience.

Whether she's learning from experience is another matter altogether. ]

Heehee. It's nice to be able to make an excuse to stop by visit, though. It feels like it's been forever since I got to spend a day here.

[someone else might have pointed out that Ai doesn't seem to be taking that line of thought to heart. Keiwa's just Keiwa though, so he - at most - gives her a slightly doubtful look]

It shouldn't get busy again on the cafe side for a few hours, so I don't think anyone would bother you back here.

[he actually looks around to double check, but it's hard to spot this table from the doorway. Even without the line of sight to the doorway, they'd have to get past both Keiwa and Nanami watching the cafe (and Tsukasa getting underfoot) to get here. Something seems to occur to him while he's looking around though, and he turns back to Ai]

Um... Ai-san, can I ask for your opinion on something?

[ For all her talk of supposedly taking it slow, her fingers have been tapping busily away at her keyboard the whole time they've been talking. It's honestly kind of impressive and entirely indicative that no, she is taking absolutely none of her own words to heart, thank you very much!

Once Keiwa speaks up again though, the typing slows to a stop. While they'd been making small talk, she'd been happy to carry on with her work, but this sounds a bit more... serious.

So she'll give it her full attention. ]

Of course. What's got you looking so frazzled?

Oh, it's not- Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Don't let me interrupt you but uh... Give me a second, I'll be right back...

[he quietly picks up his half full cup and moves to into the back area for employees. After a few minutes, he comes back out with a small tupperware container with some paper towels set inside. Keiwa's comfortable enough at the Camellia that he doesn't look particularly out of place walking back and forth... Which is probably for the best; it draws less attention this way]

I was trying out a new recipe. [he sits down before popping open the container] It's nothing particularly special, but... Could you give one a try and let me know what you think?

[he gently pushes the container over to Ai, revealing a few neat rows of chocolates, half dark brown with a coffee bean on top and the other half a pale pink in colour. While the strawberry chocolate is mostly palatable (soft, not too sweet with a nice snap to it's outer layer), the first batch of coffee ganache Keiwa made for this might be a touch bitter and grainy...]

[ Keiwa really does look at home here... it's nice, honestly. Camellia's always seemed like a place for people who don't quite settle in as comfortably anywhere else.

Or maybe she's just projecting a bit because it's always been that way for her. Either way, seeing someone else find their place in Camellia leaves her with an odd feeling of pride. The Yugis really don't do things by halves, huh? ]

Ohh, I'd love to! Let's see, which one should I go with first...

[ She goes for pink right away because of course she does and immediately lights up. ]

Ohh, this one's really good! You got the sweetness just right, it's not too much. And this one...

[ Hmmm... she wrinkles her nose a bit. Maybe it's just a matter of taste, but... ]

This one's a little... could I try one more?

[He's sitting across from Ai, shoulders hunched up and resting his hands on the tupperware lid he's standing on the table. Keiwa watches with a wide eyed and expectant look on his face, his expression resembling a tanuki, as Ai tries the first chocolate. He breathes a sigh of relief at her praise before stiffening again]

Oh- Yeah, of course. Please feel free.

[ With a brisk nod, Ai pops another coffee chocolate into her mouth. This time she chews a little more slowly and deliberately, trying to work out exactly what had made it a miss for her. She washes it down with some of her tea once she's done and gives a thoughtful hum. ]

So I'm not super into coffee to start with so this might just be a 'me' thing but I think it's a liiiittle too bitter? And the texture's kind of... not crunchy... grainy, I think? It was a little gritty when I bit down.

[ She taps her chin in thought. ]

I mean, I don't know a lot about cooking so maybe that's how it's supposed to be, but the first one was nice and smooth? So I think maybe something went wrong with the coffee.

Gritty...?

[he thinks about it a second before his eyes go wide. If it's too bitter and grainy-]

Ah- I was worried about that... I was tasting it as I went, but um... You know how sometimes you can't really taste anything after eating too much of it? [he looks down at the innocent rows of chocolates as he thinks about it] ... Heh, it's kind of funny. My Uncle hates coffee because it's too bitter, so my Aunt wound up making a sweet and less bitter brew just for him...

[Keiwa starts to put the lid back on the tupperware, stopping just a moment before pushing it towards Ai again with an apologetic smile]

Would you like another berry one? To help wash out the bitterness?

[ Ai laughs merrily. ]

Oh, I totally get it! There were so many times on variety shows where we'd be taste-testing something or other, but we'd gone through so many rehearsals and takes by the time it came to the final thing, I'd be like... okay, I'll just say something nice, because I have no idea what this is even supposed to be!

[ She'll definitely go and take another berry one, though. She's shameless. ]

The pink ones are really good, though! They're cute, too. Are you making them with a special someone in mind?

They need you to try the food during rehearsals too? That sounds... Filling.

[he wonders if this would affect his sister's opinion about variety shows... Then remembers that she usually watches them specifically for the guests and not necessarily for the content. Hm...]

Mm... Not... Really. My aunt - she owned a cafe too - used to pass out complimentary chocolates with her coffee around Valentine's day and I thought it was really nice. Everyone always seemed doubly excited to have gotten something like that out of nowhere, so I wanted to do something for the people I know here.

[he's wearing a slightly sheepish smile as he quietly explains]

... I'm thinking about making some for the Yugis too. I actually bought some coffee from here to use for this. But I guess I added too much. [he brightens up with a quiet laugh] Truthfully, I was only thinking of making regular chocolate and coffee chocolate, but then we started talking about how strawberry's a good flavour too...

It depends on the show! And the reaction they want from you, I think. If you're supposed to say "this is so good!" no matter what, they'll usually make you take a bite out of the real thing a few times, just so you can make sure you eat it with a smile whether you like it or not.

[ That's uh, a little more insight into how the sausage gets made than she'd usually give someone, but Keiwa's so tapped out when it comes to idols that a bit of frankness... probably won't hurt anyone. ]

That's such a nice idea, though. I'm sure you'll get your recipe down pat in no time - you've already come up with one really good one, so this coffee chocolate probably just needs a little fix or two. Oh, but - don't let any little troublemakers sneak any from you while you're not looking.

[ Not that she's naming names. Tsukasa. ]

[true to form, Keiwa sort of nods along with a little 'oooh' like Ai was telling him about some average office work and not... The backstage goings on of popular entertainment. Guess you can't really break the illusion for someone who doesn't subscribe to it in the first place... But as his sister loves idols and Keiwa would sooner jump into a Nightmare fight solo than do anything to hurt her, he also isn't likely to pass this information along.

Not that... A topic like this would come up in normal every day conversation!]

I hope they like it too... [there's a snap as he puts the tupperware lid back on, then he laughs quietly] And it's not so bad. I've gotten lucky so far, right? Hopefully, it holds out until the end of the day.

[the Camellia Cryptid(tm) does not need to be named to be known...]

[ Ai laughs and shakes her head fondly. Yeah, that sounds like Tsukasa. If Keiwa's been using the kitchen long enough to be comfortable with it, he's probably used to dodging around a certain someone. ]

Maybe he just needs distracting. You don't have any churus on you, do you?

[ This is probably a joke. Probably.

... who are we kidding, Tsukasa would go wild for churus. ]

Let me know it goes, though! [ She gives him a little grin. ] I sort of feel like we're partners in crime now. So make sure you keep me posted!

[it says a lot that Keiwa had a timeframe for how long he needed to dodge Tsukasa, didn't it? His head snaps up when when Ai mentions churus though, clear disbelief written on it]

Huh? [Tsukasa wouldn't actually be distracted by churus, would he? Sure, he's a little out there sometimes but... Then again...]

I guess I wouldn't put it past him.

[then he laughs, ~~Sara can probably be heard in the distance, screaming at the idea of her baby brother being partners in crime with the Ai-Doll~~ oblivious]

Of course. If you'd like, I can bring you some later? As a 'thank you'.