June catch-all ♫

[traceofeffort]

⭐ Who: Lisa and you! Yes, you, in the back!
⭐ When: Late May after the anniversary ends, through June
⭐ Where: Camellia, and out shopping; others possibly?
⭐ What: Could you imagine being able to just chill out after a harrowing experience, instead of getting stuck in one's own head? This makes like six for Lisa, and she's getting there. (Late June/maybe July open post! Inquire for other options.)
⭐ Warnings: Shouldn't be anything! I'm trying to keep these light unless otherwise encouraged. Lisa-typical low self esteem and mild anxiety, perhaps. Will warn as necessary in individual threads.

Comments

Matsuba World Market, June 17th, afternoon

[traceofeffort]

I swear, every time I go out to the World Market, it storms. Maybe I need to just start Ubering my exotic groceries.

[That minor grumbling is coming from Lisa, who's got her usual tote over her bare shoulder; owing to the heat, she's got on a light top with minimal sleeves and the jean short-shorts she only digs out toward the solstice. And, as tends to happen this time of year, she's gotten caught in shifting weather again. It's not raining yet (but it doesn't look like that'll last), but she still hasn't quite gotten used to the thunder, and while it's not throwing her entire mood off, it's giving her the jitters. She's most of the way from the station to the market, so she's in good shape, but still...]

Then again, I don't trust someone else to pick out my stuff anyway, I'm too high-maintenance. So let's see what I can dig up...

[A few minutes later, she's roaming the aisles as usual; she spends a fair bit of time in the baking aisle, as is perhaps her tradition and association, humming at color and extract and fancy sugar, but while she's here she also visits the produce section, spending some time with the citrus. Aaaand at the frozen desserts, because it's hot and she's both predictable and in the mood for someone else's sweets. Just. Quietly peering into the cases and making appreciative sounds as she considers...]

[thestarknows]

[Junna is standing next to Lisa, having met up with her. She also has a sleeveless shirt on, and a skirt besides. Her handbag is also over her shoulder as she looks at the clouds, then at the market, and she cracks a smile a bit.]

Well... I've got an umbrella, if it will help.

[Even if she wouldn't quite call Lisa high maintenance. She looks sideways at her, her expression turning thoughtful -- and then looking over the market.]

Anything specific in mind today?

[She still looks a little tense. Getting out of the Dream Sphere was good for her... but that was still terrifying. And, worse, there's an uncomfortable bit of knowledge: she panicked, and she's still ashamed of that. But getting out helps distract her.]

[traceofeffort]

I've got mine too, so it'll be fine... probably. Not looking forward to getting water in my shoes again, but that's just kinda how it goes this time of year, yeah?

[She sighs breezily, before she shakes it off and grins back. Junna needs the day out at least as much as she does; she's going to do her best to keep positive today. Or maybe be just weird enough to bait a couple more laughs. It'll be worth it.]

I've got a list in my head, and on my phone if I need it, but I'm going to do a little experimenting. I've got a few new things I want to try, but I need sliiiightly more interesting ingredients. [Conspiratorially, she lowers her voice and adds:] And maybe some ice cream, if there's any left.

[thestarknows]

Mm-hm. Rain all the time... I'm sure there's a pop song about that, actually. [She looks thoughtful, trying to remember it.

But then she shakes her head. Best to focus on the task! She looks at Lisa, and she smiles at the talk of experimenting. The smile turns into a confused look -- and then both eyebrows arch... and she leans a little closer to her.

She lowers her voice, too.] Ice cream? And... interesting ingredients? What do you have in mind, Lisa-chan?

[traceofeffort]

There's all kinds of them. And a Western country song about all of them, if you want to get meta.

[But she lets the thought go, as Junna seems more interested in their shopping trip. She is too, anyway. So she lets herself keep going in a dramatic, sultry tone, not as quiet but not her usual conversational volume.]

I require... citrus. And not the simple, pedestrian sort. Something sweeter. More luxurious. [A breath, and she falls back into a more playful mode.] Ruby-chan and I were talking about fruit flavors the other day, and now I want to see if I could make something sweet with a couple things. Blood orange, maybe key lime... lemons too. And then I just want something cold, y'know?

[thestarknows]

That's... I shouldn't be surprised, but somehow I am? [Junna shakes her head. Well... it is a common emotion, she supposes. Rain is often pretty disappointing. Or more! She looks thoughtful.

Then she looks at Lisa -- and, okay, she flushes a bit at the sultry tone. Then she cracks a smile, and she speaks in a conspiratorial way.]

Oh-ho, citrus. This is dangerous stuff, Miss Imai. [The smile becomes a laugh.] That... sounds delicious. Especially with this heat. I bet we could find something good in here! It may just take some looking.

[traceofeffort]

[Lisa's breath turns into a laugh to join Junna's, if a slightly apologetic one.]

Too much? I was feeling a little inspired. But... yeah, that's what I'm thinking! Something bright and sour to complement the heat. I wanna make new things! I'll share, of course, after I make sure the results are edible. It might take a bit of looking, but it'll be fun while we figure something out, yeah?

[thestarknows]

Not at all. I liked it. [Junna has another laugh. Really, theater kids. Is it any surprise?

She nods eagerly, though. She knows Lisa can cook up a storm. It's even a shopping trip like this one that she first got some insight into her abilities.] I'd be happy to try it! It sounds fantastic.

I'm a little more basic. Some stuff for fried rice, I think.

[traceofeffort]

Hey, if I can find a nice, not-melty day to fire up the oven, I'll have you on speed dial. And admittedly I have no idea how they'll turn out, but there's a certain amount of... free real estate, let's say. They're cookies. It'll be fine, yeah?

[And as she reaches the produce bins, she looks away from Junna for a moment to reach for a key lime. Or two. Or three...]

Don't knock fried rice! It's important! Foundational! [She shakes the lime presently in her hand at Junna to punctuate each statement.] And, uh, fairly simple even if you don't know what you're doing. Have an idea what you want to throw in already?

[reluctants]

[ It seems like it's almost fate for them to run into each other while shopping at this point, huh..

At least this time they're not dealing with squished produce. Nope. Instead Lisa may spot Illya by the time she's at the frozen desserts section. Mostly because the young girl is pretty easy to notice this time around. She seems to have grabbed an amount of frozen treats out of the cases that's just.. way too much for someone small to carry.. So Lisa may just see the tail end of the situation as Illya lets out a surprised yelp when the treats drop right out of her hands, falling all over the shop's floor.

Her look as she witnesses what the situation has become is one of total terror. Oh no. How is she going to fix this. She's frantically trying to pick up some of the desserts already.. ]

[traceofeffort]

[Say what you like, but the classics are classic for a reason. Lisa's peering into a freezer case at what look like ice cream sandwiches, reaching for the handle, when a shock of white hair catches her attention. Then she hears the crash of several items having apparently come out of the girl's arms just as she realizes it's Illya, and she winces, before stepping over confidently.]

Here, it's okay, it's okay. Let me help, Illya-chan.

[She does her best to smile at the girl; causing a scene like this always sucks, and doing it with precious ice cream in the middle of summer is even worse. Crouching down, she starts to pick up a couple things, turning them over in her hands - did anything actually smash open, or are the packages just dented? Hopefully she didn't have any of the top-shelf glass stuff...]

[reluctants]

[ Thankfully it looks like most of the damage in this situation is just to Illya's sense of public embarrassment, since all of the desserts that Lisa picks up will still look pretty alright. Sure, a lot of them look kind of shaken up inside of their packaging, but at least there's nothing dented or having opened..

And yet Illya is trying to scramble to gather desserts as well with the sort of speed that suggests she's terrified one of might just mysteriously burst open on the floor anyway. ]

Lisa-san... [ She whines, though it sounds pretty desperate. Like she's on the verge of tearing up in the middle of the supermarket aisle.

At least her hands are still moving to gather the desserts. M-Multitasking? Yay? ] Everyone is going to think I'm a big dummy...

[traceofeffort]

[She feels pretty bad watching Illya... it's fine, really, but she also understands the social pressure of causing a scene. So she continues to scoop up anything she can reach and casually chucks it all into her tote. Out of sight, out of everyone else's minds, right? Still, forget the ice cream popping open, Illya looks like she'll pop open herself. She should say something...]

Seriously, it's okay. It happens sometimes - I've done it too. Heck, I dropped a bottle of food coloring and it looked like I set off a paint bomb. My poor shoes turned red!

[As Lisa talks, watching Illya, she reaches over the girl's head and-] Yoink~ [-nabs one or two packages out of her hands, adding them to the pile over her shoulder. She isn't gonna be able to do that too much longer, though, is she. Darn adorable kouhai are going to blot out the sun around her...]

You're no dummy. Not for this, and not for anything else, either. Deep breaths, all right?

[reluctants]

[ There's something about the way this situation is being handled. Something about the way Lisa takes care of everything so easily, and then on top of it she's saying such nice things to try and reassure Illya as well. The mess on the ground is practically cleared out now, Lisa having tucked away most of the fallen desserts.

And without those to focus on, Illya can only look at Lisa instead. With wide eyes that..

.. wait, are they starting to look a little glossy? A little.. watery, perhaps?

Oh no, Lisa. The young girl looks like she's about to cry, right here in the middle of the supermarket aisle. It's hard to tell if they're bad or good tears, but they sure look like they're coming.. What do, Lisa!! ]

[traceofeffort]

[She knows what that look means, and it... surprisingly doesn't freak her out? On the one hand, Illya bawling is definitely going to cause a scene on top of the one she'd nearly caused in the first place - between the two of them, they'd gotten things cleaned up quickly enough to avoid too much attention. But on the other... she gets it. She knows what royally screwing up in a way that attracts lots of attention feels like. She's been there and she doesn't want that for Illya. And yet, even if it does happen...

...well, Lisa knows what she wanted, when it was her in the halls of the middle school years ago. That'll have to be enough, and if she's wrong, she'll apologize and they can both cry together because she'll have made the mess worse and that'll set her off.

So Lisa wraps an arm around Illya, channeling every big sister instinct she has (which isn't as much as she'd like!), briefly making sure her hands aren't sticky before setting the other atop the girl's head. She starts to run that hand through Illya's hair before realizing that might be a touch too forward and pausing, fingers twitching. Still, she speaks in a low, soft tone, hoping she's projecting a soothing feeling.]

Hey, it's okay. Let it out if you need to. I've got you.

[...if someone looks a little too hard in their general direction, Lisa's glare is murderous. She takes kouhai protection very, very seriously.]

[reluctants]

[ Honestly, it seems like the fingers in her hair weren't too much, actually.

Because only a moment after Lisa pulls her close like that - it's a moment later since the girl freezes, seeming to have to process for a moment what's even happening to her here - Illya already moves to cling on to Lisa in turn. Not just one, but both of her hands reach out to cling to the other girl's clothes, fingers burying in so desperately that it's almost as if the younger girl is fearing being separated from the other in this moment. Her head leans over until her face is buried against Lisa as well, and though there's no loud crying of any kind, the way the girl's shoulders jerk up and down does make it pretty obvious that she's crying against Lisa.

(Sorry for the wet crying spot on your clothes, girl..) ]

I-I'm sorry.. [ The girl manages to force out between sniffles. Even though it's not like Illya can see whether or not people are even looking at them, she's still keeping her voice down to keep this between just them. ] I just-- I, um, I didn't expect the help, and you're being so nice..

[ .. It kind of makes it sound like she's not even crying about the embarrassing situation - though it could still be part of it! - and more just the fact that she's being helped in the middle of it instead, huh.. ]

[traceofeffort]

[Illya's having a time of it, huh. Lisa's happy to be a shoulder (literally in this case) to cry on if the girl needs it, and part of her is glad Illya trusts her enough to do this in front of her in the first place. She rocks slightly from side to side, taking the risk and letting her fingers go through her friend's hair after all. It's fine. She's... well, some of this is Lisa not wanting to leave someone alone like she was. But she doesn't want Illya to be freaking out alone, either, whether it's her or not. So she doesn't mind. Even if her shirt's a bit wet later, it's okay! It's a badge of honor, right?

The apology takes her a little off guard (even if it's what she would and does do in the situation), and she shakes her head slightly, though Illya can probably feel it given the closeness.]

It's okay, really. What was I going to do, leave you to freak out by yourself? Nobody deserves that. I want to help. You deserve it.

[She says it with as firm conviction as she can manage. What kind of person would she be if she didn't help someone important to her that was feeling down, or needed an extra hand up? She doesn't even want to think about it.

.....as she shoots another death glare over Illya's shoulder. Can't these people just mind their own business?]

[greaterspeed]

[at the produce section, just over the top of some of the fruit displays is the sight of several round fruits being thrown up and down. It's pretty easy to recognize the juggler if anyone goes to investigate. Even if he's forgone wearing his previous sports jacket to just a form fitting sports t-shirt and baggy pants, Nikki's familiar green sunglasses and his sandglass are still proudly on display.

And he might be juggling fruit like a clown but he's not going to be a total nuisance about it. He is planning on buying the items - at a glance, it looks like a couple of apples, a lemon and a few limes(?) - he's juggling thank you very much! Though it's hard to tell what he might be using them for, considering the contents of his basket seems to be mostly canned and jarred goods]

[traceofeffort]

[Lisa looks up from the obligatory apple display she raids every time she's in here, to find a lime rising from the fixture, before falling in an arc quite near where it'd gone up. Then a lemon. Then another apple of the type she'd just thrown in her basket. By the time she properly stands up the sunglasses answer the rest of the question, and she suppresses the urge to sigh. She does, however, head over with an honest smile and quiet applause, along with a mildly dry tone.]

Hey there. Testing the produce for ripeness?

[greaterspeed]

Yup!

[the total lack of shame in his answer...!! Nikki doesn't even flinch of stop juggling when Lisa approaches him]

Planning on making a Thai style curry and while we could order out, it's been a while since we used a recipe a friend of ours gave us. Though... [he looks away from the fruit he's juggling to look at his basket instead] Probably going to just settle on using the curry paste cheat code.

[and he calmly catches the items he was just juggling (somewhere, a produce stocker is crying tears of relief) and gives her a bow with a flourish]

Thank you, thank you~! [he grins as he gently tosses his fruit into his basket... Then boldly leans over to peek into Lisa's basket instead] So what's brought you out to the market?

[traceofeffort]

[She giggles briefly, before nodding at the sensible follow-on answer.]

Hey, there's no shame in a cheat code for the hard stuff. If it gets you cooking, it's still a win! If nothing else, it's cheaper than going out to eat all the time. That sounds tasty, though... how spicy are you going?

[The lean across to her basket is surprising, but she's less jumpy than the last time they met, and she doesn't flinch away this time. Progress! It presently contains the apples she just picked up, and some confectioner's sugar. There are little bottles of red and yellow food coloring too, in tiny bags that don't seem like they actually come from the store.]

Ah, I've been struck by the urge to make new cookie recipes, and I'm a little bit of a baking ingredient snob. So I end up here from time to time looking for fun stuff, because every once in a while I can't find it at the grocer closer to me, let alone Tomoe.

[greaterspeed]

Nah~ You get used to living in a country, cooking with what's available, and sometimes you forget that - hey - that common item in one country isn't in another. So we just gotta make do.

As for how spicy, we're probably going to go with how they make it. So probably a bit spicier than the usual curry you get 'round here?

[probably a dangerous level of spice for the average Japanese citizen...]

Ooooh, cookies?? How fancy were you planning on going? Trying new fruits? New fillings??

[traceofeffort]

Mm, that makes sense too. When in Rome, yeah? I bet the real stuff tastes awesome, so I hope you can get close. [She giggles.] Might burn my tongue off, though. I like spicy things, but I think you're going to be a little outside my comfort zone.

[She reaches for key limes, throwing a couple in her basket.]

A little fancy, admittedly. I'm going to be trying some new things with my icing, but new fruits too. I've done a lemon cookie before, but I haven't tried actually throwing lemon zest in. And if they have any, I want to see how blood orange would work. Something new and different.

[greaterspeed]

You just gotta build up the endurance for it! There's nothing like spicy food to get the metabolism going.

[he nods enthusiastically, even though the spice level he's happiest with is borderline face melting]

Oooh, fancy~ And cookies are pretty great for your on-the-go needs. The only thing is that blood orange would probably look more impressive on top of the cookie than baked into it, because it just tastes like an orange.

[once that suggestion is out there though-]

You're making your own cookies, right? Can I give them a try?

[completely shameless...]

[traceofeffort]

[A delicate eyebrow raise accents a quirk of her lips.] You can't just say things like that to young women. If it were that easy, every girl I know would be going out for Thai food three times a week and we'd run into a lot more fire-breathing Torments. It can't be that easy, can it?

[She does settle into a more easygoing expression when the topic goes back to her baking, at least. And his ideas are sensible enough, if her nodding is any indication.]

Hey, I could get a rich color putting them in the dough... but you're right, it'll probably still be better on top. Cut down how long I can carry them, though. And yes, you can have one - but I'll need a way to get a hold of you when they're ready! I don't know if I'll have any left if I just have to wait to run into you again, you know? [She puffs out a small breath and smiles.] I'm Imai Lisa. Sorry, I was so nervous the last time we met, I never introduced myself.