April catch-all ♫

[traceofeffort]

⭐ Who: Lisa and you! Yeah, you, I see you on your phone over there, come on, sing along! Junna will be along for at least one of these, I expect, You'll Know.
⭐ When: All through April! Especially earlier in the month, though.
⭐ Where: Asagi Public Library, DU HQ, Tsubaki Department Store, the park, and probably other places too
⭐ What: After last month's roller coaster of emotions, Lisa's doing her best to keep her head and embrace her vision for the future, with everything preparing for adult life entails. She's also got some slightly esoteric shopping to do.
⭐ Warnings: Early in the month, nothing, for once! Tooth-rotting fluff, perhaps. Later in the month, Lisa will be somewhat less cheery for Obvious Reasons.

Comments

[traceofeffort]

I only have to do an apartment, and I don't even have to make all the choices for it myself. Uh, not that I can throw too many stones, I'm gonna want some weird stuff. We'll also need a TV, come to think... it's gonna be a lot, huh?

[thezekeinator]

That's why all the pictures, I'm sending them to Sam to check out. [Zeke whirls the phone on his palm, delighted to show off. Yes, he'd practiced this very thing, just to be cool.] Seeing what we might want, what might not work. You gonna have your own little space, or is it totally shared?

[traceofeffort]

Oh, that's smart, I might do that myself, then. [She very carefully does not laugh or grin at Zeke's enthusiasm.] Show her what I have in mind. Not that we know what our space will look like yet! We're still apartment shopping. [Her expression dims a little.] Senpai was going to help me look, before everything went to hell.

[thezekeinator]

Well, don't take the one I'm about to move out of if you can help it.

[A banged-up dump that only a person who never spends time at it should inhabit? That's how Zeke has been saving money for a few years now. It worked great for him, but for Lisa and Junna? No thanks!]

Tell you what, if we come across anything likely while we're looking, I'll give you a heads-up. Don't count on it since we're hunting houses, but something might fall across our laps from it.

[traceofeffort]

Noted! Only quality apartments and maybe starter homes for good girls that don't want to live in a terrible dwelling. [She grins.] I have a feeling you won't, but if you do, definitely let us know! I'd appreciate it, definitely. We're... well, we know what we want but not the best way to get it.

[thezekeinator]

Yeah, and I hate to say it, but you might have to settle a little for now.

[Dreamers... could stand to be better paid!]

Still, the thing about a home is that your family is there, not much of anything else, so you'll do fine. I'm sure of it.

[traceofeffort]

[Lisa nods a few times, in full agreement.]

Yeah. As long as the person I need is there, I can deal with almost anything else. Gimme a working oven and a locking door, and maybe a floor that doesn't squeak and walls that aren't paper thin? Not being on the fifteenth floor would also be nice, but we're not getting that in Koubai. Maybe we'll look a little further outside the city center, see if that helps.

[thezekeinator]

[Smart girl. Even Zeke had passed on some of those amenities, but he hadn't been making a home.]

What about pets? Can't go wrong with adding a pet to the family, I say!

[traceofeffort]

[Lisa snorts, not caring how it looks.]

I can barely take care of myself, and that's with Junna's help. I'm not sure that's a good idea. [She pauses.] I'll think about it, but I don't think there's room in the budget for cat food.

[thezekeinator]

That makes sense. Good to know your limitations, if it comes to caring for someone or something. Still, doesn't have to be a cat. I got Turters because he doesn't need as much attention as a cat or a dog. Not a big deal for me to be at work a lot.

[Also: small apartment. A turtle in a sensible tank isn't small per se, and does take a fair bit of work to maintain, but is still a better choice in that circumstance.]

[traceofeffort]

That's something to consider! It doesn't have to be fluffy, I guess. Even if a turtle isn't quite as huggable... probably. And I'd have to make sure we *do* have room for a tank or whatever. I'm, uh, putting the cart before the horse here just a little. I don't even know what furniture we'll have space for, even if I know we need it. But it makes it feel more real for me to look, you know?

[thezekeinator]

Hey, you shouldn't put the cart before the horse, but you've gotta figure out how much weight you need and want in the cart so you can get a horse that can pull it, yeah?

[Zeke: not a linguistics major, but possibly a linguistics criminal for what he's doing to that poor metaphor.]

[traceofeffort]

[She seems to visibly struggle to unpack the metaphor for a second, before sighing and smiling up at him.]

That's an extremely tortured metaphor, but you're not wrong. Know what I want so I can plan ahead, right? Even if it means I dream a little bigger than my budget - for rent or for stuff - can hold. Sounds like you're coming at that one from experience, too.

[thezekeinator]

[Aaah. Zeke shrugs at that.]

Easier for me. I ended up with more money than I needed and not much reason to worry about what 'home' was like, so saving for the future was no problem at all. You've got more of that future here now, so different concerns.

[traceofeffort]

Yeah, it's the opposite for me. No money, but I don't really need a whole lot so long as it keeps us happy. We're going to both need jobs, and we're both in school, so we do have location needs, but that's really it.

[A pause, before her expression turns a little more awkward.]

It'd be nice to have something about adult life figured out, though, so even small steps are good. I'm pretty far behind on that.

[thezekeinator]

[At that, Zeke throws his arms wide and leans back to laugh, loud and dramatic. ]

No one figures out adult life, you know! You just throw yourself at it, do the best you can, and learn as you go.

[traceofeffort]

I definitely still have a lot of learning to do... I don't feel like I ever figured out teenage life, and I'm. I'm running out of that real fast, you know? So I'm kinda looking for advice anywhere I can get it. I need all the help I can get, ahaha...

[thezekeinator]

[Zeke sits up, straightening his spine as he folds his arms.]

All right, here you go. Adult life advice. [He clears his throat.]

Make a budget. Allot money for savings now, you won't be sorry later. Don't seek out mistakes, but don't be afraid to make them. You will anyway, that's just life, so learn from them instead of regretting them. Believe in yourself, because you're way more capable than you give yourself credit for. Dreaming doesn't have to be about fighting Torments and exploring the Dream Sphere, feel free to use it for a date night if your waking life is keeping you too busy. Don't let society tell you how to live, but don't be subversive just for the sake of it. You don't have to hang up your clothes, but at least know which basket is clean and which is dirty. And pass on what you've been given, to the best of your ability.

[traceofeffort]

[Initially, she's focused on him; Zeke doesn't do serious very often, so when he does, she takes him seriously. He gets a couple sentences in before Lisa's eyes slowly fill with tears. It's... it is good life advice. Some things she has an idea on already, but... the comprehensive wall, all at once, in a moment where she's really feeling vulnerable, is. Too much for her. Still, she does her best to focus, nodding as he gets through thoughts, smiling.

As he finishes, her lips turn up in a grin, even if it's a little spoiled by her inability to keep her tone steady.]

Sage advice. It's like you've been around the block once or twice. Maybe I should have taken notes.

[thezekeinator]

And. [He lifts a finger, to hold that thought.] You have lots of people who care about you and want to help you. Meaning if you ever need a good word or a place to just hide from the world, Sam and I have got your back. Even if it's just hearing that list again to take notes. And we're not the only ones.