Open! Come to me my pretties.

[inthejunk]

Who:New and old CR. it's a party! Sorry for inviting Yosuke...
When:Tuesday or after. But go for after if you don't want to deal with Pull sickness.
Where:Give me a setting, I'll play along. Maximizing new CR potential. Hell, he can wander into a strip club if you want, or an underground lab. We'll blame the brain fuzzies.
Summary:Happy reunions, unhappy reunions, potential unexpected meetings, etc.
Warnings:Probably some grumbling and cursing, and whatever other mischief people like.



It's cold compared to Inaba, Japan, anyway. Especially considering it had been August in Japan. So if Yosuke is hunched over in his summer uniform, puffing and huffing and stamping a bit unhappily, can he really be blamed?

Last night he was safe at home in his own bed, probably sweating in his sheets while cicadas chirped and the fan on his desk hummed quietly. Today, he's on this cold, grey island instead. It turns out it wasn't just a dream. Or if it is a dream, it isn't quite over yet.

And it's turning his freaking fingers blue. Swell.

Comments

[inthejunk]

I'm not sure. But I guess that's how it works, right? Nothing seems to be missing until someone else says it, and then...

[He shakes his head, and shrugs. Nill's jacket ends up draped over a chair instead, distractedly, and he's already on some other subject as usual.]

Actually, I think I'm getting it all mixed up. I remember Souji being here sometimes, even though that's obviously wrong. And I fought my shadow...well, I mean that's impossible. But someone like-oh, shit. I mean! Sorry. Excuse my language. It's just that I forgot you won't even know what I'm saying.

[He runs his hand over his face and then gives his hair a frustrated yank.]

It's like I can't separate things. And other things are fuzzy. Like Gilbert. I thought he was....I don't know. I thought he saved me from something, and maybe we had a garden together. See what I mean? It's all jumbled and ridiculous. I must have really hit my head on a big chunk of space-time or something. I mean, that isn't normal, right?

[reassures]

[It sounds disturbingly close to what it felt like after she got here. The different lives conflicting in her head, how she couldn't quite remember what she was missing until she really thought about it. Even that much had taken her so long. She was sure there were people she still couldn't really remember.]

I know what you're saying, Yosuke.

[She wonders if it would be a good idea or a bad one to tell him that Souji was here. For a moment something like anger rises in her chest (starting at the scar on it where he healed her), and Nill shakes her head; she passes it off as trying to look reassuring.

Yosuke had nearly drunk himself to death because of that boy. And Nill, for as much as she thinks not remembering is awful, is selfish enough to not want him to remember Souji. Maybe he'd stay happier if he didn't know that Souji was here and had disappeared. Maybe he wouldn't start calling this place Naraka quite so quickly.

Nill lifts a hand, and very gently touches Yosuke's cheek with her fingertips.]

It's okay. I think that's normal, and you'll remember things when you can. You don't need to worry about it so much right now. You only just got back.

[inthejunk]

I'll remind you you said that when I forget your birthd-

[He stops, mid-sentence, and shoots her a miserable look.]

I don't know it. I already forgot! Ugh, damn it. Um...is it in April? You remind me of spring, so...

[reassures]

[That makes her smile.]

Don't worry-- I don't think I ever told you it, so you didn't forget. I celebrate it in August, actually.

[inthejunk]

I missed it! I was here -no wait...yeah! I was here the first time August happened this year. Why didn't you say anything? We could have had cake and gone dancing.

[reassures]

[Dancing? Oh. That sounds fun. She might need to keep that in mind.]

It didn't seem important.

[She's probably celebrated her birthday... once. Maybe twice. Not even Shika and the others had really ever asked about it, so she never thought to bring it up.]

[inthejunk]

Of course it's important. We're-

[He starts to say dating, but stops himself. No. No, they aren't. That's wrong. He's getting things screwed up again.

Yosuke rubs at his face, tired and frustrated with all the misconceptions. But this isn't the time to focus on that. Nill is here. That's good enough for now.

Boldly, he takes her hand again and cups it gent between both of his.]

I'd like to celebrate that kind of thing with you, alright?

[reassures]

[Dating? It's true that they aren't. Yosuke's never so much as asked her on a date. But they are sort of... well, she's not really sure how to put it. It's not exactly typical friendship at any rate.

She's a little surprised by how important this is to him, though. Nill smiles gently, and puts her free hand on top of his.]

Alright. We can celebrate it next time.

[Because he was going to be here for it. He had to be.]

We'll celebrate yours, too.

[inthejunk]

[He grins at that, and gives a nod, satisfied with that answer.]

It's in June. Don't forget, okay? I'm holding you to this.

[reassures]

[June? She tries to think of what she was doing last June, and finds she's not entirely certain. She may have been in the hospital at the time.

It didn't matter. They'd celebrate it this time.]

I won't forget. I promise.

[inthejunk]

Good.

[He gives her hand one last gentle squeeze before he lets her go again. It's no wonder he got things mixed up. For some reason, hearing her say that makes his heart flutter. And so does her hand on his, and the chilly absence it leaves behind as soon as it isn't there makes him shiver. They're obviously close friends. It's...nice. The nicest thing to happen pretty much ever. He grins down at her again, slightly giddy. He probably looks like a loser, but it can't be helped. He's happy. It feels like it's been a long time since he could say that he was. It's a relief.]

[reassures]

[He doesn't look like a loser. He looks happy, and it's been a long time since Nill last thought that he genuinely looked happy. It's such a relief after thinking he was gone for good, so much so that Nill has to take a moment to giggle and blink her eyes a few times to make sure no waterworks start leaking.

He'd promised her, but she didn't think it was one he'd be able to keep. Even if he disappeared again tomorrow, he still kept his promise. He still found his way back. It's more than anyone has ever done for her.]

We can celebrate a lot of things. Whatever you want.

...Thank you for coming back.

[inthejunk]

[There's a really awkward moment where he wants to kiss her. Not sexually, but maybe in a leftover bout of romantic feelings from his earlier confusion. It's just a big swelling feeling in his chest, and it's HUGE. It's hard to keep it just to himself, and the first thing that comes to mind to pour it into her instead is a kiss. Something deep and slow and soft and unhurried, just a tethering at the lips and a gentle exploration and-but woah. What is he thinking? Crap, she'll see that and slap him. Or at least be embarrassed! Crap.

It's gratitude, maybe? The feeling? It could be that. The largest gratitude he's ever felt. Something giddy and hopeful and warm like bold summer afternoon sunbeams in his heart. Yeah. It's just that he's so damned happy to have her back. He'd been missing her all this time. Aching to be around her again, and it's just now settled in. But there she is, so everything is fine.

Yosuke licks his lips, and toward her. He hopes she can feel at least that he means it, when he says:]

I wouldn't want to leave you. So I guess I'll have to come back until you're there too.

[reassures]

[Slapping does not occur, but Nill's cheeks certainly go red with the thought. Very red. Probably redder than Yosuke's ever actually seen, because no one has ever thought something like that about her, and she's not sure how to process it. It isn't sexual - that much is easy to tell, but it's still... She really doesn't know how he manages to do things like this.

But she really is so, so happy to have him back. Everything is just a little overwhelming, because she's not entirely used to feeling so much while someone else is feeling so much. She does feel it, and she's at a loss for words, so Nill just hugs him again, around the middle this time. As tightly as she can, because she's missed him more than she knows how to express, and if he can do what he says then maybe the world isn't such a terrible place.]

[inthejunk]

[Maybe she's right. They don't need to talk about it. The good moments here are so few, they might as well just enjoy this one. Yosuke wraps his arms around her too, and gets a strange little thrill out of the fact that for the first time it feels like a mutual embrace. It isn't desperate or panicked or grief stricken, it's just natural. It's just a hug. It feels nice.]

[reassures]

[It's the first, truly good moment that she's had in a long time, and Nill knows this one will stay with her for a long time. They usually do - even if she can't always remember the people, she remembers the little things they did for her, and she will never ever forget this. She will never forget Yosuke. For the first time in a long time, Nill is certain of that, she has confidence in it. It's the only thing she's had confidence in for more than a year outside of her aim.

For a moment, a fraction of a second, Nill thinks of kissing him too. But she knows that in some ways, the way they care about each other is a lot different, and she doesn't want to lead him on. So she doesn't.

Eventually, it feels like she should break the hug, so she pulls away slowly, and smiles up at him. It's probably brighter than he's seen her smile in a long time.]

[inthejunk]

[It's nice. Somehow, just seeing Nill happy is enough to make him happy. Yesterday is forgotten for the moment. It doesn't matter, not when there's something like this to focus on instead. A happy reunion. It's like something out of a cheesy movie...but he's pretty okay with that at the moment.]

Let's go see if Gilbert has diner ready yet. He said he'd make you an pan! And I'm getting plums. I tried asking him to make you rose candy but he seemed confused, so maybe next time.

[reassures]

[There's a reason people like cheesy movies so much, you know. People like happy endings. Especially Nill.]

The an pan he made last time was really good.

[...Not entirely true. She actually remembers very little of what it tasted like the last time. But it was Gilbert, who worked in a bakery, so she's sure it must have been good. It wasn't bad at least.]

If he can't figure out how to make it, maybe we can.

[inthejunk]

Haven't I ever made you breakfast yet? I was sure I had.

[Yeah, nope. He can't really cook anything besides eggs, toast, and packaged foods. Maybe some easy miso. Rose candy is way out of his league.]

[reassures]

[Had he? ...Wait. Maybe. If he had, it was probably last December, which is why it didn't make much of an impression on her. She doesn't remember more than one or two meals from then, and the only reason she's sure she must have eaten more than that was because it was too long to do with only two meals.]

You have. It just-- slipped my mind.

[inthejunk]

[All things considered, that's pretty understandable. Nill was definitely out of it in a big way for a while. It's too bad she missed his best efforts, but maybe it's an excuse to try again. Egg toast sounds easy enough, he's been meaning to try that...]

Anyway, I definitely don't know how to cook something like that.

[reassures]

You could help me. I don't know how to do it either, but I'm sure we could find a recipe.

[inthejunk]

I guess there must be one somewhere, right?

[reassures]

There must be. There are a lot of resources for finding something like that here.

[inthejunk]

Are there? I've never noticed.

[Cook books? What are those?]