[Ryuji, little do you know how much Ren would do for his friends.]
Yeah. There's a really popular online game too..[a pause]...granted it did suck people into it last year so. [Slow shrug. This is this type of world, at this point.]
Yeah! Maybe a few fighting games and the like. Or maybe put some televisions on some of the bar's tables and offer gaming if you buy a coffee...
[Do you see the excitement in his eyes? It's too bad he can't share it with you in mind...hmmm...]
But we can talk about that later. It's your birthday!
[ no, he's seen how deep the depths of ren's generosity truly runs. honestly, his selflessness, while admirable, is a little extreme at times, but it's not what ryuji's preoccupied with now. past food, fun, a little fighting again, and maybe...something more sinister in design, if he's brave enough to tackle it, are the only things his head has room for at the moment. ]
Whoa, and end up like that one comic? Thanks, but no thanks...
[ virtual reality's not for him. he learned that one early on! ryuji's a purist at heart, so he thinks he'll stick to the equivalent of the classics here, nothing cutting-edge for him. ]
Now we're talkin'! Just make sure you credit me when you set it up, 'kay?
[ he may not be an official employee, but he likes helping out ren in any capacity. if he can earn a little recognition on the side for it, so much the better. ]
Damn straight—! Beats slumming it at the fishing hole, huh?
[ although he wouldn't have minded going back to one...the city has one here too, doesn't it? while there won't be any time for it today, he starts to wonder about what he can potentially invite ren to in the near future. just for fun, or just to hold him to...some of last week's promises, maybe.
some of them, when his head's on straight and he's not ready to go on a new rampage at the drop of a hat. ]
I didn't think anyone was gonna remember! Feels like I just had one, you know?
[ a couple of months have passed, but...is this the shortest amount of time anyone's ever spent being eighteen? ryuji doesn't know. ]
[Or maybe they aren't quite thinking of the same thing but there's so many anime and comics about people being taken into virtual reality.]
Well if I'm setting this up, I'll need you to help me.
[In his heart you are one Ryuji. Deal with it. Or not. That's fine too.]
Ahh! Well I mean it doesn't change all that much here. It's not like Japan where the adult age is 20...I got lucky since my birthday was April 1st and I was about to leave back home so soon.
[It did fit Ren in a weird way, arriving in Tokyo and leaving before his own birthday. What could they do, really.]
Sounds good! You know I'm always down to pitch in!
[ but first, please excuse ryuji while he shoves an entire fish fillet into his mouth. oh, and some extra pickles, too... ]
Makes sense... [ mph. ] But it's a pretty big occasion, yanno? [ he slurps up his soup straight from the bowl like it's a beverage of its own, washing everything down. ] I feel like we all kinda grew up ahead of time, anyway.
[ something's off, though. the first? ryuji could have sworn it was different, but it's just another one of those tiny, relatively pointless details which don't quite align with how he remembers things to be. after enough time spent in ren's head, he knows it goes both ways, something he tends to forget about more often than not. given how insignificant it is, it's not worth making a big deal over.
speaking of: ]
Guess lotsa other people'd know by now too, huh? [ when his birthday is, among other facts of varying degrees of importance. ] Still, didn't think anybody'd give a shit...
[ ren did, though. it's pretty obvious, considering how long they've known each other, and the type of guy he is in general, but it leaves ryuji feeling as warm as the sun's rays pelting them, the soup he's just guzzled, the coffee that's laying in wait to finish off their little meal together. ]
[ what an awfully nice thing for ren to say—up until the last part, at least. ]
Pbbbt— [ ryuji spits out his coffee, overdramatic. there goes all that hard work to brew it... ] Wh-what the hell! You wanna get roughed up again, or what!?
[ don't think he's forgotten that old dig at him! haven't they been friends for long enough to let that go? he's such a clown, such a joker, ryuji kind of wants to slam his face into the kotatsu.
or kiss it, since that's still going on. he can't decide which he wants more. ]
[ wow. when he puts it that way, there's no flames to fan—they sputter and die at the drop of a hat. ]
Man, if you're gonna be like that it totally kills the vibe...
[ ryuji's a lot less interested in tearing him apart now, more interested in tearing into what little's left of his food. this area was piled high just a second ago, and it's already been demolished.
if this is how breakfast is going to go, what does the rest of the day look like for them? ]
[ something like that. it's one thing to (playfully) egg him on into some mild violence, but the thought of doing it deliberately doesn't sit right with ryuji. thankfully it's easy to shake off and look past how much of a glutton for punishment ren is—especially when there's more food to distract them. ]
Huh? How'd you hide all that under there?
[ it's time to take a peek for himself. what else have ren and his magic kotatsu smuggled up here? ]
[Ryuji would be slightly disappointed to find a insulated heating case carrying the food.
Ren peeks as well so Ryuji can see him from the other side. It looks...a lot more fantastical from inside. Everything that was built to make it work and some bright lights.]
[ that's less exciting, but still impressive! there's something about their brief-but-prolonged eye contact, however, that makes ryuji flash his too-large teeth and quickly dart back up.
this is fine. he's totally fine! ]
I never was good at any of those... [ a thought strikes him then, out of the blue: ] Hey, you didn't bring that as a party favor, didja?
[ for someone who just admitted he's awful at the game, suddenly he'd love nothing more than to clobber ren silly again—with the help of some tetrominos. ]
[Totally fine, huh. It's not like Ren kept that gaze for as long as possible either! That would be silly.]
No I did not...[Although that could be fun.] We could go to an arcade afterwards, if you'd like. I think they call it Tetris here? Or it looked close enough to it...
[As fun as bringing a table and a game system here, Ren wasn't sure if the table would be able to provide all the power to make it work.]
Who calls it that!? I still can't get over how backwards and screwy this place is...
[ screwy in more ways than one. ryuji huffs, sitting back, all his weight planted on on his forearms, his bent elbows. ]
I dunno... [ he's thinking; yusuke did give him something earlier, but is now really the time to use it, to spring it on ren? maybe not. ] I kinda figured I'd just hang out with you guys. Y'know, like old times.
[ as if it hadn't only been a few months since everyone in the phantoms went their separate ways. then again, for ren, especially with everyone coming and going at random, it must feel like a lot longer. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I did [s]leep so much I forgot to tag this like an [i]diot
Yeah. There's a really popular online game too..[a pause]...granted it did suck people into it last year so. [Slow shrug. This is this type of world, at this point.]
Yeah! Maybe a few fighting games and the like. Or maybe put some televisions on some of the bar's tables and offer gaming if you buy a coffee...
[Do you see the excitement in his eyes? It's too bad he can't share it with you in mind...hmmm...]
But we can talk about that later. It's your birthday!
no subject
[ no, he's seen how deep the depths of ren's generosity truly runs. honestly, his selflessness, while admirable, is a little extreme at times, but it's not what ryuji's preoccupied with now. past food, fun, a little fighting again, and maybe...something more sinister in design, if he's brave enough to tackle it, are the only things his head has room for at the moment. ]
Whoa, and end up like that one comic? Thanks, but no thanks...
[ virtual reality's not for him. he learned that one early on! ryuji's a purist at heart, so he thinks he'll stick to the equivalent of the classics here, nothing cutting-edge for him. ]
Now we're talkin'! Just make sure you credit me when you set it up, 'kay?
[ he may not be an official employee, but he likes helping out ren in any capacity. if he can earn a little recognition on the side for it, so much the better. ]
Damn straight—! Beats slumming it at the fishing hole, huh?
[ although he wouldn't have minded going back to one...the city has one here too, doesn't it? while there won't be any time for it today, he starts to wonder about what he can potentially invite ren to in the near future. just for fun, or just to hold him to...some of last week's promises, maybe.
some of them, when his head's on straight and he's not ready to go on a new rampage at the drop of a hat. ]
I didn't think anyone was gonna remember! Feels like I just had one, you know?
[ a couple of months have passed, but...is this the shortest amount of time anyone's ever spent being eighteen? ryuji doesn't know. ]
no subject
[Or maybe they aren't quite thinking of the same thing but there's so many anime and comics about people being taken into virtual reality.]
Well if I'm setting this up, I'll need you to help me.
[In his heart you are one Ryuji. Deal with it. Or not. That's fine too.]
Ahh! Well I mean it doesn't change all that much here. It's not like Japan where the adult age is 20...I got lucky since my birthday was April 1st and I was about to leave back home so soon.
[It did fit Ren in a weird way, arriving in Tokyo and leaving before his own birthday. What could they do, really.]
Besides, of course we'd remember.
no subject
Sounds good! You know I'm always down to pitch in!
[ but first, please excuse ryuji while he shoves an entire fish fillet into his mouth. oh, and some extra pickles, too... ]
Makes sense... [ mph. ] But it's a pretty big occasion, yanno? [ he slurps up his soup straight from the bowl like it's a beverage of its own, washing everything down. ] I feel like we all kinda grew up ahead of time, anyway.
[ something's off, though. the first? ryuji could have sworn it was different, but it's just another one of those tiny, relatively pointless details which don't quite align with how he remembers things to be. after enough time spent in ren's head, he knows it goes both ways, something he tends to forget about more often than not. given how insignificant it is, it's not worth making a big deal over.
speaking of: ]
Guess lotsa other people'd know by now too, huh? [ when his birthday is, among other facts of varying degrees of importance. ] Still, didn't think anybody'd give a shit...
[ ren did, though. it's pretty obvious, considering how long they've known each other, and the type of guy he is in general, but it leaves ryuji feeling as warm as the sun's rays pelting them, the soup he's just guzzled, the coffee that's laying in wait to finish off their little meal together. ]
Hehe. Thanks, Renren.
no subject
[He takes this opportunity to have some of the food himself. He stays silent for the most part when Ryuji has thoughts and speaks up, nodding along.]
Why not? They'd be missing out.
[Ryuji might look gruff on the outside, but Ren knows all about the beating heart of gold.]
My pleasure. [A pause because he simply can't help himself;] Sakamoto.
no subject
[ what an awfully nice thing for ren to say—up until the last part, at least. ]
Pbbbt— [ ryuji spits out his coffee, overdramatic. there goes all that hard work to brew it... ] Wh-what the hell! You wanna get roughed up again, or what!?
[ don't think he's forgotten that old dig at him! haven't they been friends for long enough to let that go? he's such a clown, such a joker, ryuji kind of wants to slam his face into the kotatsu.
or kiss it, since that's still going on. he can't decide which he wants more. ]
no subject
Is that a promise or a threat?
[He does like to live dangerously.]
no subject
[ wow. when he puts it that way, there's no flames to fan—they sputter and die at the drop of a hat. ]
Man, if you're gonna be like that it totally kills the vibe...
[ ryuji's a lot less interested in tearing him apart now, more interested in tearing into what little's left of his food. this area was piled high just a second ago, and it's already been demolished.
if this is how breakfast is going to go, what does the rest of the day look like for them? ]
no subject
Oh? [Was it the mention of it being a threat? Maybe...regardless, he pulls out from under the kokatsu, some bento-like boxes.]
More?
[He's a Cordis. He's learned to make larger meals.]
no subject
[ something like that. it's one thing to (playfully) egg him on into some mild violence, but the thought of doing it deliberately doesn't sit right with ryuji. thankfully it's easy to shake off and look past how much of a glutton for punishment ren is—especially when there's more food to distract them. ]
Huh? How'd you hide all that under there?
[ it's time to take a peek for himself. what else have ren and his magic kotatsu smuggled up here? ]
no subject
Ren peeks as well so Ryuji can see him from the other side. It looks...a lot more fantastical from inside. Everything that was built to make it work and some bright lights.]
It's like playing Tetriod with food.
no subject
[ that's less exciting, but still impressive! there's something about their brief-but-prolonged eye contact, however, that makes ryuji flash his too-large teeth and quickly dart back up.
this is fine. he's totally fine! ]
I never was good at any of those... [ a thought strikes him then, out of the blue: ] Hey, you didn't bring that as a party favor, didja?
[ for someone who just admitted he's awful at the game, suddenly he'd love nothing more than to clobber ren silly again—with the help of some tetrominos. ]
no subject
No I did not...[Although that could be fun.] We could go to an arcade afterwards, if you'd like. I think they call it Tetris here? Or it looked close enough to it...
[As fun as bringing a table and a game system here, Ren wasn't sure if the table would be able to provide all the power to make it work.]
no subject
Who calls it that!? I still can't get over how backwards and screwy this place is...
[ screwy in more ways than one. ryuji huffs, sitting back, all his weight planted on on his forearms, his bent elbows. ]
I dunno... [ he's thinking; yusuke did give him something earlier, but is now really the time to use it, to spring it on ren? maybe not. ] I kinda figured I'd just hang out with you guys. Y'know, like old times.
[ as if it hadn't only been a few months since everyone in the phantoms went their separate ways. then again, for ren, especially with everyone coming and going at random, it must feel like a lot longer. ]