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Western Style Ramen (Smith/Yuu)
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Post by professorredbud on Mar 2, 2018 2:52:05 GMT
Ichiran Ramen, Shibuya 104, 5:30 PMSmith was waiting outside the Ramen bar, checking his vintage Mickey Mouse cowboy watch to make sure he had the time right. To be honest, he was actually kinda nervous. It had been years since his last date, being on the road for a good portion of his adult life sure didn't help with that.... He didn't even know why he put his name in that blind date raffle. But, he had and he was lucky.... or unlucky enough to be put with someone. Smith made sure to trim his beard goatee thing to a respectable amount and shower up and wash the inexplicable dust off his attire. He looked better than usual, but still out of place in his cowboy outfit. Hopefully his date didn't mind.
"Man... I'm jittier than a crippled armadillo in the middle of the freeway..." He said to himself, fanning himself off with his hat, exposing his brown hair that not too many had seen. With all that's happened to him in Shibuya, he's just hoping his date isn't one of them digital jackrabbits.
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Post by Manami on Mar 2, 2018 7:15:14 GMT
A blind date. One blind date, of all things. How had Yuu stumbled into this strange situation? It may have been due to a mischievous act of a certain redhead, but the truth is that she was there, and that there was simply no way of her not showing up.
She guessed that the only course of action left for her was to show up and just... try to have some good, old fun? Who knows, maybe she'd be pleasantly surprised by the end of the day. Maybe this was her way to tell her to get out of her otherwise stressful routine and enjoy life a little more. Point was that it had been said in a strange and pushy way, but Yuu herself probably wouldn't have listened otherwise.
Currently, she wasn't donning much in the way of formal clothes, nor expected her date to do the same; if the information she had gotten was correct, it probably would've been out of place. Keyword being if; just a pair of jeans, a shirt and a sweater on top of it to combat the not-that-cold weather that had been the norm in Tokyo as of late.
The young adult made sure to reach the meeting point good five minutes earlier, and promptly began to search for her date. Given she didn't know how he looked, and knew nothing about him sides his name being "Smith Weston", this would probably take quite a bit of time...
Unless she got lucky or something, that is.
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Post by professorredbud on Mar 2, 2018 23:45:04 GMT
Smith would have noticed the girl, but wouldn't have approached until a few minutes after both of them just stood there. "Hey....Ya wouldn't happen to be Yuu, would ya? Cause we'd both look silly waiting for dates that were already there...."
Smith would look over the girl, noting that she was kinda young looking. He'd better make sure he wasn't on To Catch a predator and Chris Hansen wouldn't pop out from under the chef's hat asking him to sit down... "If you are, you are 18 or over right? I just don't wanna go to jail or anything...." He'd reply, a bit sheepish at asking a girls age. Smith wasn't that kinda man, he sure wouldn't do anything to harm a young lady in any manner... He just thought it was illegal to date a minor. Heck, he barely knows Japanese law, so its a miracle he hasn't gotten arrested yet.
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Post by Manami on Mar 3, 2018 20:23:15 GMT
No one to be seen, at least at first. Wonder if that meant her date just went away or something of the like. A bit of a disappointment, but it wasn't like her expectations had been all that high in first place; wonder if there was a way to salvage this outing someway...
At least when somebody came closer and asked her if she was her. Not the smoothest way to go around it, not to say that the guy seemed uncomfortable, but that was how she'd have feel in his shoes, probably. He looked somewhat old, at least by comparison. The blonde was surprised that somebody that age would sign up for something like this, buuuut she wasn't going to question it.
To his first question and second statement, Smith got a nod as a response to each. Somewhat strange, but he'd probably find out the why soon enough, probably.
Another question came next, and that one prompted a silent snicker from the young woman. This guy was more than a little awkward; being concerned about that kind of things was a little surprising, but... given he seemed more than a little worried about it, so... this time, she brought out a notepad from one of her sweater's pockets and a pen from the other. She scribbled a quick note before tearing the page off and handing it to him.
Did you know that the legal age for a girl to get married in Japan is sixteen? Not that it matters, though. Don't worry; if you don't feel comfortable with this, we can just call it off. No hard feelings or anythin'.
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Post by professorredbud on Mar 6, 2018 1:02:47 GMT
"So ya are, Yuu.... Sorry for makin' ya wait like that. I just didn't know what ya looked like..." He replied, kinda relieved. "So... What's with the notes? Ya mute? Not that there's anything wrong with that...." Smith asked, he never expected his date to not be able to talk. There's something about subverting expectations there probably, but he was no writer.
"16, huh? Shoot that's the same in Oklahoma!... I thought it was 18 here, but that proves me wrong...." He seemed even more relieved there, not just at the act she was 18, but that he was breaking no laws that could put an end to his travelin' days. "And honestly, I'd feel worse than a sinning sidewinder in sunday school service if you signed up for this only to have your date run out on ya.... So, if you're fine with having a bowl of Ramen with me then I'd be glad to have ya."
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Post by Manami on Mar 7, 2018 23:03:09 GMT
Well, at least her date was smart enough to realize what was happening. As expected, Yuu's reply was at first, a nod and then... another one. How Smith was approaching the situation was a little funny. Oh well, that was fine; being a foreigner probably meant he was a little at a loss on how to address others, and maybe saw this as... a sensitive topic, of sorts?
Who knew, maybe she was overthinking things a little too much; in any case, as soon as the questions couldn't be answered by simple gestures, the notepad and pen were brought out again. At least he was taking the initiative; that much was something she appreciated.
Another page was passed to him soon enough.
A bowl of ramen sounds excellent. Guess we'd have to search for... a table, then? Where do you wanna sit?
If anything, this restaurant seemed good enough! And, being totally honest, she was somewhat hungry. Maybe this would be a tranquil affair, but at least it'd be a pleasant one.
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Post by professorredbud on Mar 9, 2018 5:16:46 GMT
Smith would lead the girl to a small two seater booth. “I mean, when does it not? Plus I think a booth is more appropriate for this, the bar is more for loners....” He’d reply to the note. He seemed a bit more collected after that, probably due to not scaring his date off. As he seated himself, he looked over the menu.* “I’ll probably have the Beef bowl... And what will you have? I’m paying so don’t think about price...” He’d begin to look over their drink menu as well, not really noticing anything he’d like. He’d probably just got dig a coke. “So, uh... Tell me a bit about yourself. Your favorite things to do, what you do, those sorts of things... You seem like a nice girl so I wanna make sure that’s true...” He’d chuckle, trying to make a terrible joke. [Please don’t take that the wrong way..] He’d think to himself, scared of making the girl offended.
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Post by Manami on Mar 10, 2018 20:59:17 GMT
At least the guy had some good taste in where to sit. And a solid reasoning behind that intention. Now, the only thing left was to was... order their things, she guessed.
Giving a small shrug at his response, she seemed a little impressed at his offer of paying things up; not like ramen was the most expensive food ever, but at least it was a nice detail. She perused the menu for a little while before beginning to write again.
I'll have a pork bowl. Some time has passed since the last time I had it.
And probably nothing else to go with it. Ramen was already pretty filling on its own, she reckoned. Regarding his question, and the somewhat weird way he had of presenting it, the blonde just smiled a little bit confidently, already writing up a response before passing it to him.
Well... I'm in college at the moment, studying business management. And, uhm... there's few things I don't like, really; I love animals and kinda like going to the beach, read and that stuff. Guess I'm a little... mild, in a sense?
Yuu didn't really think of herself as an interesting person, honestly. In fact, she was more curious about Smith's own response.
What about you? Likes/Dislikes? Why did you come to Japan? The number of foreigners surprises me a bit nowadays...
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Post by professorredbud on Mar 16, 2018 3:28:05 GMT
(Ah! Sorry for the late reply) Smith nodded at the note, nothing weird. “Hm, not a bad pursuit. Animals are always nice too... Cept, Rattlers... Those darn rattlers.” He said with a clenched fist, thinking back to a long time ago. Those rattlers stole his lunch, the legless bastards. “Anyway... I like the beach too and readin’s fine....” At her questions he would think carefully, as he didn’t wanna sound like a creep for some reason... that or he was tying to remember the words in Japanese for what he was about to talk about. “Hm... Well, I like western films, guns, food... A lot of things really... I fancy myself as a professional poker player, don’t really stay in one place long enough to do that.... And I really like to travel, meet new people and see new things... Japan’s been real nice so far.” “So uh... Any favorite books or animals?”
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Post by Manami on Mar 22, 2018 21:46:15 GMT
Smith seemed like a pretty interesting person, even if his interests were decidedly... western?
Was that falling into a stereotype? That was a real possibility? Maybe it was just a prejudice against Americans? Probably. Another note was passed by soon enough.
Never seen a rattler in my whole life. Doesn't look like they're nice animals though. Guess I'm... glad they don't live here? I don't like I like snakes all that much. I actually have pondered on becoming a vet when I was younger, but that was more of an innocent dream than an actual aspiration. Poker, huh...? Maybe We could play a hand of hold 'em at some point! I consider myself an amateur gambler at best, but it could be fun!
The blonde pondered on the question that followed up for a second. She thought for a bit.
Lord of the Flies and dogs, respectively. I'm a dog owner myself, and I wouldn't change my girl for anything in the world!
What's the most interesting place you've been thus far? I've never been out of Japan, but I can bet there's an interesting world out there!
Thus far, the whole ordeal was being pleasant enough, even though the changes of something actually happening were pretty much non-existent.
But that's fine.
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Post by professorredbud on Mar 27, 2018 4:36:16 GMT
“Lucky you...” *He’d reply to the fact that she’s never seen a rattlesnake.* “They’re varmits of the highest caliber...And Hey, you probably would have made a great vet... But hey, I wish ya luck on your next endeavor... And we should play sometime, I’ll probably beat cha, but we’ll play with crackers or cookies.” *A waiter would come by and give them their meals, Smith digging in almost immediately. He kept his manners, he even reciting a poorly said Thanks for the meal.* “... Lord of the flies? I ain’t read it... But any lover of dogs is a friend of mine. Especially wiener dogs, they’re the best! What kind do you have?” *He’d ask, interested in her choice of pet.* “Most interesting place i’ve been?... Hm... Honestly, I gotta say St. Petersburg. It was colder than a fridge in the artic full of ice, but it was full of nice people and good food....” *Smith was having fun, he didn’t care if she liked him like that. He has a possible gambling buddy and a new friend. Not bad for a few days in Japan.*
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Post by Manami on Mar 29, 2018 14:57:48 GMT
Were rattlers that bad? Yuu had no idea, honestly, but weren't they just... snakes? Oh well, those didn't exist in Japan, so that was probably something she'd never find out.
She nodded, eagerly at first, then a little confused. Being underestimated right off the bat definitely felt... interesting. Maybe Smith was just that good, but... she would've liked to at least voice her opinion on the matter. Figuratively, of course.
Instead, the teenager just focused on her meal after a quick nod. And it was definitely as delicious as it looked. Here's when the trouble kinda began, though. Given Yuu's peculiar situation, she wasn't able to "talk" while eating, so... for now, a moment of silence crept between the two. It wasn't uncomfortable for her, given that she was already used to answering between when she could.
It's a small, very intelligent dog. My life would honestly not be the same without her. Russia sounds pretty interesting, though! No hard feelings due you for being an American?
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Post by Manami on Jul 13, 2018 4:49:09 GMT
Finishing the word count on my own since Smith poofed. Overall, while Yuu was enjoying herself, she suddenly felt... off, for whatever reason. Was what she was doing truly fine? It was slightly late to question herself regarding her choice, but it wasn't too late to back down. One by one, various thoughts began to flood her mind, beginning with the day she met her digimon.
It was funny how she remembered vividly everything that had happened since the day she found the egg, since the day her whole adventure started. How her sister was dragged along with for the ride, and how now... the blonde felt stranged. She had struggled to push through with her old life, and to gain a new one for herself and her loved ones, but... what was the point?
Yuu wasn't the type to brood or to have an existential crisis out the blue. Her self-esteem didn't need any help, yet... this was a slow realization. Was it really fine to eschew every old memory she had, including loved ones and many friendships she had made along the trip? This date was definitely the old Yuu would have never done; he probably would be relaxing at home, either in the company of Kyo, or just hanging out with Haru and Kon-chan, like in the days of old. Had her job altered the perceived importance of something as simple as companionship between siblings, or even appreciating his luck for scoring with one of her biggest crushes? The whole notion gave her a massive headache, alongside with an exasperated sigh. Why now, and not at a more opportune moment?
Suddenly, she stood up. She was going to probably make a scene and leave somebody hanging, but she just didn't feel like continuing with this. Quickly, she scribbled a note and left it in the booth, alongside enough money to probably pay for the two of them and a generous tip.
"Sorry, something came up. Hopefully, you won't mind me leaving sooner than expected.
Don't worry; it's not your fault. I had a lot of fun! It's just that something...came up. Catch you later, Smith!"
With nothing else to say, she exited the booth and then, the restaurant. The streets of Shibuya were kinda cold, due to winter having not already left, yet Yuu's body just felt... overall numb to it. What was she gonna do? Where was she going? Why, exactly, had she abandoned a date and left a person hanging? It wasn't like her to feel the hollowness characteristic of an emo kid, yet she couldn't but reach her phone and quickly write a couple of texts.
"Hey, Haru. Are you there? If you're not in the Digital World, please text me back. I wanna tell you something."
"Mana, are you at the apartment? Please text me back soon."
Texting Kyo would have been pointless, so after finishing, she just made her way towards the parking lot where she had left her car. Now, the question was... what would they do together, if they were going to do something together? The last time they hung out seemed almost to be years ago, and maybe... that was true, in a sense.
Getting her hopes up wasn't like her, but was there anything to lose from it? The more she drove, the less she cared about it; in fact, the amount of care she had about what had been her priorities, in general, began to evaporate, almost as if a long-dormant part of her resurfaced. A side that had been killed long ago, or maybe something worse.
It wasn't like she would dwell on it or too long, however. Soon enough, the entrance of the apartment complex where she lived became visible, and that meant that the parking lot was similarly nearby. The motions were simple, and after leaving the car there, ascending the necessary number of floors, she finally found herself at the door of her apartment.
Easy enough. It just took her to turn the keys and open the door, just to find herself face-first with... her sister. To say that she seemed befuddled was an understatement, even if she was holding her phone right now, probably replying to the message that had been sent some time ago.
"You came back." Was a simple affirmation that came from her mouth. "I'm... surprised."
["Yeah. I''m home."]
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