rekindleme | Too Spooky.

Entry tags:

Too Spooky.

Who: Shinju Gouka & Friends
Where: Building 3, 2-01, Shinju and Yu's apartment
When: Friday Evening to Sunday (18th to 20th)
Summary: Shinju gets a little paranoid and hides in his apartment; friends come over, shenanigans ensue.
Warnings: Scary movies?

Shinju wasn't exactly one to take menacing shadows very well. His past experiences had told him to trust his instincts when he felt like things were wrong, and a couple of days of the cold feeling he got walking around the city was enough to make him worry.

So over the course of the weekend, he decided to call his friends (or in the case of neighbors, knock on their door), trying to make sure they were all alright. He might be called paranoid, but he'd rather know than ignore his feelings and end up terribly wrong. ~~Unfortunately, he didn't realize that if any of them were feeling worried, a nervous call would probably make things worse.~~

He'd mention in his calls (and visits) that he was probably going to stay at his and Yu's apartment to try and relax. In other words, he was holing himself up inside in the hopes that whatever might be out there wouldn't get to him. His friends were always welcome to visit him either way, so maybe they could help calm him down or join him in his cowering.

[OOC: Don't forget to say what day your character's coming over!]

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Pilouette had already been feeling a little nervous. Well, more than usual. She told herself that it was probably just the time of year. After all, back home this was the time of year that all the "spooky" things happened. Haunted houses were set up, scary movies were released, all the supernatural TV specials were broadcast over and over. She had been conditioned to be scared during this time of year! That's all! She hadn't seen any creepy things or anything!

...It was all total bull and it didn't keep her from being nervous and jumpy, but it helped. A little.

However, when she received Shinju's call asking if she was okay she began feeling anxious all over again, especially with how nervous he sounded. If it weren't for work, she probably would have holed up, too. Instead, after work on Saturday, she shows up at his and Yu's apartment with a box of various sweets and, a bit timidly, knocks on the door.

The door opens a few moments later, a tired-looking Shinju behind it, letting out a sigh. He couldn't help but be a worn out after all of the visits from his friends, as much as he liked seeing them.

Which is why yet another on his doorstep made him pause. Not that he didn't like visits, really!--but how was he supposed to take this? He'd just been calling people to check up on them. It wasn't like he was announcing the end of the world or something. The fact that people were responding with visits was only making him more nervous.

"P-Pilouette," he said in greeting, not without some amount of surprise, and he almost added a "you too?"

"H-hey, what's going on? Uh... how are you doing?"

"Oh, uh, I'm okay! Um...I just wanted to uh, see how everything was!"

Not to mention that with how nervous she was feeling she thought she would delay going back to her own apartment. Just for a little bit. However, she starts to feel more awkward than anxious when she sees how tired he looks, especially since she was just dropping in unannounced like this.

"I-If this is a bad time, I can come back tomorrow or uh, some other time or something...!"

"N-no, it's fine, please come in," he said with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck as he stepped aside. He didn't realize he looked as tired as he felt, but he didn't want to worry her. "I just had a long day. Everything is f-fine, otherwise."

As much as he wanted it to be true, he couldn't even get out the word "fine" without hesitating.

"Oh! Um, that's good to hear!" As she steps inside the apartment, she does her best to seem calm and collected. She's not doing a great job of it, but she's trying. "And, um, sorry for just stopping by like this. It's just when you called before, it kind of had me wondering if something was up. But if everything is okay..."

Pilouette's smile fades just a tiny bit. She's not entirely convinced, but that's mostly because of her own feelings of uneasiness as of late. She grips the handle of the small sweets box she's holding just a little tighter in her nervousness, only then even remembering that she has it.

"Oh! Um, I brought these!" She holds the box out towards him. "I should probably give it to you before I squish it or something...!"

"Sorry if I worried you," he replies as he closes the door behind her. "Sometimes I can get a little jumpy over nothing."

The gift gets his attention and he stares at the box for a moment, not quite reacting as he moves a hand to take it from her as if he couldn't register what exactly he was seeing. Maybe it's an effect of the exhaustion, but a moment passes and he blinks in surprise. He didn't think Pilouette would consider them good enough friends to get him anything (at least not yet), but he's grateful nonetheless.

"Thank you," he says, and for a moment the smile on his face is empty of worry. "Are these from where you work?"

Pilouette nods, a smile on her face. "Yeah! Sweets almost always help me feel a little better and, since you sounded a little worried when you called, I thought you might like some."

Her smile turns a little nervous as she glances away and hunches her shoulders. "I don't blame you for being jumpy, though. I mean, like, it's that time of year, you know? Besides, I've been feeling a little uneasy myself..."

Edited 2013-10-27 10:01 (UTC)

"I really appreciate it. I'm sure they'll help once I have some." For now, he set the box on the bar of his kitchen, though at her comment, his smile fades a little.

"Oh, right. Halloween and all that," he half-mumbled to himself--he'd almost forgotten about the holiday. "Any reason why, that you can tell?"

Sure, he'd spoken with enough of his friends to know that they'd been feeling the same, and that some had even seen things like he had, but he didn't want to worry Pilouette if she hadn't been seeing them. She seemed worried enough already...

She doesn't want to say she's been seeing shadows and stuff. After all, she doesn't want to sound like some weirdo, especially if it turns out it's just her. Even so...

"I dunno. I've just been feeling...weird," she says, tilting her head as she thinks, her frown deepening a little bit. "It's like I'm being watched or followed or something, you know? I can't stop looking over my shoulder..."

She can't help but sigh. She was just starting to be okay with being here and now this happens.

"You know," he started, "you're not the only one. I've been feeling the same, and a lot of my other friends have said the same kind of things. I have to wonder what it means."

He wanted to reassure her that she wasn't alone, but he didn't want to make her worry more, either. He just hoped saying that was the best option...

"So, it's not just me..."

She gives this some thought. Pilouette supposed that it was good to know that this place hadn't somehow messed with her head. On the other hand...

"Uh...! So, um...Th-That wouldn't mean that there's like, actually something out there, would it?" Out of habit, she reached up and began to fiddle with her hair, her expression growing worried.

"I'm not sure, really," Shinju admitted. "Everyone's been just as unsure about it as I have. It's all just some kind of vague foreboding." He looked thoughtful, staring into the kitchen as he rubbed the back of his neck, but he turned to her with something of a reassuring smile after a moment.

"Either way, it's probably better not to worry about it. It should all turn out fine," he said; he hadn't missed the change in her demeanor, and wanted to alleviate her worries if he could. "We're all in this together, right?"

A somewhat strained, nervous smile forms on her face. "I-I guess you're right," she said "There probably isn't anything we can do about it, anyway, huh...?"

She lets out another quiet sigh. It's bad enough that the people who brought them here don't tell them much, but this is going on and they don't hear a peep about it from them. But now that she's thinking about it, it's got her wondering.

"You know, I haven't heard anything about it from the people who live here...M-Maybe it's like, a normal thing or something. Maybe there really isn't anything to worry about." Or it could mean that there's something new to worry about all the time, but...Pilouette decides to keep that particular thought to herself for now.

"They could be used to it," he agrees. "I'd assume if there was something wrong they would have done... something about it. Or give some kind of warning." Shinju looks thoughtful for a moment. Maybe he's actually starting to convince himself that things will be fine...

"Either way, it won't do us any good to freak out about it." He sits on one of the stools next to the bar facing Pilouette, sliding the box of sweets so that he could reach them without turning around. "Why don't we both have some of these? You said they helped you feel better sometimes, right?"

When she came up with the thought herself the idea that seeing shadows was normal in Saeng Saeong was more than a little dubious but somehow, hearing someone else say it makes it seem more plausible. She still feels a little nervous, but...less so now. She smiles cheerfully at his suggestion and nods.

"That sounds good to me!" she says, before sitting next to him on one of the other stools. "Oh, I did say that, huh...? Someone told me once that good food makes people feel good...but for me it's mostly sweets. B-But it's not like I eat all the time or anything, you know?"

He gives a slight smile back before opening the box, glad to see her relax slightly.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with treating yourself every now and then," he says with a chuckle. "Plus, food is always better when you share it with other people."

"Yeah, that's true...," she says. "I used to eat by myself a lot back home, so I always looked forward to the chance to eat with people. I wonder if that's why I used to like lunch period so much back at school..."

Her smile turns a little sheepish as she lets out a little chuckle. She's not here to bore him with stuff about school, after all.

"There are plenty of people who like lunch better than the rest of school, so you're not alone," Shinju says as he looks over the contents of the box. To be honest, he missed talking about school--and he wondered if he would be enjoying his last semester of high school now if... everything hadn't happened.

He couldn't think about that now--he was supposed to be putting on a brave face. So instead of dwelling on it, he gestured to the sweets and asked Pilouette, "So, which do you like best?"

Somehow, as much as she used to complain about school back home, getting to talk about it with someone else, even only a little bit, is kind of nice. It's a dose of normalcy in a world where she has to either act as a living battery or risk growing sicker and sicker. When he asks, she looks over the sweets carefully for moment, before picking out one of several small leaf-shaped wafers covered in chocolate.

"These! They seem really simple, but there's like, this really really subtle flavor that I can't really pinpoint," she says, grinning. "I could probably eat them all day if I had the chance. They're only made at the shop, too, so I'm really lucky I found that place."

He watches her as she picks out her favorite, noticing that talking about it seems to cheer her up. After taking a moment to find a similar wafer in the box and wondering what's in it, he takes the opportunity to find out the subtle taste himself.

"Hmm," he says after swallowing, a mild, curious frown on his face. "You're right. There is something there... maybe you just have to chalk it up to the weird food they have here." Shinju shrugs, figuring he won't find out the source and satisfied enough with the fact that they're available.

"I'll have to come by and get some myself to share with other people, too. Your shop'll be swamped in no time." A small grin comes to his face and he gives her a wink.

Pilouette laughs just a little. "That'll make the owners really happy! It's a pretty small place, so they don't normally get too much business, you know?"

She pops the sweet she has into her mouth, quickly chewing and swallowing, before letting out a happy sigh. Some people take the edge off with coffee. Pilouette has sweets. She rests her head on her hand, feeling a bit more relaxed that she had earlier.

"By the way, how is the beach shack?" She askes, a sheepish little smile forming on her face. "I meant so stop by while it was still a a little warmer, but..."

"Well, the restaurant is still nice, even if the water is a little less inviting," he replies with some humor in his voice. "I like a lot of the things they make there, even if some of them take some... getting used to." He isn't sure he'll ever know all of the fruits and vegetables they have here, let alone what they taste like and how to cook with them...

"It's always there whenever you want to visit. I work in the mornings pretty much every other day except weekends, so feel free to ask for me if I'm there." He speaks casually as he looks through the open box, picking out a random piece and examining it between his fingers.

"In the mornings, huh? Maybe I'll stop by sometime before work, then...I usually take the afternoon shift at the shop. Maybe if I eat there, I'll learn some more about the food in this place," Pilouette says. "I don't think I've eaten any meals I haven't cooked since I got here."

She picks another piece out and takes a bite out of it. After a moment, she remembers something and smiles. "So, a while back, you said you were learning about fun places around here, right? Found any yet?"

"If there's ever been a place to try new things, this is it," Shinju says. "I'll look forward to seeing you there."

Seemingly satisfied with what he's looking at, he puts the candy in his mouth. He's chewing as she asks him a question, so he takes a moment to finish before he answers.

"Surprisingly enough, I have," he says, grateful for it. "A friend of mine works at this maid-and-butler cafe that has tea rooms and all sorts of fancy things. It's a little weird at first, but it's neat once you get used to it." Considering the friend who worked there, he had to get used to "weird" things pretty quickly...

"There's also that gym in the new district, along with all the parks and the pet store. I was thinking about visiting to see what kinds of animals they have soon."

"A...maid-and-butler cafe?" Pilouette asks, a puzzled expression on her face. "I've never heard of that before..."

Did those even exist back home? He did say it was a little weird, but she can't help being a little intrigued. Even if it's a little weird, maybe she'll have to take a look. After all, fancy teas and the like might be kind of nice. However, her expression quickly brightens.

"I didn't know there was a pet store, though! That's so cool! I should probably check out that new district, too..." She smiles, a little sheepishly. She's sure everyone else has already seen it all and she feels a little embarrassed for not being more adventurous in her exploring.

jumping on the saturday train woo woo also sorry for how wordy this got

nawwww the more words the better.

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