01

[redpeacoat]

Who: Shinjiro and you! (open!)
Where: Out and about the city, or in the apartments.
When: General span of the event, during the day. But you can set it at another time.
Summary: It's so hot! How hot is it? So hot that Shinjiro is shedding his extra layers of clothing.
Warnings: Shinjiro's mouth?

Shinjiro's coat and hat are more than just clothes. They're like a second skin. While he changes his clothes everyday, the worn red pea coat and black beanie cap are a mainstay. He rarely leaves home without them on, even when it's hot out. He's learned to adjust.

He never imagined that this new world would be so...hot. The citizens of Saeng Seong have no problems with this strange sudden heat wave that's come up. Shinjiro shouldn't either, but he's sweating so much that his outfit has started to cling to him uncomfortably. Sitting in the shade was his first attempt at escape, but even in the dark areas away from sunlight, Shinjiro still suffered. He wore swim trunks and flip flops in hopes that the breeze and standing in water would cool him off, but it was like standing in a hot bath. Shaved ice, ice cream, bottled water, and popsicles did little to nothing to lower his temperature. You could probably drop a bucket of ice down his back and he wouldn't notice.

Right now, can't take it anymore. As much as he doesn't want to, he'll have ditch the items that make him feel secure. He peels off his drenched coat and holds it out in front of him, panting a bit. He should feel better, but the warmth persists. Maybe it's a fever...or maybe he just needs to find another visitor and see if they're feeling the heat like he is.

Comments

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[redpeacoat]

Shinjiro looks up from the couch, placed near a window with a fan installed running at full blast, and gives the visitor a look of confusion and half-annoyance. He's all bundled up like a blizzard is about to hit, and Shinjiro can't bear to have even a t-shirt on. Maybe he was ill...

"Might wanna keep your distance..." He suggests calmly. He wouldn't wish this fever on anyone, and he would feel more guilty than usual if he gave it to the guy.

[hellfire_gouka]

"Huh? W-why's that?"

If Shinjiro was sick, Shinju's situation wasn't much different. It's full-blown summer outside and not even that can keep him from shivering.

"Ugh, n-never m-mind. S-scoot over."

He could explain things after he stopped being a Shinjusicle.

[redpeacoat]

Shinjiro groans and makes room on the couch, only because he didn't need the entirety of it to sit on in the first place. And maybe to be nice, but he'd never admit that. Besides, this guy was warned. Shinjiro will still feel terrible if he doesn't catch this fever.

What planet was the guy from that this was freezing temperatures?

[hellfire_gouka]

The young man moves to sit next to him, adjusting himself so that their legs are touching (Shinju definitely feels cold to the touch, even through his clothes) and giving a reason as to why he's doing so. Sure it's awkward, but it's sort of necessary, and he doesn't want there to be any misunderstandings. He is helping Shinjiro out in a way.

"Th-there have been s-several people feeling overh-heated or f-freezing for no reason over the p-past couple of d-days, from what I've s-seen on the network. I f-felt like this on S-Sunday, but I m-managed to warm up by t-touching someone who was hot like you s-seem to be.

"M-maybe it'll work this time, t-too."

[redpeacoat]

As soon as Shinju makes contact with him, it feels like someone decided to turn on the air conditioner. His face is full of disbelief, but it's working, it's really working.

"Damn..." Not only did touching people give them energy, but it regulated their out of whack body temperatures? This city was something else. He'd have probably found this out sooner if the heat hadn't gone to his head, he thinks to himself.

Relief from the extreme temperatures would be trickier though. If his friends were overheating as well, then...this guy was all he had at the moment.

[hellfire_gouka]

He lets out a breath, slowly feeling the urge to shiver melt away. Thank god, he thinks, this guy is actually warm. But he has to wonder how many more times this is going to happen.

"I already thought the touching thing was ridiculous, but for it to work like this, t-too? Geez," he mumbles to himself. He takes a moment before shaking his head, then turns his attention back to Shinjiro.

"Anyway, s-sorry for the weird circumstances, but I'm Shinju." He offers a hand to shake--might as well make up for his lack of manners and add to the physical contact, too.

[redpeacoat]

"It is." Shinjiro agrees. "But they screwed us over." So they're going to have to keep on making contact. He takes Shinju's hand reluctantly and shakes it, a little surprised that his name sounds so similar to his own--well, the way Aki says it.

"Shinjiro."

[hellfire_gouka]

"I guess so." Another indication the people here weren't all hugs and sunshine... he doesn't really want to think about it like that, but the more he talks to people, the more their suspicion rubs off on him. "I have to wonder what would make something like this happen, though."

Trying to lighten the mood, Shinju gives him a small friendly smile. "It's nice to meet you. I don't think I've seen you around yet; did you just get here this month?"

[redpeacoat]

That is something Shinjiro would like to investigate in time. But for now, it looks like he'll have to adjust to life in a city where your health is dependent on touch.

His attention returns to Shinju as he makes small talk with him. At one time, Shinjiro would have gladly chimed in and even smiled, but minimal details suffice these days. He simply nods in response to the question, keeping an emotionless expression. He's trying very hard to be polite though. Relief from the excessive heat is welcome.

[hellfire_gouka]

It didn't take Shinju long to notice this guy didn't seem like the talkative type, but that was fine. Whether it was due to their unpleasant circumstances or just a matter of personality, he knew some people just didn't like to talk as much. He could carry on a conversation even if there wasn't a lot of input on the other's part anyway.

"I hope it's been alright, aside from... this nonsense." He rubs his arms, though he's finally moved from frozen-under-the-last-circle-of-hell to sitting-in-the-snow. "Have you met anyone here from your world? I haven't so far, but a couple of my friends have, I think."

[redpeacoat]

In turn, some of the subtle breezes from air moving inside the building actually feel cool. He imagined more contact would speed up the relief, but...nope. He wasn't going that far. Slow and steady was fine.

"Two people are here." Technically three; Minato -was- one of the group. Just from a different world where Minako's place was taken by him. While nothing could be done, it might be a good thing that more people from his world weren't here, but that doesn't help loneliness and unfamiliarity. He sounds like he's made friends here though, which is good. A nice guy like Shinju deserved it.

[hellfire_gouka]

(Un)fortunately for Shinjiro, Shinju is a little more impatient about his temperature evening out, and so he adjusts so there's more least-awkward-as-possible leg contact, doing his best to continue the conversation casually.

"Oh, really? That's nice--well, in a way." He makes a face, chin in his hand; some people would rather not have their friends trapped in a place away from home, he's noticed. "At least you're not alone here with only strangers around. It isn't... too bad here, taking everything into consideration. Have you been doing alright so far, aside from the heat?"

[redpeacoat]

Shinjiro grunts in response, but doesn't move. Leaning against people? Fine, that would be okay. It happened on the train sometimes when he actually attending school, what with salarymen and students packing the trains with little room to spare until station stops.

"Gotta take what you can get." Hearing that the city wasn't too bad to live in, minus the touching ordeal, was good to hear. He worried about those two friends of his, and would continue to do so, even if they didn't do the same back. Which they did.

"I'm living." It's hard to tell if he's happy about that or not.

[hellfire_gouka]

"Exactly." Shinjiro doesn't seem like the most optimistic of people, but at least he seems reasonable about it. "I've been trying to take advantage of it. Sometimes I forget I'm in another world, on a good day." ... Though things like sudden chills certainly don't help, even if he's starting to feel almost normal again. And not that he wants to be in his world right now, either.

It is hard to tell, which is why he changes the subject.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are the people you know here like?"

[redpeacoat]

He likes to consider himself a realist, among other things. He knows the future won't be bright, cheerful, and carefree no matter where he is or what he ends up doing.

It's good to hear it hasn't been so bad that survival isn't possible. But what will happen if they question things, or try to take matters into their own hands? That would be something to think about.

"They do some really dumb shit sometimes." He says it almost fondly. Akihiko more than Minako. But they're his friends -- the closest he has -- and he can't say too many bad things about them.

[hellfire_gouka]

"Oh, y-yeah?" How was one supposed to reply to that!? It wasn't that he didn't know what it felt like, having had some reckless friends in the past, but it was a hell of a first impression.

"Err... hopefully only sometimes. Though I guess we can all tend to do stupid things at some point..."

That was a good response, wasn't it? Yeah. Oh! Maybe this, too.

"That's what friends are for, though, right? To keep each other out of trouble."

You've got this, Shinju. Total conversation mastery.

[redpeacoat]

He nods. Only sometimes. He'd done stupid things himself. For some reason, the pessimistic things come out more often than the optimistic comments.

"...Yeah." That was very true for Shinjiro. Friends were the only family he had, so there was more reason to look out for them.

[hellfire_gouka]

Shinjiro was definitely a man of few words, but Shinju didn't think it was out of dislike. There was a time even he made conversations short, even if he'd moved past that, so it made him less likely to brush the capped (beanied?) young man's behavior off as rudeness.

"So, how did you find out they were here? Or... was it the other way around, where they found you?"

He figured he'd keep making conversation, even if his temperature felt close to normal now. It couldn't hurt to make new friends, after all.

[redpeacoat]

"Didn't get very far out the doors." He comments, referring to the welcoming center. He imagines that it's common for those already trapped here to look for new arrivals; both to find people they might know, and to see if there's a pattern in who's being chosen to 'power' this place. So far, there were no details that stood out.

"If I was a needle in a haystack, they'd still find me." Especially Akihiko; he popped up all over the place when he tried to get Shinjiro to rejoin SEES, the persona user group he was a part of.

[hellfire_gouka]

"You sound like you must be close," he commented, and he couldn't help but be a little jealous. It wasn't as if he didn't appreciate the friends that he'd made here, but the idea of a friend from his world greeting him once he got here, when he was in such an unsure place in his life... well, it would have been nice.

"No one from my world has shown up here, at least as far as I know."

[redpeacoat]

"I guess." They were very close, despite his wishes. It wasn't that he hated them, but it would be a lot easier for them to let go if they weren't. Not that it's a problem anymore, but it's hard to shake a train of thought one has held for so long.

"Maybe they're strangers." If any had arrived, that is.

[hellfire_gouka]

"Not happy about the idea?" He "guessed?" It didn't exactly sound as if he really liked being around these people, but once he thought about it, there could be any number of reasons for the way Shinjiro said it. He shouldn't be making assumptions... "Ah, never mind."

Shinju nodded in agreement. "I guess that could be. And maybe it's better that way."

[redpeacoat]

"It's kind of complicated." He's known Aki for most of his life, and Minako only for a couple of months. Despite the difference in the time they've been together, they're both really close. He'd hoped it wouldn't have been so easy for her to get attached.

If he knew Shinjiro's friends, he would be in good company. They were true to comrades. Shinju deserved their friendship more than him, most likely. Maybe... "They're names are Minako and Akihiko." He states, somewhat out of left field.

[hellfire_gouka]

"Oh?" The names took him by surprise, the first especially. "I've already met Minako, back when we first got here. So she's a friend of yours, huh? She's definitely the friendly type."

Now that he finally found a common thread between them, maybe it would be easier for them to become friends, too.

[redpeacoat]

So he's met Minako. He shouldn't be surprised, as Minako's a very friendly person. He swore she could get on good terms with most anybody. It was fun to listen to her talk about her interactions with them, too: everyone from her sport club friends to the old couple at the bookstore, as well as fellow SEES members. He nods in agreement.

"Aki's...something." Something else. A little oblivious, bit headstrong. But he was Shinjiro's best friend, though it would be hard to tell at first for Shinju, more than likely.