Cuppa Joe?

((Independent The World Ends With You RP blog - Sanae Hanekoma))

[sxluja-a]

[♔] →“Well, Sindria’s a country that’s pretty welcoming to its visitors and tourists, so…it’s not really that surprising when you think about it, I guess.” Of course, that was coming from someone who’d grown up believing Sindria was a nation built on ‘dreams and parties’. But the actual realization of a welcoming state? Really wasn’t that far from the truth. 

“But, not really. The nation itself’s pretty laid back. I mean, the only thing you’ve really gotta worry about is which part of the island to you want to explore first. Everything else, is pretty straight forward.” And, if asked, Alibaba would have no problems showing this guy around himself, either. He seemed like a really interesting person to talk to, anyway. 

[producersanaehanekoma]

“Huh. Where I’m from’s not the best in that regard, so....” although the place had improved drastically, Neku’s early-Game mindset wasn’t as uncommon as he’d like, especially among the kids. Working on welcoming and accepting the importance of neighbors was more immediately important than welcoming strangers, although the two did tie together.

“So it’s pretty laid back here, huh? Sounds like my kinda place.” So it was an island? “How big’s this country, anyway?

[catncore]

        He took a moment to start the cigarette, holding it between his lips while         observing the passerbys. Seemed close enough to his own Shibuya to be         home like; but there were some distinct differences. Nothing bad at all.

        Turning his attention to the other self, the foreign Producer shrugged his         shoulder in a casual manner. Wouldn’t be a very long meeting; let alone         it was possible by now that the other fellas Composer was already aware         there was a stray CAT loitering around.

        The expression the other carried was one he had seen before on another         self. Yeah; smoking wasn’t the best habit, but sure as hell beat others. It         was more of a stress reliever at this point. Things were less than stellar         back home, and this was one way to help take the edge off withhout         being destructive.

        “ Anything really works fer me, chief. If y’want I can just tag along for a           bit before I head back. “

[producersanaehanekoma]

The other didn’t seem too out of place while looking around; whether that was due to familiarity or practice with other worlds wasn’t particularly important.

It was almost certain that Joshua’d already noticed the presence of an additional Angel in his city, but Joshua’d hopefully also be aware he was handling it. he wouldn’t be surprised if the composer was somewhere nearby in case he needed backup... or just to play some sort of weird prank - the more likely answer, really.

It wasn’t exactly that he disapproved of smoking, especially considering there weren’t exactly health consequences for those outside the RG, but... it seemed like it could be a bit inconvenient. 

“Dunno how exciting you’d find random errands, but you’re welcome ta tag along.” Now, where was he heading again...? “Think I was plannin’ on picking up some foodstuffs, but... really, nothin’ important on my schedule.”  

[producersanaehanekoma]

“Man, I’ve been havin’ the worst luck.”

[catncore]

    In reality it was a bit of both. He just needed… time away. He loved Shibuya; he     honestly really did, but sometimes the Composer knew how to drive him up the     wall. Higher Plane knew that he’d do his job, no problem but when Joshua was     busy; he’d take a few hours to himself outside his universe ( when he really needed     it ).

    Shoveling out a pack of cigarettes from the back pocket of his pants; he pulled one     out and used the lighter stashed in the Four Wings carton to light it. Old habits died     hard, and smoking was just one of those things that came out of stress. 

    Hanekoma was mindful of smoking in non smoking areas, so he shifted himself over     to the pole where he’d be able to put his cigarette out next to the Lawsons building.

    “ If y’got some time then, would y’mind keepin me company for a bit. I’ll get      outta yer hair after.  “

[producersanaehanekoma]

Well, while he had been in the middle of doing some things... they weren’t really important things; mostly things made up to postpone work while still accomplishing things. Fortunately a break that he had plenty of time to accomadate; he'd been keeping pretty up to date.

“Yeah, sounds fine ta me. You up for anything in particular?”

Smoking? He’d been curious on occasion, but it was a habit that he’d never bothered to pick up. While he’d met enough Joshuas to know that this was probably one of the more meaningless differences, simple preferences did a fair bit to establish differences between people, even alternate versions of the same one.

[sxluja-a]

[♔] → “So you’re looking for places like those, huh?” he paused, lifting a finger to scratch lightly at his nose at that. Usually, the friendly and energetic atmosphere that seemed to settle around the island nation was tourist attraction enough to most of the visitors here. But as far as specific venues went…

“Well,” Alibaba started, “Guess there’s always the palace? It’s one of the larger buildings in Sindria and it’s surprisingly open to guests, too.” Being a guest of the King and staying the palace for the time being himself, he’d know. Visitors seemed to come and go from the royal grounds all the time. “So, if you’re really into wanting to check out the architecture here, you can always start there, I guess.”

[producersanaehanekoma]

“Sounds interesting enough. Really not the sort of place I’d expect to be able ta visit, so I’m glad I asked.” It was a bit surprising to hear about a palace being open - unless it was a historical palace? Well, that would probably be obvious when he saw it, and Sanae could always decide to investigate whatever he wanted to later.

“Think I’ll mill about for a bit first, so... any curfews or anythin’ I gotta worry about?” He could ask about general street safety, but... it’d be rude, and it didn’t really have any effect on him.

[catncore]

              It was something like that at least. He wasn’t prone to jumping               grounds often, and in this situation it was more of to take a               much needed breather from his Composer. Down side was               well… this.

              Usually he made sure to stay on a ground just above the RG               and UG where he wouldn’t be noticed just in case there would               be trouble; but it meant the existence that was the same as his               own would be able to pin point him easily.

              If anything it just meant the other would be talkin to himself in               public. At least there was an unspoken consideration to being               in another selves ground.

              “ Y’can say that. I won’t be round  much longer. Just needed a                  bit of’va break. Sorry for the inconvenience. “

[producersanaehanekoma]

“Hey, ain’t a problem.” While business generally wasn’t the sort of thing to be enjoyed, especially as pertained to the Higher Plane, 'a bit of a break’ wasn’t exactly formal business. Of course, it was always possible that that was a cover story, but... that was probably thinking too much.

Still, having been prepared for bad news, it was a bit of a relief. It didn’t mean he wasn’t still somewhat nervous about someone who presumably had similarly large amount of power just hanging out.

“Just makin’ sure there wasn’t anything I should lend a hand with.” And, since this was an alternate, he should at least be courteous. “That might be a bit of an offer, by the way - not like I’ve got anything better ta do.”

[jealousblossom]

“Well, he’s stuck in one position, right? Plus you have to make sure it doesn’t fall off, plus get sleeves on somehow…”

Shiki couldn’t help but ponder it. Now, she wanted to study Hachiko’s outfit even more. Still, she had to wait until after the parade, at least. Noticing the beginning of it coming their way, she lit up at the clothing designs as she talked to the man.

“Trends are super important, though! Let me talk to this friend of yours sometime–maybe I can show them things like this to show them how it can be fun.”

[producersanaehanekoma]

“Yeah, think there’d be all sorts of fun complications that come with him bein’ a statue. Definitely something fun ta think about, though.”

He watched the parade as it approached; it was quite the sight, even if there wasn’t yet anything shockingly new. But concerning Neku.... “Might be fun for you to try - I’ll hafta get back to him about it. Probably should advise ya to not have high expectations of success, though.”

[jealousblossom]

“Yeah, same. His outfits must be specially tailored,” Shiki replied. “Not to mention how special it is… I hope I get to dress him up one day, too.”

Shiki then tilted her head. “He’s not into fashion? I’d hate to see what he wears… It’s probably really… well…” She trailed off, not sure how to put it. Either way, she couldn’t imagine someone in Shibuya just ignoring the trends–there was no way someone like that could ever be cool here.

[producersanaehanekoma]

“It’d definitely be an interesting design challenge - wonder how different it’d be from regular dog clothes.”

”Pretty sure the kid’s been told a number of times that he needs ta look at the trends, but... it’d be hard to do worse than some of the outfits I’ve seen,” he said. “Can’t really blame him, though - dunno how much I’d pay attention to them if they weren’t so important.”

[producersanaehanekoma]

@seraphimproducer

He’d been in the middle of wandering the town for some errands when he stumbled across himself. ...It’d been a while since he’d talked to an alternate of himself, and he wasn’t quite sure what would be the best action; maybe he should leave, and watch from afar? But he’d been noticed, and it’d be awkward to turn away now, and besides, there was the (unlikely, in his opinion) possibility that this him was up to something nefarious. so, with his typical look on his face, he approached.

He should probably lead with what he felt was the most obvious reason an alternate would visit.  “Hey, uh... You here for business, or...?”  That’d at least open the conversation.

[skater-brain]

“Better than before,” Beat said with a sheepish shrug. To say that he had been in a state the last time he’d seen Mr Hanekoma was probably an understatement; honestly, he was a little embarrassed to have subjected the man to his grief and desperate antics in the short time he had been under his protection. “Yo, I got Rhyme back now, so it’s all good.”

He shook his head at Hanekoma’s humility, looking a tad more serious. “Maybe it ain’t a big deal to you, but neither of us’d be here if it wasn’t for you, man. I owe ya big time. Like…”

Beat scratched the back of his neck nervously. As far as he was concerned, nothing he could do would ever be enough to repay Hanekoma for what he’d done. Everything he was capable of offering was incredibly petty in comparison.

“Like, if you ever need any help at your coffee shop… or something… or anything…?” His wrist traced circles in the air as he failed to come up with an eloquent suggestion. “Just… whatever you want, yo. I’m your man.”

[producersanaehanekoma]

“Here’s to hoping it gets even better in the future.” He paused. “Rhyme been doin’ well enough?” He wouldn’t have asked, as Rhyme really wasn’t the subject of this conversation, but... she’d lost an entry fee.

“It’s not that it’s not important, I just don’t feel like you hafta owe me anything.” Sanae was too deeply involved in the Game, and in Neku’s weeks in particular, for him to consider the events anything but his responsibility. “I mean... I think you and Rhyme earned it, by tryin’ so hard for each other. Seein’ you survive’s reward enough, in my opinion.” He’d actually gotten even more out of it than that - Beat had played a vital role in Shibuya’s salvation, but that was probably above the paygrade he was pretending to have.

He sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck. “If it’s really naggin’ you, I could probably find something to do ‘round the cafe, but it definitely ain’t necessary.”

[jealousblossom]

“When I checked earlier, it hadn’t been set up yet,” Shiki told him. “They’re probably going to use the parade as a distraction.” Speaking of, she noted people moving in anticipation for the event. It looked like the parade would be here soon, and surely she’d see people wearing all the latest fashions in a stream of color. Maybe it would give her some ideas to try drawing–or maybe not. She gripped her sleeve tight, knowing that no matter what she came up with, Eri would no doubt make something better.

She shook her head, though. Now wasn’t the time for those thoughts, and instead she suggested, “Why not text your friend about it?”

[producersanaehanekoma]

“Wonder what it’s like to dress up Hachiko. ...Not sure whether that’d be a fun or painful job, really.” There’d definitely be a fun tale to tell afterwards, at least. ...That wasn’t really the point of the conversation, though. 

“Considered it, but... don’t really think this's the kid’s type of event.” He’d have given it some consideration, but being located in another world made invitations sort of inconvenient. Not even Joshua should be traveling between worlds, really.

[jealousblossom]

Well, regardless of if it was for a kid or himself, it seemed the man wanted to enjoy the festivities. Considering that, Shiki couldn’t help but note his outfit. It was pretty nice, but at the same time, a bit old fashioned. Not that old fashion couldn’t be made to look nice, and it at least wasn’t as bad as some of the other outfits she’d already seen that day.

“I plan on going to see Hachiko after the parade,” Shiki said. “It’s like a tradition to check him out and see what he’s wearing today. You should take a look, too!”

[producersanaehanekoma]

Sanae decided to take a moment to appreciate the surroundings; second sight wasn’t . There were certainly a wide variety of outfits around - rather par for the course for Shibuya, but it was always nice to see these gatherings in person.

“Pretty sure I’ve checked Hachiko out in the past years - but if Gatito’s gonna dress him up, I’ve definitely gotta go.” He’d attended events with Joshua in the past, so this wouldn’t be that intersting to him... but Neku was another story. “Probably should take a picture; a fan I know’ll be jealous.”

[skater-brain]

Beat was presently peering into shop windows, hoping that one of them would hold an excuse for him to be wandering around Shibuya when he was supposed to be taking a math test. He’d been better about not skipping class lately, but there were still days now and then that he couldn’t stand to be at school. He figured that if he could find a cool trinket for Rhyme or one of his friends while he was skiving, the good deed would make his relapse more forgivable.

He froze when he heard his name called, but his panic at being caught only lasted until he could place the familiar voice. He spun to face the speaker, face splitting into a wide grin. “Hanekoma?”

His eyes lit up as the face matching the voice came into focus. A large part of him had been resigned to the possibility that after the Game, he’d never run into Mr Hanekoma again.

“Been busy, y’know, bein’ alive ‘n’ stuff,” he explained. Truthfully, he had tried seeking the barista out on a few occasions, but always had the misfortune of arriving at his café when it was closed. “… Guess I never thanked you for savin’ my ass back then, huh?”

[producersanaehanekoma]

"Glad ta hear that!” He hadn’t been too concerned about Beat, since the kid had been through a lot in the Game, but... that could, quite often, be the problem. “Things been goin’ well enough for you, at least in the general sense?”

Sanae did feel somewhat guilty about not keeping the cafe open more often - it’d be interesting to see how the kids were doing, every once in a while - but, he couldn’t exactly gamble on whether or not he’d have interesting visitors while he was occupied with other tasks. ...Besides, making the cafe look any more like a serious endeavor would just give Joshua more ammo.

 Now, this was more of a serious conversation. “Hey, it wasn’t a problem.” On a usual day, he wouldn’t have had to even explain away minor meddling like that. “Always good ta get to help people out, ya know?” He’d save any compliments for further discussion; Rhyme’s erasure wasn’t his topic to bring up.

[jealousblossom]

Shiki spun around when she realized the voice addressed her. An elder man, but he didn’t look dangerous. If anything, the atmosphere around him seemed somewhat comforting. And hey, any person into fashion was okay in her book. Plus, he looked old enough to be a dad, so maybe he had a son or daughter interested in the latest fashion trends.

“Yeah; it’s this year’s fashion festival starting today–for the public, anyway. They say that Gatito is dressing up Hachiko for it this year. I wonder how that’ll look, since their fashion’s kinda… odd.”

[producersanaehanekoma]

Well, she didn’t seem too off-put by the unexpected conversation, fortunately - and didn’t seem to recognize Sanae, either. While that could end up annoying the local Hanekoma, he was sure he’d have some plan to cover it.

"Guess I’m right on time, then!” He laughed, letting himself relax a bit.

'Odd’ was probably a good description for Gatito’s style, but that didn’t stop him from feeling somewhat insulted. ...Then again, he could always just pretend that the local version of him had a completely different branding sense. “Hachiko? Man, that’s gonna be a sight to see.” 

[sxluja-a]

[♔] → “Well, sort of. But hey, it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Alibaba let his hand fall from his neck, giving the other a smile as their conversation seemed to come to an end. Guess for a quick chat, they had been talking long enough, huh? And he had some other errands he had to run before showing back up at the palace later, too. 

“Yeah, of course there are! But that kinda depends on what you’re here for, too, I guess. Sindria’s got more than just a few ‘cool sights’ to check out, that’s for sure.” It wasn’t called the land of parties and dreams for nothing, after all!

[producersanaehanekoma]

He chuckled before replying, “I was thinkin’ of monuments and cool buildings, that sorta thing. Any real touristy spot’d be good, really.” 

There were a number of other things he’d check out, given the chance, and it wasn’t like he was in any sort of rush - but he definitely didn’t need to use this kid as a tourist guide. “I mean, I’m pretty content with just wanderin’ too, so don’t feel like you’ve gotta give me any tips.”

[producersanaehanekoma]

@jealousblossom

While travel between worlds generally wasn’t something he considered a casual thing, Sanae had gotten pretty bored, and, for lack of better things to do, decided to check out a very close world to see how much Gatito’s sales choices and corresponding success changed. Maybe even fit the information into his next report, under the description of investigating world variances, if he felt like bothering.

Unfortunately, it seemed he’d misjudged something; Shibuya was, even allowing for differences between worlds, nothing like he’d expected. asking someone what day it was always a suspicious question, so....common knowledge - fashion. Scanning was, as always, an answer - but was also, as always, no fun.

Fortunately for his unnecessarily picky self-restrictions, there was a familiar face present in the crowd. 

“Hey, think I mighta misread the date - you know if there’s any sorta fashion event going on at 104?”

[infersuperiority-blog]

Pretty much the same as always. It’s a little hard, because finals are really close, but I think I can make it.

[producersanaehanekoma]

I’m sure you’ll do just fine. Planned any study sessions with your friends or anything like that?