↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A

Et ducit mundum per luce

Business was one thing that Lucas knew he was not completely up to date on. More so when it came to this tiny town. They called it historical but to Lucas it was still an infant city looking to claim something of its own part of history. She might not have saw it the same way he did but it was all relative depending on the life they lived. He knew that and accepted that fact.

“Someone has to know the business side of the world and that person is not me Yui” he smiled. “Ask me history or language and I might be able to hold a decent conversation. Business and about Annapolis, not much unfortunately. So I will have to take your word for how business is run in this town.”

Lucas watched as Nadine came back to their table this time carting what he could only believe to be sushi. Part of him wanted to just not try the sushi but he knew that he should at least try. No harm came from trying something new. At least he hoped not.

“It’s not the fish taste I am worried about” he answered honestly. “It is the fact that the fish is raw that bothers me.”

Fish was common where he was and it was cheap. He had it about a hundred other ways it felt like but never raw or surrounded in seaweed. He picked up his fork carefully and took a piece that was closest to himself. Carefully he took a bite of the sushi before realizing how bad of an idea it truly was. He ruled out plain sushi from the list and tried part of it with the soy sauce. He could taste the soy sauce before the taste of the ocean crashed in his mouth. Again it was something he had no desire to taste again. However he had one more bite and one more sauce to try. Wasabi was no better than the soy sauce and he was more than happy that the sushi was gone.

“All yours” he conceded, dropping the fork back on the counter. He took a drink from his water, hoping to wash away the taste from his mouth. He was not like anything else he had tried before and something he would not care to try again. “Cooked fish is one thing but raw fish wrapped in sushi and strange rice, it is not my thing.” Shaking his head he took another drink from his water.

#para: lucas #Et ducit mundum per luce

"It's not much different raw than it is cooked, except it's colder and unseasoned." She offered a smile in return, knowing how people were put off by the idea of sushi. She wouldn't have blamed him for not wanting to try it. Fortunately, she had picked sashimi for them, since unlike nigiri, it wasn't wrapped with the seaweed, which drove people even further away.

She watched him as he tried the piece of sushi in different manners. He didn't appear to be enjoying it, which she couldn't really be mad about. Sushi was usually something people really liked or really hated. She shrugged as she picked up a piece of her own, popping it into her mouth plain.

Nadine swung by again to set down a bowl of miso soup and a small plate of salad with ginger dressing for each of them, noting to Yui that the hibachi griller was on his way. Yui nodded, looking over to Lucas again. "So, you're into history and languages? That's pretty neat. Useful, too. We need more people who know about history and cultural heritage. If more people knew that sort of information, I think we'd have less problems in the world." It might have been a pipe dream, but she wanted to believe humanity could be better if it took the effort to try.

She spotted the hibachi griller, one of her good friends, and waved to him. He grinned and waved back as he pushed his cart over to the table, moving to set things up very quickly. "Hey Shinji, this is my new friend Lucas. It's his first time at a hibachi, so don't mess it up, right?" She grinned at the man, who chuckled and gave a nod of greeting at Lucas.

The one time I'll applaud my brother for being reckless.

We were going out to dinner with my mom and dad the other day, when we saw this guy screaming at this family on the street. Their poor kid was crying and the parents just looked horrified. My mother tends to be nosy, so she asked the mother what happened. Apparently, the kid saw this guy's Corvette parked at the curb and went to look at it and put his hand on it, and the ran out of some shop just screaming at him about how invaluable that car is. The guy told us it was none of our business and to fuck off, which of course, isn't something you should ever say to Makoto... Or myself. I told the guy that if his Corvette's that precious, he shouldn't be driving it around town where people will be tempted to admire or touch it, and that his car didn't look that impressive anyway. That was about the time my parents tried to steer me away. We turned to leave with the other family, and from behind all I heard was: "Better than any fucking ricer car you have, you slant-eyed slut." Makoto turned around, charged this guy in broad daylight and punched him square in the face. I'm pretty sure if he hadn't, I would have. Of course, the guy called the police and Makoto got hauled off.

One of the plus sides was, one of the cops was Korean and didn't appreciate the information my family and I gave him after the guy walked off to another store. A few minutes later, a tow truck came and took his precious baby away for being parked in a fire truck zone. The second plus side was, I was able to give the family with their kid a discount card to Kinboshi for having to put up with that jerk (who had apparently called their child a "dirty spic" when he touched the car). They ended up coming to the restaurant today, so I sat with them and had a meal. Really great people, and their child is absolutely adorable. Makoto only got community service, thankfully. My mom probably would have punished him like she always does, but after the life she's had, I think she agreed with his method. I know I do. The asshole better not ever cross my path again, I'll do more than punch him in his stupid face. Racism's one thing I'm never going to put up with in this world. It's just disgusting.

#irpstarter #tw: racial slurs #tw: racism #just tagging both to be sure if it's blacklisted for someone it doesn't show up for them

Text to Taichi, circa 2010:

I don't need you for snuggles anymoooore! ⊂(◠‿◠)つ

#text: taichi

Visit Original Link

[Let it Out - Miho Fukuhara]

#music

TEXT TO → TAICHI

Yui: Come over to my place.

Yui: We need to talk.

#text: taichi #dun dun duuuuuuuuuuun...

Et ducit mundum per luce

Lucas could only imagine what he brother was like by this single story. Not to mention what her parents were like. To him they sounded like a typical family. A brother who did what he could for his sister and parents that encouraged them. She apparently did alright on her own but he could not help but wonder what happened to the brother and what he was doing now.

He wrinkled his nose at the thought of a cookie dough flavored drink. He was not a fan of cookies to begin and drinking them seemed to be even worse. He liked his water and the various other things he enjoyed to drink. But none of them seemed to be…as strange as hers. The marble was interesting but he could not say he wanted to try it right now. He liked his water and simple choices for tonight. Pottery class and new food was enough new for him tonight.

Rolling his head slightly, Lucas finally nodded his head. Though sushi was not high on his list of things to try, he would at least try it. “I’ll try it” he finally said. “Its popular with some people at work so it cannot be that bad. Besides, I came to try new foods. Sushi is definitely new.”

New it was for him. For as much variety he could have, he did not like the aspect of trying new things and then it being terrible then having to find something he would eat. Finding Greek in Washington was not difficult but he did not stay there long before venturing out and trying American food. He could tolerate some of it while Italian food he loved. He knew he stuck to European foods almost exclusively because it was familiar. Japan was more than a jump for him. It was something he knew very little about and it had been a while since he felt like this. Everything was new and everything was still full of wonder.

“You are not the first one to do so” he replied with a small smile. “Everything about every city in America is a reflection of the people that first moved there. At least cities as old as here. You can see the European influence as well as something different that is American. But even this town has strong influences of the people that moved here. There is a whole Greek community here. And I imagine if you were on the west coast there would be more of the culture you wanted growing up. “ Lucas stirred the water in front of him with the straw and sighed slightly. “This town is nowhere near old. It is still changing and evolving every day. You are just adding your part to it.”

"That's the thing though," she said with a frown. "I'm not talking about America, I'm talking about just Annapolis. "There's about ten 'Japanese'-themed restaurants in Annapolis aside from mine, or at least there was. Out of those ten, about two of them serve legitimate Japanese cuisine aside from the standard sushi, udon and lunch boxes. Two of them. Out of those ten, none of them serve specialty imported drinks like Ramune or Chuhei. Out of those ten, one of them has a Japanese themed dessert that isn't green tea ice cream. The rest sell Americanized fusion style cuisine, typically paired up with Chinese or American cuisine." She tipped her drink back and forth again. "As for arcades, there's only one other one I'm aware of, the Press Play at the mall, and I think that'll tank in a year or so because all it does is cater to new games to let players 'test the games out'. It's basically just a demo shop, and you can find demos for games in game shops themselves."

She gave a small smile. "I did the research on these things because it's important. There's not a huge demograph of Japanese people in Annapolis. In fact, the demograph for Asians in general in this city is about 1.8%. Probably less than that, even. I'm not catering to the Japanese culture. I'm catering to all demographs on behalf of Japan's culture. You're right, America is the reflection of the people who first moved there, but this entire country is a melting pot. So just because Europeons founded this city doesn't mean it should only cater to Europeon nationalities. I don't want to move to the west coast. I want to live here, and share my passion and my culture with everyone here. I never said Annapolis was old, but it's notorious for the history behind it. It does have the capability to grow and change, and that's what I'm doing with it, while still respecting that it's a city who prides itself in its history and culture... So long as it respects that I pride myself in my culture as well."

She smiled when Nadine brought out the sushi, setting it down between the two of them. Yui decided to let him pick first, since she didn't want to take a piece he might want to try. "If it helps, you can dip it in soy sauce or wasabi. You could even put some ginger on it. Some people who don't fully enjoy the strong taste of fish can dilute it that way."

Et ducit mundum per luce

The name sounded familiar but Lucas could not place if he had indeed had the soup or not or if he liked it or not. He settled on shaking his head and just assuming if he had the soup at one point, he would remembered if he had any feelings towards it or not. Lucas opened the menu and knew what type of meat he wanted once he saw the selection.

“I have never seen Ramune bottle before” he replied staring at the strangely shaped bottle that was given to her. It was different and strange looking to say the least. With the marble and the fact that she had to squeeze the bottle to get any liquid out was…bizarre to say the least. “It is…different” he concluded, not sure what else to say. It was not something he wanted to try personally. He took a sip of the water that was in front of him as he listened to her story about the marble that was inside the bottle.

Smiling he set the cup down then looked closer at the bottle and marble that was trapped inside the bottle. “It is not something that you see every day to say the least” he said. Now he wanted the marble out just to see what it was. “I think we should smash the bottle later to get the marble” he concluded with a smirk looking up at her. “Because now I want to at least touch the marble” he said, leaning away from the interesting bottle.

When Nadine returned for their orders Lucas smiled at her, no longer feeling distracted by everything that was surrounding him. It would soon be in front of him and he could watch it first-hand. “Just beef and chicken” he told her, scooting the menu towards her.

“That was an easy choice he sighed after she had walked away, looking towards Yui. “The less choice the happier I am” he laughed. “More so when I do not know what is going on completely still but that is all part of the experience I guess” he shrugged tapping the counter that was in front of him. “So why Annapolis? Why build something like this here?”

"Yeah, they're not very common. You mostly find them in ethnic markets, mostly during the summer. Even then, it's mostly just strawberry, lychee or orange flavors." She tipped the bottled and looked in at the marble, smiling. It was pretty plain looking, just made of glass, but the allure of it was that the lid simply didn't come off the bottle without damaging it in some way. "I brought in different flavors because there are so many good ones. I really wish I could have gotten cookie dough flavored Ramune, but it's kind of a limited thing."

She tipped the bottle one way and the other, hearing the marble clink around inside the neck. She softly laughed and nodded. "We can, but we'll probably need a hammer. Makoto and I tried just smashing it, but it's pretty tough glass. We saw this thing on the internet where someone used a blowtorch to melt the plastic on the cap, but my parents won't let Makoto near things they consider to be power tools."

When Nadine returned, she gave her a big smile. "Chocobo and Shellder." Nadine smiled back, rolling her eyes playfully. Every one of the waiters there knew it was Yui's favorite. "Oh, can we have some Sky Fish Sashimi, too?" She looked at Lucas and gave a grin. "I don't know if you're up for sushi, but it's really good and you can try any that look good to you." She wouldn't force him, of course. He wasn't a baby. She could at least offer him the opportunity and if he didn't want to try it, more sushi for her.

"We try to keep the menu condensed. Too many choices gets people frustrated. I get annoyed when there's fifty items on the menu and they're all basically the same." She took a sip of her drink and hummed at his question. "Because there wasn't anything like it here. I get that Annapolis is known for the historical aspect, but being a one-trick pony is boring for people who didn't choose to be born here. Like me. I love Annapolis, but I didn't choose to live here. I lived here because my parents do, and we didn't have anything like Tokyo Central growing up so I guess I always felt like I didn't have a place in this city for me. I guess I built it to give the youth here a place to go and have fun, while still staying in a really great city."

dionere

Visit Original Link

[Love Song - Ayumi Hamasaki]

#music

Et ducit mundum per luce

Lucas looked around the building in awe. He had never seen anything like it before. The colors and styles were all new to him. Though he could not say it was horrible, it was appealing to him in a foreign but familiar way. If the orange had been redder he would have thought he was at church looking at furniture inspired by an icon. He smiled as he looked around as he follow Yui through the building up until the point of the pond in the building. Stopping he looked down, forgetting he was supposed to be following Yui. He had seen them before but always associated them with Chinese culture, not Japanese. He kept his thoughts to himself though as he watched them swim. It was oddly fitting in this place as they moved through the pond. He tilted his head to the side a bit as he watched for a moment longer before realizing he was supposed to be following Yui through the building. Looking up he spotted her not to far ahead and jogged till he was back in his place.

“Sorry” he started before he looked around the room they were at. “Koi” he finished lamely as he took in what he was seeing for the first time.

Between spinning knives, smoke, and feats with kitchen utensils he never thought possible, he was more interested in just watching them than actually eating what they made. Lucas could only not his head at her comment as he looked around and watched the chef behind them put on his show. It was interesting to him that people actually got paid to this type of work. He never seen anything like it before. Nothing was like this in Athens at least. When the waitress showed up, he looked at her a bit surprised.

…like to drink?

“Just water” he said shaking his head a bit, realizing that was all that he caught of what she was saying. “What else did you say, sorry.”

Yui smiled at the waitress as she asked for her drink order. "Hey Nadine, chocolate Ramune for me, please. Oh, and don't pop it for me." Nadine gave a laugh and nodded, walking away to get the drinks for the two. "Hm? Oh. Uh... I forgot." She laughed softly and glanced around the restaurant. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, and there was hardly any change from the staff from her entering. Of course, they were acting appropriately to begin with, so they had nothing to fear. In fact, Yui trusted in their judgement the most, since she knew the least about being a chef or a waiter.

She didn't need to open the menu to know what she wanted, but she nodded toward it to bring it to Lucas's attention. "You pretty much get a choice of two meats, and then they fry rice and vegetables to go along with it. It's really great. You also get miso soup and a small salad. Have you ever had miso soup before?" She tipped her head as she asked, blinking with interest. Miso, she found, was an acquired taste. Fortunately for her, her parents made it constantly growing up. Her friends, however, had to eat it a few times before they decided they liked it.

Nadine returned with the drinks, handing the odd-shaped bottle to Yui. She unwrapped the plastic from the top, and pulled off a cylindrical piece of hard plastic that had been held in place. "You ever had Ramune?" She asked, holding the bottle up. "It's not very common in the United States, but it's so good. I love how they make the bottles. See, you have to use this pusher..." She showed him the piece of plastic. "...And then you push down on the top where this marble is." She pushed the plastic down onto the glass marble and it clinked into the thin neck of the bottle, stopped in place. "If you turn it upside down..." She picked up the drink and tipped her head back, holding the bottle upside down above herself. A small mouthful came out before it stopped completely, and she lapped it up eagerly before grinning and taking the bottle away from herself. "It stops flowing altogether." She quickly righted the bottle and set it down. "I just always thought it was fascinating. The only thing I hate is that you can't take off the top to get the marble out. My brother and I wanted to collect them, growing up. One day he took a hammer and completely smashed the bottle to bits to get the marble out. He eventually made it into a necklace and gave it to me since he didn't have any other use for it."

#ooc #taichi

Et ducit mundum per luce

“They would have to explain themselves is the problem” Lucas replied with a smirk. “A government that has never waited for approval of anyone or anything charged in with fake allegations of weapons of mass destruction. And we know they were fake. They admitted that much. In Syria they are trying the same thing and it is a matter of time before it will not work again. Just wait for the UN to give the go. That is what it was built for. To help every country not let one think it is above the rest.” He chuckled and looked towards her with a smile. “The rest of the world will not see you as weak. They will see you as changing for the better. If the UN says the government did in fact use chemical weapons against their people and the UN votes for intervention, then I can support action. But I feel like all those things will not happen.”

Because it’s what friends do. Lucas wanted to laugh in her face for just using the word. He did not have friends or a family for a reason. Just people he enjoyed talking to or sleeping with. That was all he could afford in life. That way when she left, he would not care. She was just another leaf in his life, nothing special. Yui could thing what she wanted about him but he knew better. He also knew better than to correct her. His life would be better if she believed what she wanted about him. So he gave a small smile and nodded slightly before he looked at the building that was clearly hers. He had no idea what to expect of this place. All he remembered clearly was that she was an arcade owner and had specialty food that was mostly imported in. Beyond that he had no idea what to expect when he walked through the door she was holding open for him.

“Thank you Yui” he replied as he walked through the door and into the building.

"I really don't have an opinion on the UN. They're supposed to keep the countries fair and balanced, but all they do is shake their head at the United States in disapproval." She sighed and looked up at the sky. "That's what the United States doesn't realize, though. They think that backing down in any way is weakness, even if it's to work on our problems here at home. Now we've made so many enemies by flexing our muscle, it's like we're too afraid to show any sign of softness because it'll become exploited. The United States is, by wordly nations, still only in its teenage years, and I'm afraid right now that's exactly how it's acting."

He seemed to fall silent after she mentioned friends, which made her rethink her words. They really weren't friends. At least, not yet. She'd only met him twice before, but he seemed nice enough. Reclusive, but nice. Now she was getting a sense of iciness from him, one that made her almost wish she hadn't used the words she had. But, she wasn't going to apologize or take them back. It made no sense.

She walked through the door after him, giving a nod toward the seater at the front, motioning to her to indicate a table for two. The restaurant appeared very open despite the darkness of the walls and ceilings. The orange and gold furniture made it more lively, and the white pillars near the sushi area seemed to brighten the area. Off to the side was a separate area, where she led him to, right past a koi pond filled with fish in various sizes, but a very large, fat fish in particular seeming to lord over all of them. She led him through a doorway to another part of the restaurant, where the hibachi grills were. A few were already going, the chefs twirling their knives and spatulas and chatting up the patrons. She sat with him over at one of the empty hibachis and waited for their waitress, the smell of grilled meats filling her nostrils. "You're going to love it. No matter how many times I see them do this, it's just amazing."

phoenixrhythm

Visit Original Link

[Fukai Mori - Do as Infinity]

#music

Suu~ītotorīto (Sweet Treats) | Yui and Tai

braden-gallagher

He could see the emotions she felt as clear as the bright summer sun on her face. It was painful, to say the least, and he reached a hand up to clutch at his chest. She wouldn’t ever forgive him, would she? Not that he could blame her. He’d been the absolute worst friend one could even ask for. But that was his problem, and if he wanted this friendship back, he would work for it. He also knew when to give Yui her time, knew when to not push her, even though he would often do so anyhow just to get a reaction out of her (a cute one, usually).

When she marched off, he stayed behind, rocking on the heels of his feet as he looked around at the others in the park. No one paid them any mind, and he was glad for that, lest they all stop and point and talk about the two Asian people fighting. That was something he’s heard several times here; ‘that Asian fellow.’ He didn’t really mind, but right now, for Yui’s sake, he just wanted them all to mind their own business. After a few short moments, he sighed, bowing his head, and followed slowly after her.

He was hesitant to approach her again, and he stopped a few meters behind her, rubbing one arm. What could he even say to diffuse the situation? To make things at least neutral? Nothing would make them good, but was there something he could do to make it so she didn’t want to rip his head off? Nothing came to mind, so instead, he just took out a card that he’d printed his own home address on, for shipments and the like, and he breathed in sharply, approaching her to jut the card out. “Here! This is my address. If… If you ever want to… to talk, maybe? You can feel free to come by. Ah… I’ll likely come by your business often.” He made sure she took it before he stepped away from her. “I really am sorry, Yui-chan.” Giving a tense smile, he turned on his heel, his hands deep in his pockets as he trotted off.