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[Of all the things to wish for in this greyscale hellhole, he picks a restaurant. Hmm.]

I don't think a restaurant would work in this place. How we would pay for everything? Fish bucks? [She says that teasingly, because yes, she remembers his stupid joke from the forum. It was so stupid that it made her laugh, okay.] Tastier food would be nice, though! Has he tried to cook anything here?

Hey, don't knock fish bucks yet. You could bring your own food to the restaurant, probably...

[He's so deep in this Food Fantasy it takes him a moment, oh-] And nah, I mean in town at home. If there's a guy around here who can turn this gray shit into real food, he'd be way more popular by now.

[Thanks for getting her hopes up! She looks visibly disappointed, because while free food is amazing, free food that tastes like dirt is simply unfortunate.]

I was so excited, too. [A SIGH.] I'd pay a lot of fish bucks to eat something that tastes good. I might even pay real money for something from that restaurant of yours!

[A pause as she considers this, and then:]

Actually, never mind. It would probably be too expensive.

[All restaurants are too expensive when you're #poor.]

[Now they're both sad about the lack of a restaurant... terrible.]

Tonio—that's the guy—Tonio's not bad, but he's gonna stop giving me freebies eventually, probably... so yeah.

[When you're a local thug who is actually a soft boy, you get free food all the time! From people trying to test how their mysterious food power Stand works, anyway.]

John told me to try eating the grass. [friends]

[Um, where is her friendly local restaurateur? That sounds totally amazing, and she's just about to tell him as much when he drops that last line. Great, Okuyasu. Now she is sad AND concerned.]

It probably tastes worse than everything else. But you've been eating plenty of real food, right? Like fish?

[Wow, he didn't actually eat grass!! It was very rude of Piano Boy John, actually. That one girl's horse can eat the grass. That said, he's been finding what he can... collecting some nasty-ass cans from the general store, and so on...]

Uh... I found a couple vegetables the first week.

[When you're friends with people who would seriously try to eat the grass, you usually just assume the worst. Pardon her fretting.]

And what have you been eating since then?

Found some cans of stuff in the store, but they're more of the same gray shit. Nothing's made me sick yet, so it should be alright.

[Yes?? He's hungry, but not starving hungry.]

[She pulls a face, because living off canned food can't be good for him. Surely it's lacking in the nutrition department? The fruits and vegetables she finds may taste similar, but she's positive that they're healthier. ...Somehow. Tall friend, please take care of yourself.]

It's a good thing I didn't forget my net. You need it. So go ahead and show me your picture, and then you can go catch a fish to eat!

Oh, yeah! [Canned food dilemma forgotten, Okuyasu holds up a finger for her to wait before he pats, like, all of his pockets before he finds the one that has his picture in it so he can flip it around to show. It's just so cute, look at them, look at this tiny Okuyasu.]

Check it out! Nice hair, right?

[The anticipation is killing her, honestly, but once he flips that picture around all is forgiven. Ochako appreciates the cute things in life, and baby Okuyasu is... a solid 7 out of 10. Maybe an 8.]

Aww, Okuyasu! You were super cute, especially with that poofy hair! It's hard to think that you were really that small, though. [She leans in to get a better look, cooing delightedly. Who loves families? This girl.] Wow, your mom is so pretty. And that's your brother?

[What a look he's giving the camera. Wow.]

Edited 2018-04-03 01:52 (UTC)

[Don't judge Keicho, he's a troubled boy. Okuyasu nods, wiggling the picture as if to emphasize how cute at least half of his family was like 14 years ago.]

Uh huh, that's Keicho. He never learned how to do his hair better, if you wanna know. [Which she surely must, because just look at that mess...] I don't really remember my mom, but at least I look more like her than my old man.

[haha, right?? right.]

[Questionable hairstyles are a thing where she's from, so she doesn't see anything wrong with Keicho's? But like that even matters after he drops that comment about his mother. OOPS. It's a silly thing to feel guilty about, of course, and he doesn't seem very torn up about it, but she feels that familiar twinge all the same. Making him think about his mom is... mean...]

O-Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. [She glances back down at the woman, briefly wondering what happened to her, before giving him a slightly awkward smile. Asking would just be rude.] You really do look like her. And... I'm glad you showed me this. It must mean a lot to you, so thank you, Okuyasu!

[This is, like, a billion friendship points? He might not even think that this is a special moment, but she certainly does.]

[No, no, he loves his mom!! Objectively speaking, considering how young he was when she passed. It's fine - at least, he doesn't look devastated about it right this second, blinking at Ochako's seemingly abrupt shift in attitude from a moment ago. Truly, there are worse things about the Nijimura family...

Ah, but he's being called out on his soft center, so he scoffs a little and looks away, like he does literally every time he gets called on his soft center. She's right, but does she have to say it out loud? Gosh.]

Yeah, yeah... You asked to see it, so, y'know. [Very smooth. That picture's going back in his pocket, where it will rest and not incriminate him for anything else.] So, we going fishing or what?

["Abrupt shift[s] in attitude" are everyday Ochako™ things, so get used to them, Okuyasu. You're stuck with her now.

...Especially after that reaction. Her tremulous smile turns genuine as he tries to play this whole thing off, but she keeps her lips firmly pressed together to ensure that she doesn't laugh. Tough guy tries too hard to act tough—how silly! It's not like she would ever think to judge him.]

You've earned it! First, though— [She stretches one hand out to him, blue marker balanced in the palm of her hand.] You probably want this. And I brought my picture, too? If you want to see it, I mean! You don't have to, but I didn't think it would be fair if I got to see your family and you didn't get to see mine.

[Let her gush about her family.]

[Thanks for not laughing at him.... he appreciates it. He also appreciates the marker, perking up again as he reaches to take it and immediately pop the cap open, like he hasn't seen a Colorful Thing since the legendary beforetimes...]

Oh—sure, okay. I just keep mine in my pocket. [All the time. But he's tough. She can show him her family, he's down for it, and in the meantime after he looks around for something to write on and comes up empty, he'll draw a dot on his own hand.

Nice.]

Shit, no way, it really works... your friend's ability kicks ass.

[It's the simple things in life, right? She watches him mess around with the marker, pleased to see that he's so pleased with her friend's little creation. And to think that it cost a single fish buck... what a deal.]

Momo's amazing, so of course it works. I'll tell her that you like it!

[Oh, right—with the reward turned over to him, it's now her turn for show-and-tell. Hmm. Her eyes flick down to the picture grasped tightly in one hand, expression softening, before she brings it up between them and flips it around for him to see.]

It's only from last year, and I don't have any brothers or sisters, but, um... this is my family! [The obvious love in her voice? That sappy look on her face as she studies the photo? It's clear that this adorable girl cares very, very deeply for her parents, and she's not the slightest bit ashamed of it.] We were celebrating my birthday, even though I told them that they shouldn't make a big deal about it...

[Before the day is out, he'll have drawn a cool S on his laptop, just wait. For now he just caps the marker and spins it idly between his fingers while he leans over to look at her picture... and dutifully does not say something like "your mom is hot," as he is inclined to do... that would be Crude.

She's so earnest about it, though, Okuyasu would give her a friendly noogie(tm) if she weren't a girl he's known for like, a few weeks. One day.]

Yeah? Your family's cute, [he says in his Tough Guy way, but it's true-!! Some might say Okuyasu has just cause to begrudge other people their cute families who aren't dead or otherwise awful, but he doesn't—he just rubs at his neck, awkward in that typical teenage boy way, trying to say something is sweet without sounding like a wimp.] You guys look happy? That's lucky.

[yeah!!!! 10/10]

[It's lucky that her family is happy? Pulling the picture back to her, she tucks it safely into her belt as she turns that thought over in her mind. His family looked happy, too, but maybe things changed after his mother... left. How unhappy did it get? It's none of her business, and yet... she finds herself worrying about him all the same. Okuyasu can be rude, reckless, and very, very loud, but she genuinely likes him.]

Thanks. I'm grateful for everything that they do. [She beams back up at him, searching for a positive aspect to focus on. There's always something!!] But you're lucky, too, you know? It must be nice to have an older brother!

[Ochako........]

[Well, she tried, and that's what counts. Okuyasu makes a face, not quite a grimace but not quite the beaming smile thrilled about his big brother that she's probably hoping for. He rubs his neck again, pausing while he musters all of the tact he has to use--]

Yeah... sure, most of the time. You- well, you don't have a brother, but brothers can be a real pain, trust me.

[And then they die, and probably deserve it, but that's a story for another time and not Fun Fishing Day.] My bro looked out for me when we were little, y'know? So...

[shhhrug. fishing? fishing.]

[Oh, but that expression on his face. Her lips press together to form a thin line as she looks up at him, because whoops. Whoops. Way to keep making things awkward, Ochako! Family talk is clearly off the table for the time being, so she'll just jump right on that clear attempt to segue to a less awkward topic. Maybe if she just... forces a smile and pretends like everything is fine...]

S-So! Ready to go? The sooner we leave, the sooner you get to eat something that doesn't come out of a can.

[It's fine, it's definitely fine... But alright, Okuyasu can't say no to food that isn't from a can. He shrugs, one last final dismissal of the family time topic; it's definitely fine. Now, food.]

Yeah, let's kick it. You need me to carry something, or nah?

[Are they going to float all the fishing stuff down to the river for style points? He can go for it. Follow him, anyway, back to the door and outside.]

[Alas, there is no need to make anything float—for now. Ochako happily follows his lead, reaching down to fumble with the small pouch attached to her belt as they emerge into the dull grey world. It's easy to shift right back into her happy, talkative self when she has something new to focus on.]

Not yet! You only need my net, and it's not exactly heavy. [She falls in step right beside him, holding her prize out for him to see. It is, in fact, a net. Amazing.] It's quicker to use than a fishing pole, but I guess you could fish the old-fashioned way if you wanted to. You do have lots of time to kill.

[Style points are going down for this fishing trip... maybe he'll just ask her to float fish around for fun, that seems like a reasonable request to make. Later. For now it's time to walk, mercifully not very far to reach the water from his cruddy Bluo house. He doesn't trust any of the bridges or what might have once been little docks for the boat houses after his first excursion jumping all over the place, so they're going to fish from... just the ground!! That's fun.

It is worth noting that Okuyasu doesn't know what to do with this fishing thing besides throw a net, maybe? What is the process?]

I'm hungrier than bored, so let's get some mutant fish and get outta here.

[It's not like Ochako is just going to hand him the net and tell him to go wild. As soon as they're down by the water, she grabs the long string attached to the net, gives the whole thing a good shake, and holds it out for him to take.]

Loop this part around your wrist, okay? Then you need to grab the bottom of the net—that's the part with the weights—and swing the whole thing over into the deepest part of the water. As soon as it hits the bottom, you yank it right back up!

[She looks up at him expectantly, confident that he caught that whole spiel. This isn't rocket science.]

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he's too cute?? i can't

he's so cute you had to edit

rude. i'm typing on my phone so excuuuusez-moi

oh i'm flattered...braving the phone for me

don't let it go to your head

it's too late for that now

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