youraffection | [IC] Inbox @ cerealia

[Once upon a time she would have been more self-conscious. But after the year in Inaba, after the year with the rest of the IT? She's learned that they'll like her for her. Even now it's a refreshing thought, and like Yosuke she's aware they aren't entirely close. They're friends, but Yosuke was Yu's partner, closer with her senpai than herself, Kanji and Naoto. It's something she had thought to try to fix if they were going to be living together and helping each other in Cerealia. Then he had disappeared. Now that he's back...he might not have the memories from before, but Yosuke was still Yosuke. He had the memories from home and they all had a bond nobody else shared. That was enough.

On the other hand, that bond wouldn't be enough to save him if he insulted her this early in the morning and she narrows her eyes.]

Yes it's just coffee! [It wasn't going to be like Escapade where the drinks were questionable. But she looks into the mugs again anyway.] ...okay, maybe I added a little sugar since it's pretty bitter, but it's still coffee.

[ They've all grown a lot together. When he moved out to the country, he figured it was going to blow. Totally blow. But, in the end, he made closer friends that he'd ever had before in the city. Inaba is special, now. So for all the nice (and sometimes strange) people he met in ViViD, having Yu, Rise, and Teddie there is kind of a big deal. Like a huge deal.

But she says sugar. Whew! There's a clear look of relief on his face. ]

Oh, is that all? [ IS THAT ALL, HE SAYS.

Yeah, he can deal with some sugar. He can't actually take his coffee black, anyway. A little sugar and cream is necessary. (Don't tell anyone, it makes him seem less manly.) ]

That sounds great. You're the best, Rise-san.

[She raises an eyebrow mostly because what do you mean is that all, Yosuke. ARE YOU IMPLYING SOMETHING...

There's probably cream in the fridge but she hadn't thought of that since Yosuke is nothing but the epitome of manl--okay no. It's mostly just that she didn't think too much on it. Instead, she smiles brightly and finally hands him one of the cups, gracefully sliding onto the couch to sit next to him with her own mug in hand.]

Yesterday was a pretty rough day. You totally deserve it. [She pauses to take a sip, looking at Yosuke quietly mostly to make sure he's not damaged in any way.] Did you sleep okay? This place can really take a lot out of a person if they're not expecting it. [What with the overload of information and all.]

[ HE'S IMPLYING A WHOLE BUNCH OF THINGS. But it doesn't mean he likes you any less, Rise. He just knows it's safer to be skeptical when you're asking him to ingest something.

But this seems okay. He takes the cup with a nod of thanks, bringing it to his lips--...

...and then pauses as she speaks. ]

Yeah, I did. [ He gives her a lopsided smile, rubbing the back of his neck with his unoccupied hand. ] To be honest, I was kind of expecting to wake back up in my own bed and just go, "Wow, that one was one helluva dream." Guess that was kind of hopeful of me, huh? [ A pause. ] Thanks for letting me and Ted stay here, though. It's nice knowing that you guys are around. I don't know what I'd be doing if you weren't here.

[She doesn't mind that he's taking his time. She has time to be patient with him and she curls her legs under her on the couch, knee knocking into his leg just a bit as she looks at him over the rim of her coffee cup. She's sympathetic at least. This is her first time in the city (she assumes, no one's said otherwise), but Yosuke keeps coming back and not remembering. It must be a little frustrating.]

We're a team, remember? We're going to stick together until we find a way out of here. [She pauses then, tilting her head in thought before she decides she may as well continue.] When I first got here, you and Yu-senpai were already here. We rented this apartment together with Dipper. It'd be pretty silly not to let you stay with us after that.

[ The concept itself is frustrating, definitely, but the whole thing about not remembering it is that he doesn't know what he's forgotten. So, in some sense, that part doesn't bother him. It's a little weird when people all seem to know him, but he is used to that to some extent. Notoriety in a small town like Inaba isn't the exact same thing as in another reality, but at least everyone who has supposedly known him before has been nice. Small miracles, right?

When she speaks again, he let's out a surprised, airy laugh. ]

No way, really? [ He brings the cup back up to his lips as he looks up and around the place. It's pretty big, to be honest. Can they really afford it all on their own? ] Not gonna lie, that's really weird to think about. If so many people hadn't already acted like they know me, I would've said they were crazy.

[ And yes, now he takes a sip. There's a pause, a thoughtful pause as he looks into the cup. Hm...it's...actually still on the bitter side, but not too bad. He would have definitely added cream, but there's something else in here. He can't place it. ]

...Was sugar all you added?

[Meanwhile there's Rise who had to get used to people not knowing who she was on-sight, but it was a nice change. She follows suit with a giggle of her own because yeah. It's weird. It's weird and the whole thing is a lot to grasp and she's still just so happy he and Teddie are here with them. Part of her wonders where Teddie went off to this morning as well, but she thinks he can't have gone too far.

...she'll definitely have to check soon.]

It was strange coming here and having a lot of people tell me that you and Yu-senpai were here already. And you guys were living in a pretty small apartment, so I picked out this place and we all decided it was a good fit. You're totally welcome to stay here as long as you guys want.

[She's drinking her coffee, too, but she doesn't seem too bothered by the taste. She does have to think though.]

...I added a little too much sugar, so I added just a little cinnamon to balance it out. [So whoops.] It doesn't taste bad though does it?

[ It definitely is a nice place. He hasn't even seen all of it, really, but the common area is a good indication. Peeking into Yu's room--partially because Yu is okay with it, but mostly because he's nosey--gave him the impression that the rest of the rooms were of a decent size too. It made sense that as soon as Rise came along they'd need an upgrade.

Yeah, it makes sense in that distant, objective kind of way. The thought that he had somehow been involved in that process is a little far fetched. He has yet to grasp how much actual catching up on he'll need. Dwelling too much on it makes him feel off, so he'll just...get used to things, get acquainted with the feeling of displacement. That'll come when the real dangers begin to manifest. But, for now, he can at least be distracted by something more domestic, like Rise making him coffee in the morning. Coffee that isn't actually terrible! ]

Cinnamon? Huh. [ Wait, he didn't think it was sweet enough and she added too much sugar? No, he can't let her know that. His man card is already in jeopardy most of the time. ] Uh, no! No, it's fine. I just couldn't place the taste. [ He makes a point of taking a big gulp.

He's got to practice drinking black coffee more. Man.

After the swallows, he rests the cup on his knee. ]

It's pretty quiet. Is it just you? Where'd everyone else go?

[Rise "takes charge always" Kujikawa, really. She couldn't stand the idea of the boys living in pretty minimal conditions and she sure as hell wasn't going to let them out of her sight. She doesn't feel like dwelling on the last time Yosuke was here either. It was such a short time, truth be told. This is much better. It's easier to smile and relax with him, not think about what this means for Yosuke being here now or the dangers of Cerealia. It's easier to focus on how he sort of looks sweet with the "just-woken-up" look and not about the fact she had to kill a robot with her face only a week prior, one that preyed on a bunch of insecurities.

What would come for Yosuke now that he was here?]

They blend together all the time in cooking, so I thought they'd be okay in coffee. The cinnamon took a little while to dissolve anyway.

[It's idle chatter, though she's looking straight ahead in a way that Yosuke might recognize as her concentrating on things. Even without Kanzeon actively present she can still do a quick and quiet catalog of where their friends are. It's always easier and better with her Persona at her hands, but it's not impossible to do herself.] Teddie's gotta be exploring. Senpai's probably at school or work, and the twins are probably out with their friends or they're at work. Dipper's making a couple of deliveries, I think. [Given she can sense that he's on the move.] I'll have to go in to pick up my work from school later. One of my shoots was scheduled for the early afternoon. [She leans back into the couch to make herself comfortable, looking at Yosuke again.] It's funny how we all fell into a pattern here. You were recommended some jobs on your CereVice, too, weren't you?

[ Yosuke would be beyond himself if he knew Rise thought of him like that in any capacity. He's usually pretty much a stickler for appearances when he's out in public, despite the fact the doesn't have the pressures that Rise has on her. Behind closed doors, though, and maybe even in front of Rise herself, he's feeling relatively comfortable. Even first thing in the morning without make-up, she's still distracting. He's doing a pretty good job of not commenting on it.

He nods. ]

It's not bad. [ That's reassuring, right? But he's drinking more so, it has to be palatable.

He does notice the shift as her gaze turns away. Despite how it may seem, Yosuke is decidedly perceptive. He drinks quietly and just watches her for a moment. Ah, school. He doesn't really like the thought of school, but...it seems pretty normal. Other than the whole fake world ending and aliens in charge of everything, it seems really normal. She's got...what, photoshoots? So she's even an idol here? That makes sense to him. He is a little worried about Teddie, but he guesses as long as someone's able to keep track of him, it should be okay. ]

Er...if you really want to call them that, you're being kind of generous, heh.

[ Give him a second. He holds his cup out and sits up for a second, pulling his CereVice out of his back pocket. When he plops back down, he starts to scroll through a few of the windows he had open... ] "Commercial Jingle Singer"? "Thriftstore Model". Iiiiiii'm pretty sure those are jokes.

Those are jokes, right?

[They're similar that way, aren't they? They both have a certain eye for style and a trademark look. She'd really be relieved to know he seems to get it but that can come later. She gives an encouraging look mixed with an expression that quite clearly says "I told you so" as she takes another pull from her coffee.]

Only if you think "sunglasses model", "karaoke champion" and "tofu connoisseur" are jokes, too. [She rolls her eyes.] Yu-senpai works at a boxing ring. I'm sure they think they're funny, but they're not that bad. [She gently pushes him with her foot again.] Besides, I bet you'd be a great commercial jingle singer. You have to hear the Junes jingle all the time back home.

[She's trying not to laugh at his obvious misery but...geez.] Are you going to take them later?

"Tofu connoisseur"? Seriously? What's that even supposed to mean, you just eat a lot of it?

[ Nevermind that he's allergic, he just doesn't see the point. The rest seem pretty on point for Rise, honestly. He can't argue that. When she pushes him again, Yosuke huffs, his features smoothing out. At least a bit. ]

Sure, but that doesn't mean I sing it. [ Wait. ] ...Is that why they suggested it?

[ SIGH. ]

Yeah, I mean. I can't be a freeloader. It can't be that hard, right?

I taste-test. [She shrugs.] Taste-test and advertise the best ones and sell what I think is good. It's a lot like what I do at my grandma's shop back home. [She's glad he's relaxed a little again but she gives him a knowing look. That's probably exactly why, Yosuke. Welcome to Cerealia.]

I don't think it's that hard. Besides, you can always find other jobs too if you don't like those suggestions. But if you stick with those I can give you some tips and everything. A lot of the jobs pay well anyway. We've got rent on this place covered for a while, don't worry.

I guess that's fair, though I think you're better suited for the others.

[ Maybe he's a little biased because he can't really eat tofu without, you know, suffering. But Rise's got a magnetic personality, she's the kind of person that people are just drawn to and want to watch. He might be a little biased with that, too, because he'd also rather watch her, but he's not entirely wrong. ]

That's good, but even so, I don't wanna just be hanging out on your couch for free, you know? I guess I should take what I can get for now...I've just got a feeling I'm going to end up regretting it.

You think? [He's not entirely wrong actually. She doesn't mind the tofu job, but she likes the others.] You should come by the karaoke bar and sing with me sometime! [Or just come watch her. She's fine with that, too.

She can't help it. She reaches over, patting him on the knee and trying to appear as sage as possible even if she can't quite keep the smile off her face.] Don't worry. I'm sure the thrift store clothes won't be too bad either. It is nice to have something to distract us from everything else though.

Sing with Rise Kujikawa? I dunno if that's either the opportunity of a lifetime or public humiliation for me.

[ HE'S MOSTLY JOKING. Mostly. He knows that Rise is a pro and good at it. He wouldn't even be able to hit her minimum standards, but she's a friend, first and foremost. ]

Hey, there are website dedicated to how weird people look in places like that. Guess that must be what they meant by "model". [ SIGH. He's in good humor about it, at least. Thank you sagely Rise. ] Yeah, you know...it seems really peaceful right now.

Even if you don't sing with me, I bet you could be a great backup dancer. [Little does she know that yes...that's exactly how that goes.] I've had some of the worst performers join me on stage and it was still really fun. [Like Jaune. Jaune had no idea what he was doing and it was still fun.

Still, she frowns softly even with all of the joking going on because peaceful though the colony may be now, she's learned better since then.] I don't know how long that'll last either. This place can turn without any kind of warning sometimes.

Well, how can I say "no" to that? [ This is all fun and games, right? Teasing aside, going to karaoke with her sounds like it'd actually be pretty fun. ] We should do that, though, for real. I'm sure Yu and Ted'd be up for it too.

[ Because there needs to be some downtime around here. Not that he's basically had anything but downtime thus far. ]

People were telling me to watch out. [ He pauses to take another drink of his coffee before it goes too lukewarm. ] As embarrassing as yesterday was, it...could've been a lot worse.

[You wanted to see her face light up, didn't you Yosuke? Because that's happening.] It'll almost be like home! It'll be a fun way to welcome you and Teddie to the colony. They have a huge selection of songs to choose from, and maybe you can meet some of my friends, too.

[She doesn't seem to mind if her coffee goes a little cold, seeing how this is more important.] There weren't any monsters in yesterday's game, but some of them can be really dangerous. That doesn't even count some of the stuff that happens in the colony. People have really gotten hurt here...and sometimes it's pretty fatal. That's the scary part about all of it.

[ Aw, yeah, he sure did! That makes it totally worth it. Rise should be able to smile all the time, you know? ]

Yeah, I'd like that.

[ Meeting Rise's friends, too? Cute girls? Or just good people, you know. All are good.

Of course, the second part of their conversation isn't that exciting. It's actually heavy on the side of depressing. ]

...Fatal?

[Just don't think they're cuter than she is, okay? But that conversation's temporarily shelved because she needs to tell him the not-so-good parts.]

Yeah...Yu-senpai would know more than me, but some really awful things have happened in other parts of the colony. Ghosts and monsters and robots and stuff like that? People come back here after they've died but that doesn't change what it is. [It's scary. Death is scary and awful.]

[ Perish the thought! Rise is always the cutest.

But onto serious conversations... ]

Oh...Yeah. I mean, I heard that the whole beach thing was pretty relaxed in comparison to the last few times the game brought people in. This girl mentioned a Battle Royale-type scenario. I didn't think it was so...literal.

That one was even worse because the monsters had certain targets they were going after on top of NPCs that were trying to kill us. [That was a nightmare and a half.] For all that CERES says they've saved us and they're helping us they really don't act like it. We haven't figured out a good way to keep everybody completely out of trouble here since they do these things without even warning us.

Geez...what's the point of all of this anyway? Do they just like messing with people and seeing what freaks them out the most?

[ To be fair, his dignity was scared off on the beach. ]

[She shakes her head, pausing to sip her coffee again. That's a great question!] Who knows? They know way too much about us, too, and what'll get to us the most.

[...but enough scary stuff. She playfully knocks a knee into his again.] But don't worry, okay? We're together and it's really easy to meet new people, too! [Somehow it's better if they're all suffering together. Cool. Thanks Rise.] You learn how to take things on as they come up.

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