[He wouldn't be very Japanese if he didn't know how to make some green tea. Once Hiro gets the next text... He lets out an amused sigh as he says this out loud.]
The woes of being a comedian... Why is it always the cute ones who've got a lack of comedic timing?
[BECAUSE YOUR JOKES AREN'T ALL THAT GREAT, HIRO. So he'll be taking out a few packets of green tea from his cabinet and decides for the better... to not teleport into Ai's apartment. All his experiences always end up with him appearing in a toilet and it'd be very embarrassing for his boyish pride to do that in front of Ai. So after like twenty minutes pass, Ai will get a knock on her door.]
[He is greeted by Ai, who opens the door and lights up when she sees it's Hiro.]
Thank you for visiting! Please, come in.
[While definitely not as sick anymore, there's a certain tiredness that might radiate off of her. She's dressed rather simply this time, a large tee shirt with a daisy flower and striped sleeves and jeans. No bunny hood in sight, so SAFE. That said, she gestures for him to come inside.]
Since you brought tea, we can share some snacks together. Does that sound alright?
[... He is a bit sad that she's not wearing it anymore, but this was no time to be selfish and ask her to put it on. He's looking as easygoing as ever whenever he steps in.]
Sounds like a plan! What kind of snacks do you have? [Because if they're sweet foods, then Hiro is all over that. He loved sweet things... This was the kind of guy who'd put a lot of sugar in coffee and still think it tastes good.] Dango? Ramune candy? I've got a taste for anything. ♪
Yooooou are definitely working hard to win "Housewife of the Year" status. ♥
[Well, he certainly did like be treated by people! And it worked both ways since he was doing some treating as well... So he'll be searching through her cupboards for the tea kettle... Ah, there it is! With that, he goes to the sink and fills it up with water, then he turns on the stove.]
Gotta let this heat up for a minute. Glad I haven't made anything explode so far! [Felt like ages since he's navigated a kitchen proper.]
[She trails off as she sets down the snacks, looking more thoughtful than taken aback by Hiro's usual joking remarks. As Hiro makes the tea, she plops down on a chair, remarking back.]
... You know, I don't know if I'd ever get married if I was back in my world.
Haaaah? I'm surprised you don't have suitors already lined up at the front gate!
[Once the stove was heated, he'll be putting the tea leaves into the kettle. While that was boiling over, he'll be humming to himself as he pulls out a pair of tea cups.]
But what's the deal? Is it due to your esper-y circumstances?
[She chuckles lightly at the suitors comment because honestly, she can't quite see it.] That's mostly it. Being an esper can be complicated.
I may have mentioned it before, but I lived in a commune with others like me. I... I don't have actual parents, so I had a lot of adults who raised me along with other girls and some boys.
[She almost added, "Just like me," but she had yet to even breach that point. And after so long here without mentioning it to anyone, the timing didn't feel right. Maybe it would never be right.]
Parents are overrated if you ask me. I mean, there's not really much to say about mine. They weren't anything special.
[This was one of those rare moments that you'd see Hiro looking a little annoyed at something. It's very clear that he wasn't very close to his parents. They were actually pretty distant from him and only expected good grades. Least he had Daichi to lean back on for a better bond.]
You can find better and equivalent bonds just fine. 'Least they won't tell you to study all the damn time.
[Well... Hiro was a surprisingly competent student even if he didn't act like it. He aced his college exams before everything happened.]
[That's something she has yet to seen from Hiro. He usually was mostly cheerful, but Ai can somewhat tell the subject of parents isn't really a good one.]
Well, parents or no parents... I definitely had to train and study a lot.
[It was always one thing or another, always for the sake for the next job, the next mission.]
[Hiro was self-aware enough to know that he might have been bringing down the mood a little bit. So he tries to force back his cheerfulness even if it comes off as pushy determination.]
Any-waaa-aay! Enough about parents! [Though he had to wonder what happened to her parents for a moment... But he figured that might have been a subject saved for another time.]
I don't have much to say about them, but I can tell you some awesome adults I know! [Age was only a number to him. He was determined to make friends with even old ladies!]
First off... There's good ol' Joe. He's a completely scatterbrained dude, but far more reliable than he looks. Or I think it's easier to say that he became more reliable... A lot of shit went down that pushed him to become a better person.
[While Hiro was the one who helped out with encouragement, Joe was the one that pushed himself to become better on his own. Hiro couldn't take all of the credit as he believed that it was his friends that pushed themselves to change.]
Even to this day... I will never understand his funky fashion sense. [Says the eccent fellow who has an obsession with bunny coats.] But anyway... He's like an older brother to me.
[He was still curious about a lot of things related to Ai's world. So this would've been a better time than any to hear her out.]
Well, you can color me interested! I don't think I can cure your homesickness... But I can definitely hear you out.
[Sometimes, that was the best thing to do. Before that, he'll be picking up the kettle and pouring some green tea into a cup. Then he hands that over to Ai.]
You think? What are they like? I'm pretty confident in befriending anyone I come across.
[Not without some effort, of course. Hiro had experiences with angry and cold types like Keita and Ronaldo who needed a spanking to be put in their places. And Yamato, oh boy... It took Yamato some time to get through to him too.]
She's pretty straight forward and doesn't like talking much. Even though Tuyet acts more professionally than I do, she and Hau get along very well. They care about each other a lot, but Hau's more relaxed than she is.
... They're both good people. You'd be great friends with them.
Huh... They sound like Yamato and Miyako kinda. Only kinda. [It was a rough comparison to make, but when it came to the whole 'sibling' thing. Well, even now... Hiro still found Miyako's case more than odd.] They're both dependable, but they aren't very good at handling normal social situations sometimes. Well, Miyako is a lot more easier to speak with. And Yamato's gotten a lot better compared to before... But he's still kinda awkward.
[And when it came to getting along... Well, Hiro has seen the two of them butt heads and figured that it was the standard for siblings to do that. It was the definitely the impression that Hiro had internally guessed from Ai and her sister.]
So if you worked together with 'em, then that means you guys built a fun little dynamic, right?
[Honestly, he knew that he could've said something different. But he couldn't resist the chance to make Ai a little angry. She looked cute whenever she was a bit steamed.]
Pfft-- I-I'm--[He's trying not to laugh.] I'm sorry! I really am! But it's just silly to me. [DEEP BREATHS.] Why wouldn't you wanna make friends with your allies?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
text
If it's not too much trouble.
[a minute later]
OH!
I get the joke now!
:D
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No problem! I'll bring some over and make it![He wouldn't be very Japanese if he didn't know how to make some green tea. Once Hiro gets the next text... He lets out an amused sigh as he says this out loud.]
The woes of being a comedian... Why is it always the cute ones who've got a lack of comedic timing?
[BECAUSE YOUR JOKES AREN'T ALL THAT GREAT, HIRO. So he'll be taking out a few packets of green tea from his cabinet and decides for the better... to not teleport into Ai's apartment. All his experiences always end up with him appearing in a toilet and it'd be very embarrassing for his boyish pride to do that in front of Ai. So after like twenty minutes pass, Ai will get a knock on her door.]
action
Thank you for visiting! Please, come in.
[While definitely not as sick anymore, there's a certain tiredness that might radiate off of her. She's dressed rather simply this time, a large tee shirt with a daisy flower and striped sleeves and jeans. No bunny hood in sight, so SAFE. That said, she gestures for him to come inside.]
Since you brought tea, we can share some snacks together. Does that sound alright?
action
Sounds like a plan! What kind of snacks do you have? [Because if they're sweet foods, then Hiro is all over that. He loved sweet things... This was the kind of guy who'd put a lot of sugar in coffee and still think it tastes good.] Dango? Ramune candy? I've got a taste for anything. ♪
action
[She leads him to the kitchen table where the mentioned snacks are already placed. Ai goes to one of the cupboards to take out some sweets for Hiro.]
It's not much-- [
for her] --but all of these should do well enough for a snack.action
[Well, he certainly did like be treated by people! And it worked both ways since he was doing some treating as well... So he'll be searching through her cupboards for the tea kettle... Ah, there it is! With that, he goes to the sink and fills it up with water, then he turns on the stove.]
Gotta let this heat up for a minute. Glad I haven't made anything explode so far! [Felt like ages since he's navigated a kitchen proper.]
action
[She trails off as she sets down the snacks, looking more thoughtful than taken aback by Hiro's usual joking remarks. As Hiro makes the tea, she plops down on a chair, remarking back.]
... You know, I don't know if I'd ever get married if I was back in my world.
action
[Once the stove was heated, he'll be putting the tea leaves into the kettle. While that was boiling over, he'll be humming to himself as he pulls out a pair of tea cups.]
But what's the deal? Is it due to your esper-y circumstances?
action
I may have mentioned it before, but I lived in a commune with others like me. I... I don't have actual parents, so I had a lot of adults who raised me along with other girls and some boys.
[She almost added, "Just like me," but she had yet to even breach that point. And after so long here without mentioning it to anyone, the timing didn't feel right. Maybe it would never be right.]
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[This was one of those rare moments that you'd see Hiro looking a little annoyed at something. It's very clear that he wasn't very close to his parents. They were actually pretty distant from him and only expected good grades. Least he had Daichi to lean back on for a better bond.]
You can find better and equivalent bonds just fine. 'Least they won't tell you to study all the damn time.
[Well... Hiro was a surprisingly competent student even if he didn't act like it. He aced his college exams before everything happened.]
action
Well, parents or no parents... I definitely had to train and study a lot.
[It was always one thing or another, always for the sake for the next job, the next mission.]
action
Any-waaa-aay! Enough about parents! [Though he had to wonder what happened to her parents for a moment... But he figured that might have been a subject saved for another time.]
I don't have much to say about them, but I can tell you some awesome adults I know! [Age was only a number to him. He was determined to make friends with even old ladies!]
action
[go make friends with all the old ladies hiro!!]
action
[While Hiro was the one who helped out with encouragement, Joe was the one that pushed himself to become better on his own. Hiro couldn't take all of the credit as he believed that it was his friends that pushed themselves to change.]
Even to this day... I will never understand his funky fashion sense. [Says the eccent fellow who has an obsession with bunny coats.] But anyway... He's like an older brother to me.
action
[Ai nods with certainty.]
I think... I think there are other people I could talk about too. From my world, I mean. I've been thinking a lot about home lately.
[Especially after the debacle with the ghosts and her verbal fight with Leon which made Ai rethink a lot of things.]
action
Well, you can color me interested! I don't think I can cure your homesickness... But I can definitely hear you out.
[Sometimes, that was the best thing to do. Before that, he'll be picking up the kettle and pouring some green tea into a cup. Then he hands that over to Ai.]
And it'll feel better over a cup a tea.
action
Back home, the people I worked most with were two siblings; Tuyet and Hau. I think you may have liked the former... I think.
[Because Tuyet did have a rather cold facade, but in general Ai was mostly sure she was anything but that.]
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[Not without some effort, of course. Hiro had experiences with angry and cold types like Keita and Ronaldo who needed a spanking to be put in their places. And Yamato, oh boy... It took Yamato some time to get through to him too.]
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... They're both good people. You'd be great friends with them.
[Unlike her...]
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[And when it came to getting along... Well, Hiro has seen the two of them butt heads and figured that it was the standard for siblings to do that. It was the definitely the impression that Hiro had internally guessed from Ai and her sister.]
So if you worked together with 'em, then that means you guys built a fun little dynamic, right?
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[ai what's with that pause]
. . .
. . .
I wasn't... I wasn't really good at talking with them...
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Then he decisively says-]
... You suck, Ai.
[AT LEAST HE'S HONEST.]
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W-Where did that come from!?
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Pfft-- I-I'm--[He's trying not to laugh.] I'm sorry! I really am! But it's just silly to me. [DEEP BREATHS.] Why wouldn't you wanna make friends with your allies?
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[Look Hiro, her environment was stifling okay]
Things like allies, making friends, maintaining friendships... No one ever really talked to me about those things, not even my sister.
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