survivaltricks | [GP INBOX]

[he really did! whether he intended to or not. how does it feel, senpai??]

i feel pretty lucky.

though all that talking has made me hungry. want to grab some grub?

[ Hoping Akira keeps his promise to not go disappearing anytime soon for Reasons. :/

In any event, seeing Akira face-to-face after all of this would be a little -- ]

Yeah.

[ Oh well. It's hard to say no to this guy. ]

Sounds like a plan. ]

[and then he vanished in the next five minutes, bye Minato]

what's your favorite kind of food?

[ WOW??

Also, fml, not that question again... ]

Anything's fine.

[suffer, Minato]

nope. not the question i asked.

if not your favorite, then what are you craving right now?

[ Ugh. ]

Hot sandwich.

[ Is a burger a sandwich? Who can say. ]

[that is such]

[a freakin' weird way to put it, but okay. hot sandwich it is!!]

how about burgers, then?

[burgers are hot sandwiches to Akira]

Okay.

[ What's he going to say? No?? ]

Burgers sounds good.

[he could!! he absolutely could!!!]

[Akira does text him the name and location of a random burger joint]

meet you here in about twenty?

Okay.

[ It's a quaint little diner in Early Bird Hall. Between getting a bit turned around and dodging a couple aggro guests, it takes Minato a little longer than he would have liked to get there. But he makes it, finally spotting a familiar bespectacled figure out front.

He shows up with a sheepish expression because he's ten minutes late. ]

...I got lost. Sorry for making you wait.

[funnily enough, as those ten minutes tick by, Akira does idly wonder if Minato got lost. he is tempted to shoot his companion a text to see if he is okay, but before he can--]

Ah. I'm glad one of the ghosts didn't get to you.

[he doesn't seem bothered by Minato's tardiness! just amused]

Don't worry about it. Ready to head inside?

Ghosts?

[ He'd gathered there were some strange things going on, but "haunted" is a new one.

Minato's gaze lands on the front display of the diner. It's... jarring, honestly, seeing something that looks so normal. This food court could be straight out of Paulownia Mall, a total juxtaposition to that wild strip club he'd been accosted into a few days ago. ]

Yeah.

[ ... ]

...it's weird, seeing a place like this here.

[. . . has nobody told Minato about the ghosts?]

Mmm. The hotel is haunted. [he says that simply while giving Minato a curious look] Nobody mentioned it. . .?

[he supposes that part was a bit less important than. . . uh. everything else. but they can continue this conversation inside. Akira turns on his heel to enter the burger establishment, an amused huff tumbling from his lips]

It feels out of place because it's so ordinary, right?

[ Nope!! Only the basement bugs and monsters. ]

Oh.

[ Akira assumes correctly. The ghosts are just another eccentricity of the House, just a little more flavor text for its Everything. Not that there was much that fazed Minato, but given how bizarre the place was right out of the gate... At this point, everything is just cumulative.

He shakes his head. ]

No. Just the giant bugs and monsters.

[ Minato trails after Akira. The diner's decorated in a cheery red and white color scheme, brightly lit and inviting. A vinyl decal of a robin wearing a burger hat decorates one of the walls -- the joint's likely mascot.

There are several empty booths throughout the diner. Minato glances over at Akira with a tacit request: come on, Akira. Pick one for them. ]

[instead of choosing a booth, Akira makes his way towards. . . ! the take-out line? hm!]

The ones in the basement, right? [a beat. a wrinkled nose] I haven't come across any yet.

[granted, he has only been here about two and a half. . . going on three months. another beat follows]

By "giant bugs" do you mean. . . huge mosquitos, or "the monsters are giant bugs?"

[ Minato casts Akira a curious look. Why the take-out line...? But not one to argue or question, he trails after his current companion. ]

Yeah, the ones in the basement.

[ As for the second question... ]

...probably the latter.

[ The giant bugs were mentioned alongside the monsters, so they were probably equivalent menaces. Also they were apparently venomous?? Watch out, Akira... ]

[a small sigh]

Probably the latter.

[it was a silly question and he knows it]

Mmm, well. After fighting Shadows in the cognitive world, I think giant bugs may be child's play.

[the grin he flashes Minato is supposed to be reassuring]

So I won't worry too much.

[it's their turn at the take-out counter! order up, senpai]

[ It sure was. He wouldn't put it past this place to throw giant mosquitos into the mix too, not because he's Seen Some Shit, but because it seems like yet another absurd thing the House may decide to throw their way... ]

Mm, that's true.

[ ...a giant bug is probably way less scary than Erebus.

Enough about bugs. It's their turn to order; Minato requests the wildly adventurous option of a double cheese burger with the usual(tm) toppings and a side of fries. Water's fine too.

It's probably best to keep food simple in a place like this, just in case. ]

[enough about bugs, it'll ruin their appetite! Akira orders a more moderate burger with fries, along with some water to wash it down. in the end, he isn't much of a soda person, fast food or not]

This place is pretty nice, but I'd like to eat somewhere else.

[. . . a thoughtful hum]

It might be late in the season, but we should be able to catch the last of the sakura blossoms.

[ They'll both have to stand a little out of the line's way while awaiting their orders. It's just the two of them, which means the sidelong glance Minato gives Akira can't be mistaken for him looking at someone else. ]

...really?

[ There's a muted astonishment in the single word, Minato's eyes widening a bit at Akira's proposal too.

...a coincidence? Or, did Akira truly recall the way Minato's brow creased when he realized it was already spring, when the roads lined with cherry blossoms transformed into canopies of pastel pink? ]

[the smile Minato gets in return is pretty soft]

Really.

[Akira is quiet for a moment as he studies Minato's features, taking in that muted surprise. the conversation had stuck out so starkly in Akira's mind— as had their entire time on the island, actually- that certainly Minato doesn't think. . .]

I didn't forget.

[a promise is a promise, and Akira makes sure to keep his]

Edited (too much repetition ) 2025-04-11 21:08 (UTC)

[ Minato's gaze drifts downwards in thought after catching a glimpse of that fond smile. Not a coincidence; he'd remembered. He falls silent as it sets in, the fact that Akira recalled his earlier words. ]

...mm.

[ A strange sensation grips at his heart -- foreign, in the way that it makes it feel like it's leaping into his throat, like it might plant words upon the tip of his tongue to give life to the sudden staccato of his own pulse.

...it's not bad feeling though. ]

...yeah. Hopefully they're still in bloom.

[Akira is no mind reader, but there is something powerful about Minato's silence, about the way his eyes dip away when Akira smiles at him. and in that moment. . . Akira can't help but wonder if Minato hadn't expected him to follow through with a commitment made on the sandy beaches of a fake deserted island. he doesn't take offense to the notion, but rather. . .]

[he wonders if he and Minato are similar in that respect. used to doing things for others, and not having them done for them]

Tokyo's cherry blossom trees bloom the brightest in early April. I have faith.

[don't ask where that faith comes from, considering they are currently stuck in a world lightyears from Tokyo. but whatever! one of the burger joint workers drops two decorated paper bags onto the counter, and with a grateful nod, Akira scoops them up and hands the one labeled "double cheeseburger" to Minato]

Have you made your way to the gardens yet? Or will this be your first time?

[ Minato not expecting Akira to follow through with his commitment requires him to imagine that such an idea would actually cross Akira's mind. He's always been that way. People were free to do as they pleased, weren't they? And thus, the thought that someone would choose to spend that freedom on him: why?

...well, Akira's entitled to his own time too.

Minato accepts his own paper bag with both hands before shaking his head at his companion. ]

I haven't.

[ There's so much of resort he's yet to explore. ]

...haven't really gotten the chance to look around.

[ He's still one of the newer guests, even if it feels as though so much has already happened. ]

[the resort is impossibly huge, isn't it? so it comes as no surprise that Minato has yet to make his way up to the gardens. that means Akira gets to be the first one to take him there, doesn't it? something about that feels. . . special, in a way Akira can't yet describe, even as the thought sends his heart pitter-pattering gently against his ribs]

The gardens, the Vale, and the Conservatory are the only places here that really feel like the outdoors.

[a nod of his head, and Akira guides Minato out of the burger shop and towards the main elevators]

. . . nothing beats the real sun, of course. . . but it helps.

[a small exhale]

Just a little bit.

[?? helps with what??]

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