[open] What's another night on Mars?

[hoboagogo]

Who: Shinjiro and whoever feels like dropping by. Likely the remainder of SEES and also his gang Fie and Louis. Strangers are welcome also!
When: The beginning of Septeril
Where: SEES House- an awkwardly huge house in the haven.
What: Just everything. Tending to the garden, hanging out inside and outside. Hit me up at soozaphone if you want to plan/plot something!
Warnings: Shenanigans, to be sure.

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Hangin' in the Garden.
He liked to tell himself he was just doing this to help out Fuuka. She'd gotten a job at a floral shop, so maybe she'd want to use the badly overgrown patch of land fenced in beside the house- something that clearly used to be some sort of garden for potion ingredients or flowers or vegetables or whatever else by the original inhabitants, before the building was abandoned and the whole area was turned into the Haven. He tells himself it's just because he's got nothing else to do, and definitely not because it grates on him to see the dying, tangled, mass of plants vying for light and soil space, strangling one another, weeds popping up in every space possible.

He's going to deny those burgeoning faun instincts even as he gives in to them.

And so it's not a rare sight for him to be crouched down in the giant mess that could maybe become a garden in due time, completely confused as to what should be kept and what should be gotten rid of, and occasionally just grabbing entire stalks and ripping them out when the plant looks like it's beyond saving. Really, it's tempting to tear it all out and start from scratch-- but for all he knows, some of these are useful or rare or valuable or something?

Maybe he should take pictures and get the network to identify them. Or at least tell him which ones are poisonous.


Lunch time
Keeping a mental inventory of what everyone eats has made things kind of hard. He's sure Fie will eat anything. Fuuka, if she's picky, is too polite to actually say a lot of the time, so he just has to guess or try and watch for reactions. Louis is an herbivore. Makoto is basically a carnivore. And so even though he's grouchily resigned himself to the expectation that he makes food for everyone, it essentially means that he has to make multiple dishes, all depending on who's in the area and who's hungry.

At least Makoto is easy enough- lightly season and sear some meat, try his best to add in some other kind of nutrition, even if it's just rice cooked in broth or stock, and hope for the best. Akihiko would be the same, if he wasn't-- who knows where, right now. (Maybe snapped back home to their own reality? He has no fucking idea, and thinking on it just makes him angry and worried, so he just distracts himself with aggressively cooking.) Fuuka won't complain even if it's completely wrong, so whatever-- and anyone else isn't really around that often, even if he's taken to stocking a few more vegetarian options in case his bondmate drops by.

So come on by and whine for food or be disappointed in the choices today if you want to catch an earful. Or even learn how to cook your damn self, because sheesh he won't always be here to feed you guys.


Literally anything else
Break in to steal shit, start a fight, raid the fridge, knock on the door to try and spread the Good News, do whatever, it's all good!! As stated about, just let me know if you want to plot anything with Shinjiro and I'll start a thread for us! IT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO BE IN THE HOUSE it can be elsewhere also, lmao. I'm not your boss, literally do whatever you want. Use this post for your own threads, tag each other, start your own open stuff. I'M NOT YOUR BOSS, GO WILD.

Comments

[hoboagogo]

He'd definitely noted the tension between Makoto and Fuuka as well- though Shinjiro hadn't run afoul of her during the full moon, she, too, was a monster-- so he's sure that the interaction had been just as awkward-inducing as their own. And so he nods at Makoto's echo, as though affirming it.

"Yeah. Either she got that or was thinking about getting it. I dunno, really." He only vaguely keeps up with what the rest are doing.

Even as he speaks, he pulls out one of the thick knives and starts cutting the round into pieces a little better to eat. He's not sure if those fangs are for ripping or just for puncturing, but he's sure they can't feel too great right now. "You want this seasoned at all, or just seared a bit?" Might as well ask. If the guy needs to taste more of the meat and blood, then there's no point in pulling down some spices.

Though he does grimace slightly at Makoto's comment, letting out an irritated growl. Clearly the whole 'hairier' thing has been bothering him more than he'll typically admit. "Yeah, it-- doesn't really stay gone for long. I don't think I'm the type to pull of a beard, but I dunno how much've a choice I got. They don't got normal razors here, just these long knife-lookin' things. And if it was just on my face, that'd be one thing...." A sigh, a shake of his head, and he'll quit his spout of bitching, folding the butcher paper over the remains of the beef and slotting that back away into the fridge.

Though he does pause, glancing over to where Makoto is resting. "You think the curtains we got gonna be ok, or should we get something thicker? If it's itching now, I dunno what it'll do when you finish changing."

[halfmoon]

"Ah, whatever's easiest," Makoto says humbly regarding the meat. "You can surprise me, if you want."

Even while he's losing interest in regular food, he's still interested in eating Shinjiro's cooking. He watches him slice and prepare the meat silently, keeping quiet as he explains his own changes. Some suggestions float to the surface of his mind, but he keeps them to himself for now, careful not to make it sound like he's bossing him around again.

"I think the curtains are fine for now," he answers, "but thanks for worrying about me. That's why I've been wearing that cloak and hood. It's hot, but it keeps the sun off me really well." After a pause, he adds, "Plus, people here'll stare at you a lot less if you're willing to dress the part. Have you been shopping yet?"

[hoboagogo]

He nods at the (lack of) instruction, casually reaching over to lower the heat on the stove, the flames just barely peeking out from underneath the burner. He'd figure something out, maybe just the bare minimum, not to change the flavour but help it stand out? He'll think on it as he moves, carefully laying the pieces into the pan. (They don't sizzle. The goal is body temperature, or close enough to.)

It's a sort of unspoken dance of apologies with them- Makoto not asking for anything, Shinjiro trying to provide the right thing by intuition and reaction. It's almost like omakase, having to judge a person's taste and wishes and needs.

The question has him shake his head. "When I first got here, some witch gave me some stuff. But I ain't gone out since. So far it hasn't been an issue, though." Which is to say: he only owns like 3 shirts. His old shirt and coat were really just unsalvageable, unfortunately. "What about you?"

[halfmoon]

"We could go, if you want."

He speaks calmly, not wanting to put too much pressure on him to say yes when they're still coming off that nasty argument. But uh, Shinji could use some new clothes, especially if they had plans to go cruising for ladies at some point.

"I got help from a witch too, but he gave me money to buy clothes instead. I know a couple good stores we could try. They have clothes just for monsters, and all our potentially weird anatomy."

Makoto can smell the meat cooking, even though it isn't sizzling - it's the scent of blood proteins being broken down by heat. It's a distinctly less appetizing smell than raw blood and meat alone, but he keeps the thought to himself. Senpai must be cooking it extremely rare for him, which is... considerate.

[hoboagogo]

"What, shopping?" It's half-rhetorical, really, since he'd been following along even as he works quickly to get it all ready before the cuts overheat. "I don't mind, I guess. Kinda been thinking I'd just wait until I start growing more dumb parts."

He shrugs, giving it just another moment, before carefully picking up the cuts with a fork and depositing them on a plate. He gives it a brief side-eye, clearly feeling he should add something else to it, before glancing at Makoto.

"You full carnivore yet? I don't wanna just give you shit you don't wanna eat." It's asked as an aside as he moves the plate over to Makoto, letting him go ahead and get started if need be, after setting it down, he goes to wring his hands on one of the kitchen towels, shrugging as he returns to a previous conversation.

"'Least you don't gotta worry too but about changing, right?"

[halfmoon]

"Well... you're going to be a faun. Right?" Makoto asks the question gently; he doesn't remember if it's been acknowledged between them yet, but even if it has, Shinjiro doesn't bring it up often. He keeps his gaze down at the table, contemplative and non-confrontational, as he speaks. "That's... what was it. Horns and hooved legs? I'm sure we could find some clothes that'd work while you keep changing."

Because, really, Shinjiro is right. Compared to him and Fuuka, Makoto has it easy when it comes to physical changes. Dying again isn't going to be fun, but aside from that, he'll mostly have the body has has now. Whether his mind will be the same... that's a bigger question, and one that has him silently worried. Especially after what happened with Eren after he fed.

But he doesn't want to get into that right now. When the plate is set in front of him, he smiles to express his thanks and begins to cut the meat. It bleeds beautifully onto the plate.

"I guess so. This looks amazing though. Don't worry, I'm not chugging blood yet," he says, avoiding the question. "After I'm done, you wanna go out for the day, then?"

[hoboagogo]

"...Yeah. Faun." It's a simple agreement, with that typical, easy, neutral tone he tends to use when he doesn't want to delve too deeply into something. Because really- as casual and easy-going as he likes to act about the idea of his physical body changing and shifting into something else? It is, at its absolute core, somewhat horrifying. He's not afraid of it, knows better than to resist it, but thinking extensively and personally about his specific changes, of naming it and acknowledging it as a certainty....

It makes everything feel incredibly real, in a way he'd been warding off since coming back from the dead.

"At least most of them seem to have two legs. But I did see a pretty big moose lady a few weeks back." Not... that he thinks he'll end up anywhere near that dramatic. Especially with thew dream previews they had. His own horns hadn't been forked into tines or broad swathes of antlers, and he's pretty sure he'll max out at two hooves.

He leans back against the counter slightly, half-watching as Makoto eats and his lips twitching slightly in amusement at Makoto's own way of bypassing the problems with his own changes, not lingering on the fact that he'll soon need to subsist on blood.

"I got nothin' else going on. Sure. Anything in particular you wanna hit up?"

[halfmoon]

"Other than clothes?" Makoto asks with his mouth full, smiling slightly as he chews. You're not getting out of a wardrobe makeover, senpai. "I dunno. We could get lunch. How much of the city have you seen so far? I found some interesting places while I was gone."

Cutting another piece of meat, he pushes it around in the bloody steak juices as if it were a sauce. "I'll bet you can find places that cater to fauns. Clothes, restaurants, shoes, who knows what else. For example, I found a vampire bar. They serve blood. Crazy, right?"

It factored into his decision to come back to the house, but he won't mention that part.

[hoboagogo]

Really, he'd half been hoping to get out of a wardrobe makeover. But it can't hurt, and he's sure that soon enough the seasons will be shifting and he'll be needing new stuff anyway. Not to mention the physical changes that keep happening. And so he makes a show of tilting his head back with a sigh, gesturing with a hand as though in surrender.

"Fine. Clothes first." But the city is big, like Makoto had said, and there were plenty of interesting places that catered to both witches and monsters, or even specialty places.

"I dunno. I've wandered around the main parts, but I don't really poke my nose in every store." And he can't be too surprised at the concept of a vampire bar. Vampires seemed.... mistrusted, to say the least, by the natives. Even more so than a lot of other monsters. Maybe due to their need to drink blood. So a place that specifically served them, and have them a safe place to get some food? It just makes sense.

"Blood bar does sound crazy. But I guess that means you can get some kinda regular selection, right? probably works out for the best."