2025-07-10: Unseasonable Hot Pot
- Log: Unseasonable Hot Pot
- Cast: Ren Amamiya, Ann Takamaki, Yusuke Kitagawa (cameos: Morgana, Ryuji Sakamoto)
- Where: Cafe Leblanc, Yongen-Jaya, Tokyo
- OOC Date: July 10, 2025
- IC Date: Fri, Jun 08 2012
- Summary: The Phantoms celebrate the successful change of Ichiryusai Madarame's heart with... hot pot! ...In June?! Well, they are rebels against society...
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
The news has been abuzz lately about Ichiryusai Madarame's public apology. It came soon on the heels of his art show, which at one point was absolutely lacquered with calling cards from The Phantoms, declaring their intent to steal his heart--his distorted desires--and make him admit to his crimes with his own mouth. To that end, they've done splendidly.
So naturally, they need to celebrate a job well done. They also need to find Yusuke a place to stay, since he's certainly not going to stick around at that shack where Madarame used to keep him, and apparently the dorms at Gekkoukan are unacceptable somehow. Ann's place is a no-go--so is Ryuji's--and so Morgana voluntold Ren's place.
Ren is deeply annoyed by this and shook his bag to express so, but ultimately, who else is there but him?
And so they got fixings and equipment for hot pot, and Ann sweet-talked the Boss into letting Yusuke stay (not that he really seemed to need sweet-talking, Ren noticed with gratitude), and they had a delicious meal together to cheerfully celebrate a job well done...
"Oh man, I'm sooo stuffed! That was DELICIOUS," Ryuji declares, leaning on the floor table and yawning without covering his mouth like some kind of delinquent. He scratches his belly and adds, "I'mma take a quick nap. Ren-Ren, you mind if I crash on your bed?"
"Go for it," Ren says.
And so soon Ryuji is conked out on the bed... Morgana, meanwhile, is still finishing off his share; it's hard for a cat to eat hot things, so he's taking his time lapping it up.
Ren, for his part, leans over the clay pot for the hot pot. There's only scraps left in a bit of broth. "Too bad we didn't get any udon to finish with," he laments--but only mildly. He's pretty stuffed too. He leans back and looks over at Yusuke and Ann. "How're you two feeling?"
<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.
"Heh heh! Can I make a mean hot pot, or what?!"
This is Ann Takamaki, full of delicious meat medley, currently flexing her hot pot cookery skill. No but literally: she's right over there, sitting cross-legged on the attic sofa, currently flexing her bicep demonstrably. She's even squeezing her big buff (noodle arm) bicep with her free hand, grinning like the champ who just won the big knockout heavyweight boxing championship.
What's the point of a flex if you're not -literally doing it-?
Grinning from ear-to-ear, eyes squeezed shut in the berth of her delight, Ann's triumphant cheer is an excessive and short-lived thing. Like a candle in the wind, soon enough the blonde Phantom Thief is slumping right back against the couch, palms cradled against her stomach.
"Oof. I think I ate too much though... ughhh, bloating..."
Ann: only a bottomless stomach when it comes to desserts.
Her attention is taken away from her own plights with over-eating, however, when Ryuji decides to just up and nap -his- off. Sky blue eyes shutter in a blink. She watches him for a moment as he just. Instantly conks out.
"... Boo. Boo!" she tries, testingly. A second passes. "Wow, he's really out of it, huh?"
Look. She had to be sure.
Scratching her cheek, she looks back to Ren, offering up a lopsided, hapless kind of smile at his regrets. "I can't even -think- of udon right now," she says with a long-suffering sigh of someone who made and overindulged in what was, objectively, the Best Hot Pot in the World. As for how -she's- feeling.
"Great! We deserved something nice like this. And Yusuke was overdue a celebration party!" she pauses her, glancing sidelong Yusuke's way. "How about you? ... Did you -seriously- spend -all- your money?"
<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.
He doesn't understand. What would be so inappropriate about an artist living with his muse? Why, all the historic greats did so, surely?
Yusuke may be deeply misinformed, and, furthermore, completely blind to the social mores that suggest a teenage boy and girl should not room together.
That said, he hasn't put up a fight about Ann refusing to host him, instead dragging his (rather small) luggage over to Leblanc for -
- a party?
At first, there was some... rigidity to the way he sat with the group, but as the food was revealed and everyone tucked in, Yusuke's stiffness relaxes, and he sets upon the Hot Pot with nothing less than gusto.
As Ryuji ducks away to crash, he arches a brow, looking over to Ann as she calls out to see just how deeply asleep he is, then shakes his head and returns to his bowl - oh. It's empty. He peers over into the pot as Ren does, looking crestfallen for a moment as he realises that there is no more - not even udon - to follow.
"I have not eaten so well in a long time," he answers Ren and Ann's questions, frankly. Ann asks him about the money he spent, and he pauses to consider.
"... Well, not all of it, I suppose - I do still have a little saved for essentials, my favourite brush is beginning to show signs of fraying."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"You can definitely make a mean hot pot," Ren says amiably, smiling at Ann and her figurative-and-literal flexing. "This really hit the spot." Hot pot is a dish usually enjoyed in the winter, but they're the Phantom Thieves. They're outside the norms of society. They can totally enjoy a hot pot out of season. Too bad Ann ate a little too much. "I could go fix us an after-dinner coffee," he offers.
Ryuji has an alternate solution: napping. Ann's right; sleep is immediate for him. Ren smiles at him with the fondness of a friend who's the exact same way. It's always nice to see your friend have something in common with you, even something as minor as this.
That smile fades as he looks at Yusuke, who says he hasn't eaten that well in ages. Considering the state of that shack, the state of Yusuke's body, and the former state of Madarame's mind... he unfortunately can believe it.
But he doesn't focus on that. Yusuke's going to have a better life now. Granted, it might not be much better to share a dusty attic with another guy, but it's still better. "Definitely," Ren agrees with Ann. He laughs faintly at Yusuke. Of course a paintbrush would be an essential for an artist. (Little does Ren know how far that goes...) "You'll be able to earn more if you take on some part-time jobs. I've got a few myself; I can suggest a few spots for you to put applications in at."
He shrugs. "And at least the Boss won't be charging you. Of course, he won't be paying you either if you help out in the shop, but fair's fair." At least, to Ren's young mind, labor in exchange for a place to say seems like a fair trade. "There's the convenience store, the beef bowl place--I recently started at a flower shop... They've got a branch in Port Island, I hear, so that could be convenient for you since you go to school there."
<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.
Leblanc coffee??
"Oo! Yes yes yes! Boss' coffee is the best!"
Gone are thoughts of how stuffed Ann is; she's too busy beaming at the prospect of some good java. Even if it's not -Boss- making it -- Ren is basically like his live-in assistant! Apprentice? ... Indentured servant?
Okay no maybe not that one. ... Hopefully.
The young half-American high schooler's expression turns a bit towards the pensive, though, as Yusuke speaks of how rare it has been for him to eat so well. Her eyelids hood for a moment as memories of Madarame's Palace bubble back to the surface.
"Mm," she exhales. "I bet." Still; that optimistic spirit of hers can't be quenched -that- easily: she's soon shooting Yusuke a triumphant smile. "But now you have your whole life ahead of you. And Boss' curry, whenever you want!"
Which is why she's particularly worried about how Yusuke is doing, money-wise. He shouldn't be spending frivolously! Managing money is a delicate artform in and of itself -- Ann should know! So when Yusuke reassures her that
I do still have a little saved for essentials,
Ann Takamaki heaves a sigh of relief. "Oh, good--"
my favourite brush is beginning to show signs of fraying.'
Which may have been premature.
Ann's brows scrunch up. Her lips twist. She squints -very hard- at Yusuke.
"... Is that... really an essential though...?"
Then again. Considering the blase way he suggested he move in with her, maybe this is just... how he's wired.
Ann sighs. She just sighs. And she pivots to something she -can- help with: Ren's suggestion that Yusuke get a job!
"Mm!" she begins, buoyant twintails bouncing as she bobs her head in agreement. "I can help out, too. I've been doing my modeling side-job for a while now, I could call in a few favors."
... Does she mean for the various businesses she's done work for, or... as a model...?
Look; Yusuke is very pretty. She thinks it's a legitimate option. Modeling is a form of art!
This possibility does not prevent her from being -completely- sidetracked, however, as Ren starts listing out his part-time jobs. Multiple. She blinks, and turns a bemused, big-eyed stare their leader's way.
"Wow. ... You really keep an active life, huh? You know about work-life balance, right??"
<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.
"I hope the curry here is as good as the coffee," Yusuke says, as Ann points out that he would have it available every day. "I have heard excellent things about both!"
Ann asks if replacing his paintbrush really is an essential, and Yusuke offers her a piercing look. "The brush is the most essential instrument of all - without it, how am I to paint?"
Yeah he really is just laser-focused on that, huh.
The discussion turns towards a part-time job, and immediately it's apparent that that chafes against Yusuke's sensibilities... but fortunately, Ren lists out his several jobs, and Yusuke is able to express his concerns in this direction: "... how on earth do you find time for other things?"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren at least did get two votes of approval he made coffee for a couple new customers last Sunday. Maybe he's not on Boss's level just yet, but he's at least competent--and there's a lot to be said about excellent base ingredients. Ann's enthusiastic vote for coffee gets her a smile, as does Yusuke's enthusiasm for curry and coffee both.
"I'll be right back, then," Ren says, getting up to his feet.
"Ooh! Bring me some warm milk!" Morgana pipes, looking up from his half-finished bowl of hot pot. "Make sure to let it cool to room temperature first!"
Ren makes a face and sits back down. "...Maybe I'll wait 'til our stomachs are settled more first."
"Why?!"
As Morgana grumbles, Ren looks over at Yusuke. "It's true, though. The curry's part of the tenancy, too." Well, it is for Ren; it hasn't occurred to him that it might not be for Yusuke too. "So you won't go hungry while you're staying here, either." Granted, curry will be the only thing he eats while he's here, and Morgana has already pointed out before how terrible Ren's eating habits are, but it's better than a single bean sprout, right? "They're both delicious. You'll taste for yourself soon enough."
Managing money is tough. Ren didn't really have to do that when he was living at home back in Inaba; he generally had enough, within reason. Now... now he has to pay attention to his expenses, the expenses of the team's equipment, how much he's making from his part-time jobs, how much the team makes from their expeditions into Mementos and Palaces, how much they get (or don't get) for selling off Treasures... It's a lot.
Also a lot: Ren's various afterschool (and also before-school) activities, including his part-time jobs. When Ann and Yusuke call him out on his work/life balance after just three mentions of them (technically four because there's also Leblanc), Ren rubs the back of his neck. "I don't pick up shifts every day," he says to Yusuke, a little sheepishly. To Ann, in the same tone, he adds, "I like to keep busy."
The busier he keeps, the less likely he'll have anxiety nightmares at night.
"I bet you'd be great as a model, though," Ren adds to Yusuke. He certainly has the looks for it. "It seems artistic, too, so it's relevant to your interests. Maybe you should go with that after all." He bets Yusuke would rather stay closer to Ann, anyway. After all: he really is just laser-focused on that.
<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.
The brush is the most essential...
Ann makes a face. A 'I just ate a whole batch of Sour Patch' face.
"Ugh. Your priorities are -so- messed up."
And with that, the girl who has absolutely no lifeplan to speak of and thus no room to talk concedes defeat, flopping back into the comfy cushioning of the couch.
Despite her exasperation though, Ann does manage a little amused smile as she snuggles her way back into reclining comfort.
"But then, I guess if you were normal, you never would have ended up in our orbit," she remarks. That smile burgeons into a full-blown grin. "We're a real island of misfit toys, aren't we?"
She doesn't actually know if the reference translates; but she's pretty sure the idea of it, and the sentiment behind it, does.
Take, for example: the talking cat, grumbling over the fact that he is being -cruelly deprived- of warm milk because of their stuffed stomachs. Ann can't help it; she giggles a bit at Ren and Morgana's back-and-forth.
And then instantly regrets it.
"Oogh, my stomach," she grumbles, head thumping against the back of the sofa. "Don't make me laugh, Mona!"
The suffering of an Ann whose eyes were bigger than her stomach is grand and frequent. It only gets forgotten once more during the talk of job prospects; she, again, just makes such a 'what??' face at Yusuke's immediate bristling at the very idea. She is, briefly, very concerned that Yusuke is just going to resign himself to buying new and more ludicrously expensive brush bristles until he dies of malnutrition -- but fortunately Ann too is very easily distracted.
"I know, right??" Ann exclaims, visibly pleased at punch she has -someone- backing her ideas as Ren comments on Yusuke's viability as a model -- and more importantly, that modeling is ART. "See, you get it!" Ann turns her attention on Yusuke, holding her hands up in that classic painter's frame gesture to encompass the Entirety of Yusuke Kitagawa's Vibe.
"Hmmm... He's got that sullen diva look that would play -so- well on the runway. It's a little dated, but I bet he'd be real popular with the visual kei look..."
Oh no. Someone stop her.
Ann is getting Ideas.
<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.
Yusuke thinks his priorities are fine just the way they are, thank you very much! He lets Ann's opinion wash off his back - it's nothing he hasn't heard before.
Her comment about how if he was normal he'd probably never have fallen in with the Phantom Thieves does, however, draw a wispy little smile from him. "That's true. While it was... arduous, confronting Madarame's true nature... I cannot say I would rather not have approached you and set all of this in motion, Takamaki-san."
Then she frames him in the way that he has framed her before, and for a moment he looks alarmed. "... I-I would much rather be the one capturing the model's essence," he stammers out. "... I do not think I could stomach leaving it to someone else."
Aha. Control freak. That explains a lot.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren doesn't know the reference--but the concept does indeed come across just fine. Yusuke acknowledges that, for all the ill it brought, their chance encounter on the street was a net good in the end. He smiles back at him and Ann fondly. "Yeah," he says, and adds to Ann in particular, "And I like us like that."
"A-ah, sorry, Lady Ann...!" Morgana yowls. "You know, I'm sure I saw a box of digestive biscuits somewhere in the kitchen downstairs. I'll go and fetch you one right now!"
And off Morgana goes, and never mind that Sojiro is right downstairs. He'll be waiting for a while for his chance to sneak in and grab one undetected. Maybe he'll slink back when it's time for Ryuji to wake up for his nap and discuss their respective pasts as Phantom Thieves... but for right now, he's on a mission to make Ann fall for him--I mean, bring her a digestive biscuit. Whether Leblanc actually has any downstairs or not.
Ren watches him go before looking back at his other friends. He grins at Ann's appreciation, then nods thoughtfully at her artistic assessment of Yusuke--which Yusuke doesn't seem too keen on. "You'll need to get a job somewhere if you're going to make money to support yourself," he points out. Yusuke could sell his art, but all considered, that seems like a... fraught suggestion to make. "You don't need to figure it out right away, though," he thus adds. "We've got some time to figure it out."
<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.
"Ugh, I don't even wanna think of the word biscuits!"
Ann complains, oblivious to the fact that Morgana is trying to serve her hand and foot to try to win her heart.
And also that he already left before she could even complain about his solution.
Whether she notices Morgana has gone by the time she refocuses on the conversation proper -- that's lamentably debatable for the easily-distracted Second Year. As it stands, she's just grinning like a fool (but not a Fool; they are seldom grinners, you see) as Yusuke and Ren both declare solidarity with her sentiment.
"Mhm!" enthuses the blonde, nodding enthusiastically, stomach aches forgotten like tears in the rain. "We've all got our baggage. But we all came out the other side stronger despite those rotten adults." Not because. She'd never say because. "I wouldn't want it any other way."
A second passes. Ann frowns.
"... Although I'd change a few things about what happened -after- you approached me..."
But. Mostly, the memories are great! And the not great ones, she found amazing solutions for! Like layers! And ACTING!
So as Yusuke flusters as the TABLES TURN, Ann breaks into a delighted, eye-shutting grin, just -barely- keeping herself from laughing herself straight into fresh agony at the sight. "Eheheh, okay, okay, fine," she finally relents, though not after -very obviously- doing some mental calculus for styles that Yusuke could conceivably pull off. Every artist knows the Look.
"But Ren's right, y'know. Take your time. Figure it out. If you ever need help with like. Money, or whatever? Just let us know. I've got some savings!"
Ann Takamaki -- Somehow Financially Responsible.
She hesitates a second after she says this, of course. And she turns a very Serious stare on Yusuke.
"For food. -Not- for art supplies."
She knows his game by now--! (oh god she really has no idea though--)
<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.
Yusuke relaxes again as both Ren and Ann emphasize that there's no immediate rush to rearrange his life structure so that he has less time to paint.
The idea is still intimidating, but, well... he has just been staring frustratedly at a blank canvas, anyway.
"I appreciate it. I will try my best to not be a difficult guest, Amamiya-san." He would extend this to Morgana as well, but the cat has unaccountably vanished. Such are cats, he supposes.
He knows the look in Ann's eye well... but is completely clueless as to what it might mean. Oblivious to his Doom, he does at least concede "I suppose I can't paint if I am starving," and nod to Ren. "I have seen the flower shop branch in Port Island, at least. I could investigate there."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren watches Morgana go without hearing Ann declare she wants no truck with biscuits. Well... maybe she'll change her mind by the time he gets back. Ren is also perfectly aware it'll take a while.
Stronger, despite those rotten adults... Ren ducks his head even as he smiles. He's had his share of those--something that will come up a little later once Ryuji wakes up. For now, he only says, "Well said."
And for all that Ann might have wished some things about her interactions with Yusuke had gone differently, and least she's got him on the ropes now. Ren chuckles, then nods to Yusuke. He's not sure how much he'll succeed at not being a difficult guest, but he accepts the feeling behind the statement. "The flowers might make good inspiration, at least," he suggests aloud. "It's worth checking out."
And however that goes... as irritated as he was that Morgana volunteered him for this, he's certainly not going to kick Yusuke out. They're Phantom Thieves together now; they've got each other's backs. All of them.