2025-07-21: Three Sisters
- Log: Three Sisters
- Cast: Ayame Watanabe, Reiko Shimizu, Shinobu Shimizu
- Where: Watanabe Residence, Aoba Ward, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: July 21, 2025
- IC Date: June 13, 2012
- Summary: Reiko and Shinobu come by Ayame's apartment for a visit with their older sister. Ayame has prepared Reiko's favorite cookies, and Shinobu is there first for once.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ayame's apartment--the Watanabe home--is big as apartments go, becuase it has to be. Five people live under this roof, even if three of them are pretty small and theoretically take up less space. Ayame wants to get a house... but they have to settle down in one place for that. Maybe Sumaru and Seven Sisters High will be that.
They're on the third floor, with a balcony outside and a nice kitchen area. Ayame has shown off her garden already today. And, of course...
Daytime means snacks! ...Ayame really wants her sisters to keep coming back.
The door is ordinary, but the living area inside is the first place people will get to see; a nice blue couch, end tables, a glass-topped coffee table... Ayame has already made coffee, and is walking out of the kitchen with a plate of fresh cookies. Ayame herself is not a tall woman, and she is alone in the house for the moment. She's just gotten off the phone.
The kids are at school, as is her husband. It's an ideal time to meet up!
The weather is clear...
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
Reiko isn't running late...
...but she is running to make it on time. She was supposed to have today off -- when she had made the plans with her sisters by text message, she mentioned that part -- and yet, when she comes to the door to the Watanabe home, Reiko is wearing the button-up white shirt, blue vest, and blue pants of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
She also has her hair up, like she does on the job; her hat is held in one hand, though, and she's puffing a little as she comes through the door. She exhales.
"S-Sorry, onee-chan, nee-chan!" Reiko says, doing a slight bow. "I had to work unexpectedly, Uchijima-san needed something, and--" Her nose works, sniffing. Her eyes dart to the plate in Ayame's hands. She breaks into a smile, like she did when she was little.
"Cookies?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Shinobu always looks forward to visits with her sisters. They're one of the few times she feels really at ease. Normal, even - she doesn't have to act 'professional' like when she's on the job, and she doesn't have to worry about someone deciding to just start chucking fireballs. Hanging out with them is relaxing in a way she usually doesn't get.
Shinobu doesn't need the cookies to keep coming back. ...But she's certainly not going to say no to Ayame's cookies, are you kidding?
"Mornin', nee-san. How've you been?" Shinobu greets casually, the moment Ayame comes into view and lets her in. She takes a moment to crane her head, to get a good look around. "Is Reiko-chan here yet?"
...She has noticed that she's one of the first two here, which is highly unusual. Usually she's the one lagging behind.
"...Ah, speak of the devil." Shinobu says, as Reiko races up. She takes note of her uniform. She frowns, just slightly. He needed something unexpectedly, huh...?
She hides it with a smile - and reaches over to ruffle Reiko's hair.
"I think it's the end of the world. You're only 'on time', today." Shinobu teases. "...Hope it wasn't too big a something."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ayame... may be a little nervous just as a person. But it's easier to relax with others around, especially her sisters.
"Hi!" Ayame greets Shinobu happily when she opens the door. "She's not. You're first! Please, come in, have a seat."
But then, there is Reiko and--Ayame laughs softly. "If you do everything they ask of you, you might not have much time for yourself..."
Cookies. "Chocolate chip," Ayame says proudly. They will indeed be very good--Ayame is good at baking.
"But come in! I can't have you at the door all day." She smiles. "Can I get you two anything?"
Drinks, mostly. Which, if asked, she'll do so quickly and then come back and also sit... and if not, she'll just also sit down anyway.
"They just came out of the oven," Ayame adds as to the cookies. "How are you two? ...Though..." she looks bemused at Reiko, "Apparently the answer is a little out of breath."
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
"I-I know, onee-chan," Reiko says with a sigh to Ayame. "It's just until the paperwork goes through and my promotion is finalized!"
She walks in, closing the door, and smiles.
Reiko's eyes dart to Shinobu and there is just a second where she looks guilty. She remembers well what she talked about with her older sister. "I-It wasn't too bad, nee-chan. They, um, they didn't have enough copies for a meeting this morning and--ah--"
She swallows and quiets down, realizing how this sounds as she says it aloud. "...needed someone to pick up the coffee order."
A beat.
Her eyes are drawn to the cookies. "Those smell really good..." She starts towards the table. "I'll take some tea, if you have any?"
Then, she smiles -- and flushes a bit at the remark about being out of breath. Reiko nods her head, though. "I'm doing well! It's been busy at work, but... I'm really glad I could be here today."
Warning 'my-desc' for Ayame Watanabe(#524PenA):
player is missing description
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Ayame's cheerful greeting gets a genuine smile out of Shinobu. She nods - and is about to take her seat when Reiko arrives.
'Just until the paperwork goes through'... Shinobu glances at Reiko. She said the same thing last time, too. She meets that briefly guilty look.
"Must've been real busy to have to call you in on your day off. That coffee better've been the key to cracking a case." Shinobu comments. She nods toward Ayame, though, making her way into the apartment and plopping herself down on a seat at her request. She looks toward Reiko - and when she says tea, Shinobu nods.
"I'll go with that, too." She says, then looks toward Reiko. She's doing well... She smiles. "...Yeah. I'm glad, too."
She reclines a little.
"As for me, I've been about the same. Just wrapped up a job in Yumezaki, so I'm a free agent again for now..." Shinobu says. In other words - she's out of work until she can manage to scrape another one together. "How about you, nee-san? Anything exciting happening?"
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Just until the paperwork goes through. "Hmmm," Ayame says. She has that motherly way of making an entire sentence fit into one 'hmm', in this case one about her dubiousness that this little task was something she should be subjected to. Especially after... the coffee.
"Yes," Ayame agrees with Shinobu, and smiles. "It's all right," she relents. "I know you want to help. I'm sure you're a real asset to them."
"Tea it is!"
Ayame returns with a teapot that is already ready, because she planned ahead. She's good at that. She passes out cups and pours the tea. It's a lovely green blend that goes very well with the sweetness of the chocolate.
"A free agent! It sounds so nice when you put it that way." Ayame is not going to guilt Shinobu for not finding something more permanent. Instead, she takes her seat, and say, "Oh! Well," she says, "Koume-chan has been talking a lot about these cards for her favorite game lately--I'm going to have to find a place to find them." A beat, "And Tokha-chan is going to be in a play! If she can fit the practices around her baseball schedule, of course."
"...Ikkaku's still working late," she says, a little less cheerful to mention this. "And little Isamu's been asking for a dog..."
"So in short, things are normal for me," she settles.
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
"W-Well, it was... a really important meeting?" Reiko says to Shinobu, with a slightly awkward laugh. She does a shrug that comes across a little pathetic, but such is the life of Reiko Shimizu.
She looks at Ayame, then, and catches that 'hmm.' That isn't a 'hmm' of being convinced. "Onee-chan," Reiko whines. "You've gotten too good at being a mom..."
She sighs, though, then she smiles. And she nods, quickly. "They say I'm doing a great job."
She looks at Shinobu, then, and she smiles. "How'd that job go? It sounded like it was hectic," she says. Then, there is a glance back at Ayame. She takes her tea, but the first thing she does is have a cookie.
She looks like she is in heaven, for a moment.
"That sounds like a lot of fun," Reiko says. "You'll have to tell us when the play is! I'll be there." Then, Reiko brightens up, head tilted to the side.
"...So is Isamu going to get a dog?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Shinobu looks toward Ayame at her knowing 'hmmm'. That power to condense an entire sentence into a single sound... Truly she's on another level. Shinobu finds herself glad it isn't directed at her this time.
Reiko insists it was a really important meeting, and that they say she's been doing a great job. Shinobu studies her for a second.
...Yeah, somehow that doesn't surprise her. She'd be willing to bet they made sure to tell her how grateful they were, too.
"You're incredible, nee-san." Shinobu says gratefully as Ayame brings out the teapot, all ready to go. She doesn't answer Reiko's question right away, because she, too, is taking a bite of cookie.
...They are pretty delicious.
"Yeah, it was -" Shinobu starts - then pauses for a second to take a sip of tea to down the cookie fully. "It was a lot of late days close together. I don't like working that late if I can help it, but the pay was kind of too good to say no..."
She looks toward Ayame, then. She cracks a smirk. It's not the first time she heard that.
"Thanks." She says. Both for that - and for not giving her a hard time about her job status. She listens, though, as Ayame talks about what's been exciting in her life lately.
...Most of it is about her husband and her kids. Shinobu doesn't call that out directly, because she was good enough not to call her out.
"Oh yeah? I know we've got some good card shops around here, I'm sure you could find one if you shop around..." Shinobu considers. "But, yeah, let us know when you figure out when the play is. If that pans out, anyway."
Ikkaku and Isamu, though, huh...
"...Hopefully his schedule starts easing up a bit. And..." She glances toward Reiko at her question. "Can you guys have pets here? I know they have rules against 'em in mine..."
Of course, Ayame's is a little nicer than her place in Hirasaka Ward.
"...But, hey. Normal's good." Shinobu says, with another bite of cookie.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
A very important meeting. Maybe. But Ayame laughs faintly at Reiko's complaint. "I've been practicing," she confirms. And then, they did at least say she was doing a great job... But the workplace is not exactly Ayame's area of expertise; her last job was over ten years ago. So she lets that be, instead shaking her head at Shinobu. "Oh, you two. I just know what you like."
The job... Ayame glances at the heavenly Reiko before look back to Shinobu for her answer. "Ah, no good. Working late tends to put you off-schedule..."
"I definitely will," she says of the play, and she may not realize the thing that Shinobu isn't calling her out for--but then, that's normal for her lately. Most of what goes on in her life is her family, for better or worse.
"Something to do," she says of shopping around. "I heard of that strange one the other day. All those colorful words... The Cardboard Dragon, was it? It seemed charming, but maybe a bit shady."
Ikkaku... Ayame looks down for a moment. "Yes, I hope so," she says. "He's been so busy since the principal..." Pause. "Well, you know." He died! Horribly!
"Oh, we can," she says of pets. "But..." A laugh to the two of them, "I'm not sure I'm ready for that. I have a feeling his promises to take care of it will be forgotten in about a week."
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
Reiko looks guilty for a second, as Shinobu studies her -- because she knows how it looks. (It does more than look.) She does brighten up, though, as she looks at Shinobu. She nods, quickly, at the job she describes.
"That makes sense... I'm glad you've got some time off, then, nee-chan," she says. "That kind of work schedule can take its toll."
Even when things are more normal, sometimes she has to do long shifts and a lot of them in a row, after all. It comes with being a police officer.
Reiko blinks her eyes -- looking up a little suddenly. The Cardboard Dragon? That's--
"Have you been there?" she asks, hesitating for a second. "I, uh, heard about it from someone I met in Yongen-Jaya."
Then, she looks at Ayame, and Reiko cracks a smile at the remark about the dog. It is better than the murdered principal. "You have to do what's best for you, too, onee-chan," Reiko says, as she takes a second cookie. "Since you'd also need to take care of the dog, like you said, and... well, you're already doing a lot."
Which is calling back to Ikkaku having to work long hours, even if she doesn't bring that up.
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"And the fact that you still remember that on top of everyone else's is what makes you incredible." Shinobu replies with a nod.
"Yeah, I could definitely use the time to relax." She replies with a shake of her head, and then a nod at both of them. She catches Reiko's understanding, too. "Yeah. It's pretty rough. But... that's life, I guess."
There are definite downsides to working as she does. She doesn't always have a lot of say in her hours, and pushing too hard can easily mean they decide to replace her with someone less willing to make a fuss about it. There's always more where she comes from, after all.
The strange one with the colorful words... Oh, she saw the ad? ...Well, it doesn't sound like she read into it too deeply, so Shinobu can relax.
"I've been a few times." Shinobu says. "You'd probably wanna check it out yourself, but there's usually other kids there during the after-school hours, so it's not a bad place. ...Definitely a little shady, though."
She wonders if Myunghon would be upset with her for saying that, or if they'd be more upset if she hadn't.
It doesn't surprise her too much that Reiko would've heard of it. Word gets around, after all.
Ayame speaks of Ikkaku and how the principal...
Well, they've all heard about that.
"...Yeah." Shinobu replies with a grimace - but dog talk proves a good off-ramp from that. She nods, agreeing with Reiko.
"Yeah. You've already got a lot of plates to balance." She agrees. "...Well, he's a kid, anyway. Give it a month and he'll probably forget he asked you."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
GUILT is noted. But Ayame's not going to pile on this time. Besides, she's busy giving Shinobu a small smile about the compliment. She at least doesn't argue this time--instead moving on to, "Right. I worry a little when you have to work late so often." That's true for both of them, as might be noted when Ayame looks at both of them. But, "I haven't!" Ayame confirms, but Shinobu has. "Oh, kids go there?" she wonders. "Then it's probably not too bad. I'll have to drop in sometime. It's in Hirasaka, right?"
It is... definitely easier, to focus on the dog at first. What's best for her? "...Ha. You're right, he might forget. And I think that would be best. It's a big responsibility for him, and he's a little too young, I think." He's six!
Plates to balance, things to do...
"Well," she admits, "Between us, I am a little tired," Ayame allows. The fact that she's willing to admit it at all is both a sign of how much she trusts her sisters and that she must be very tired indeed.
She takes a cookie, and busies herself taking a bite of it.
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
"The days off afterward make it worth it!" Reiko says, with a smile. Of course, that's not to say she gets that many days off anymore -- especially when her boss sometimes calls her to do something on a day off. Such is the risk of her job.
She does smile, sympathetically, though. She knows it is rough, too.
"Is it really shady?" Reiko asks, with an eyebrow raised. She considers Myunghon for a moment, though. Then, she declares: "Actually, I shouldn't be surprised."
Then, she looks at Ayame -- and she blinks when her older sister says she feels a little tired. And while Reiko might feel awkward when someone tells her that she is working too much, it is different with her sister.
"Onee-chan, it's okay to ask for help!" she says. "And to ask for a break. You deserve a break too, sometimes. It's a lot of work to take care of a house and three kids."
Reiko smiles, leaning her chin into her hand. "Even the cutest three kids," she says, before she chomps into her second cookie.
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"Worries me a little sometimes, too." Shinobu agrees. ...Though for different reasons. At least Reiko doesn't have to deal with those, though her being out late still worries her, too. Reiko's words get a nod, though. "They sure do. It is nice to be able to just lie around and do nothing, sometimes."
...Even if she, similarly, doesn't get to do nothing for long, since a lot of that time is spent looking for the next job.
She nods, though, about it being best if Isamu forgets.
"Mm-hm. And if he does still remember... maybe start him off with a goldfish or something, see how she does?" She suggests.
Taking care of a fish is a lot more difficult than she realises. But maybe that proves the point.
"Yeah. The books are super old but they've got cardgame tables, too, so..." Shinobu replies to Ayame with a nod, and then looks toward Reiko - and she laughs. Sounds like she got a pretty accurate view of whoever she heard about it from...
Ayame admits to being tired, and Shinobu offers her a sympathetic smile.
"I don't doubt it." She replies, and nods, at Reiko's words. "Yeah, Reiko-chan's got it right. You've got a lot on your shoulders. You need time for yourself."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
The days off afterward! Yes, that is nice. Ayame doesn't really get those, as such, but she still knows what they're like. A smile. "Yes," she says. She gets time off in smaller doses, instead. like this!
Shady... Hmm. "I'll definitely find out," Ayame says. "Maybe I'll meet your friend from Yongen-Jaya!"
Ayame knows that Reiko is prone to overwork, but it is a little different for her. To ask for help, to ask for a break...
"They are really cute," she says with a smile. "And... maybe," of a fish.
Card games! "I might even try some of those."
But she has to go back to what they offer, and, "...But," Ayame says, "I feel like time to myself is exactly the problem." The oldest sister sighs. "I wish he weren't so busy," she admits. "We haven't even been..."
"Well, a break is all well and good, but there's no one else who can take care of everyone."
"It's nice at least to see the two of you. It would be much harder without my sisters."
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
"Don't worry," Reiko tells both of them. "I'll be okay. They train us very well."
She, truly, has no idea.
She looks sideways at Shinobu -- and there is a blink of her eyes. She tilts her head, for a moment. "Nee-chan, have you been there before?" she asks. "I didn't realize."
She looks at Ayame -- then she smiles, and shakes her head. "M-More of an acquaintance... we just met the once," Reiko says. But they must have made an impression on Reiko.
She hesitates, though, at the mention of Ikkaku being busy -- and that being the problem. She hesitates for a second; her dating experience isn't something either of them know about it. That Reiko realizes. She looks down for a moment, then she nods. "Well... if you need a babysitter for a night so you both get a break, just let me know."
Then, she smiles more brightly. "Me, too," she says. "I'm glad we're all pretty close by."
Closer than when she was in Kyoto.
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"Yup. It's not too far from my apartment, so... It's convenient." Shinobu replies to Reiko with a shrug. An acquaintance, huh? ...Well, that's normal.
"Maybe you'll find one you like." She suggests to Ayame, before thinking about what she says. Time to herself is the problem...
"...Yeah, I guess it would be. Sorry." She admits, massaging the back of her neck awkwardkly and wincing a little inwardly at herself. She nods, though. ...She can understand the difficulty. Reiko volunteers to act as a babysitter, though!
"I can't offer that myself," Shinobu starts. She isn't... super great with kids. She never knows quite what she should be doing. "But if you ever need someone to look after the place or run some errands, you can always reach out to me.
"...But, yeah. It's good to see you two, too. I really missed you two." Shinobu replies, and nods at Reiko's words. "Yeah, me too. It's nice."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Convenience! "Oh, that's good," she says, and then looks at Reiko. She declines to 'Hmm' this time. She already got her the once.
But more of an aquaintance, is it? Ayame smiles. "Acquaintances are the first step towards new friends! That's how it was with me and Ikkaku," she says, happily recounting the story for a moment despite the fact that just a moment ago she was down about something related.
Reiko may hesitate, but she clearly understands what Ayame is saying. Being a married woman...
"Oh, it's all right," she's quick to assure Shinobu. "Don't worry." But an offer...
"Hmmm... If I could get him to block out some time for me, that would be wonderful," she says. "So hopefully I can take you up on that, nee-chan."
A smile at Shinobu. "That's fine. They still like you," she says. Of her kids. But, "...But I won't ask you to do something that makes you uncomfortable. Errands... I could go for a day off one of these days," she admits.
Then, "Yes, definitely. I missed you both when I was in Mikage-cho."
"...Well, enough about me," Ayame says. "Tell me more about your work! You always have such exciting stories!"
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
"Oh, that makes sense..." Reiko says. They're both in Hirasaka Ward. She looks thoughtful for a second, as she considers it.
Then she looks back at Ayame, and she smiles -- then she blinks her eyes. "Uh--r-right," she says. "Maybe we'll be friends after awhile."
Then she smiles -- and nods. "Just let me know, okay? I'll be happy to watch them."
She doesn't begrudge Shinobu for not helping there. Reiko is good with kids -- and, moreover, they have different strengths.
She glances sideways at Shinobu, when she says she really missed them. Then, Reiko smiles and leans over -- giving her a one-armed hug. "Aw, Nee-chan... I missed you too."
She sits back up straight. Then she beams. "Right! Well, where to start..."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Acquaintances are the first step towards new friends - like Ayame and Ikkaku... Shinobu looks toward Reiko at her reaction. She considers her for a second - but, she doesn't press her on it.
Ayame might be able to take Reiko up on her offer, and as for her...
"...Heh. They are sweet kids, I guess, being able to put up with me." Shinobu says, massaging the back of her neck. She nods, then. "Just tell me the day, and I'll get it all taken care of, no problem."
Reiko gives her a one-armed hug! Shinobu smiles giving her a gentle pat.
"Don't get too mushy about it, but..." She says, despite clearly seeming pleased.
But, Ayame wants to hear stories!
"Well, alright then..." Shinobu says. She leans back as Reiko begins to talk about work - and she'll be more than happy to provide a story of her own, once she's through.