2025-07-22: Entering a Housewife's Radar
- Log: Entering a Housewife's Radar
- Cast: Tsubasa Seki, Ayame Watanabe, Lance (did NOT get people lunch, which is a CRIME.)
- Where: Hirasaka - Outside a Cafe
- OOC Date: 2025-07-22
- IC Date: Wednesday, June 13 2012
- Summary: Ayame recognises Tsubasa's distinctive appearance, and expertly hooks them in to check up on them. Somehow, she manages to avoid them running off in the middle of caring. That's the power of a housewife.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa's in their Kasugayama school uniform -- the wrong school uniform, notably, though it's harder to tell with the way they've bound their chest down. They wear their pants a little too low on their hips and the bottom half their shirt unbuttoned and tied across their belly, their sleeves rolled up to expose their arms. They're either tall or short, depending on what gender one lands on them supposedly being, but either way they're definitely scrawny -- and bruised, carrying stories of old fights on their stomach and arms.
They also have a dog. A formidable, scarred fighting dog! ... who is ALSO scrawny, for anyone who's seen what a proper Tosa Inu is supposed to look like. She's trotting along beside them quite amicably, wagging her tail at passers-by. She's notably the friendly one of the pair, because Tsubasa's got their hands shoved in their pockets, slouching as they stalk past the outdoor tables of a cafe.
... they also look every bit the image of a damn punk, with their heavy fake tan and their multicoloured hair. It's not immediately obvious until one gets closer how that tan is covering something up -- though a second look will reveal the way their skin isn't entirely even, concealer covering up large swathes of the right side of their body.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ayame is in a nice blue top without shoulders and a mid-length skirt, along with some comfortable (but not too informal!) shoes. She has a lot of walking to do, after all. She is not scrawny, though she is shorter than average, even when she's standing--which she isn't. She's at a table at that outdoor cafe Tsubasa is passing, her green eyes lifting up from her little lunch towards the passing colors of the bruised and grumpy Tsubasa Seki.
She remembers stories about a youth by that description. She remembers quite a few of them actually. And...
"Oh," Ayame says, as she notices. She has a sudden Thought, which becomes a terrible scheme.
"Excuse me!" Ayame raises her voice towards Tsubasa. "Yes, you, yamamba-san with the dog. I was just thinking about dogs. I'd love it if you could sit with me and tell me about yours."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Yamanto," Tsubasa corrects her, their voice grumpy, gruff, and dragged bodily through gravel to its death. Are they a smoker, at this age?! "It's yamanto." They insist, again. Which is -- still a horrible mountain demon, but one which isn't attributed a gender.
But they frown, as they look over Ayame again. Something about her is familiar. Where have they seen...
Oh, yeah, the photos in Reiko's house.
"Shimizu-san?" They guess, having forgotten Ayame's married name and figuring Reiko's is a decent bet. They pause, a moment longer, before they breathe in and sigh. "... sure, whatever," they pull out a chair, sitting down. "It's on you if they get mad about her."
The dog wanders over to Ayame's side of the table, wagging her tail and looking up at her with eyes full of hope. (Hoping for Ayame's lunch, that is.) "Her name's Lance," Tsubasa says. "Found her a few months back. No one wanted her, so." Shrug. "Runs with me now."
Lance barks, a big, bassy boof, ears all perked up.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Yamanto! Ayame tilts her head. "Oh, I see," she answers. "I stand corrected!" Pause. "Well, sit corrected." Smile.
That frown only makes Ayame more certain both that Tsubasa is who she was looking for and that she's right to inquire. "They used to call me that," Ayame answers. "But it's Watanabe now." For all her issues lately, she's proud of that. It's a name she chose. "Sure, sure," she answers about the dog. "But we're outdoors, so it should be fine."
Ayame looks down at Lance and smiles. "Hello, Lance!" she says. "I'm afraid you can't have my lunch," she tells her, talking like she's a person. "But..." A look at Tsubasa. "May I pet her?"
Then, "What should I call you?" she asks. Then, "I think it's wonderful that you found her, then. ...It's hard, when you're not wanted."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Ha." It's not really a laugh as much as a statement.
But Ayame gives her name, and Tsubasa shrugs. "... oh, sorry. Watanabe-san." They adjust to the new name without complaint; they know what it's like to get called by the wrong one, after all.
Lance whines, when Ayame denies her her lunch. (She's a smart dog, so she recognises the word 'can't', alongside 'don't' and 'no' and 'stop'. Those words all mean she is CRUELLY DENIED THINGS SHE DESIRES.) But Tsubasa shrugs, again, when Ayame asks. "Sure. She's friendly."
Ayame is in danger of having her hand licked off when she pets her, though. Not only is this a new friend, she's a new friend with food on her fingers!
"It's Seki," they respond, when Ayame asks for their name. "Tsubasa Seki." The very same wayward youth Reiko had to take in, briefly, when their father kicked them out. Luckily, she was able to use her influence as an officer to convince him to do the bare minimum, so Tsubasa did eventually get a place to stay.
They look down at Lance, wriggling and wagging her tail. "It's whatever," they dismiss the idea, with a hint of bitterness. "She's fine now."
(Their stomach growls, and they steadfastly pretend that never happened.)
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ayame does prefer her new name. So there's a bit of genuineness in that smile she gives Tsubasa in return. "Thank you," she says. ...Things are complicated with that other name, for her.
"Aww," Ayame says to Lance's whine. She pets her. And she even accepts a little hand licking because that appears to be inevitable when petting a dog. "Hello there..."
Seki. "Seki-kun, then." Ayame is over 30. It's her prerogative to call teenagers things.
Whatever, they call it. Hmm. Ayame is not so sure. But she does think...
"You know," she says, "It's a bit awkward, eating alone with someone at my table. I'll get you something. I insist."
Then, "...The reason I'm thinking about dogs," she goes on to explain, "Is that my son has been asking for one. But he's only six; I'm not so sure ethat he's ready for that kind of responsibility. I'm considering a smaller, easier-to-care-for pet, but... Since you passed by with Lance-chan, I thought I'd ask you what it's like to care for a dog."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa will cope with Ayame calling them -kun, because that's kind of how adults work. It could be worse.
They frown, though, when Ayame talks about feeling awkward. "... sure," they mumble, and they sound embarrassed even if there's no way to tell if they're blushing under all that armour. "Guess I'll just have what you're having, then." What even is she having? It doesn't matter, it's the least mortifying thing to say.
And, well, now they have to teach her about dogs, equivalent exchange. "It's cool," they shrug. "Uh, my place is kinda cramped, so she needs a walk before I go to school and to come with me once I get out. Might not be as big a deal if you got a yard. They need shots and shi-- stuff like that," almost swore in front of the mom, "so you'll be payin' for a vet." How Tsubasa handles that is mystery. "Food can cost a lot, too. Uh, you can kinda make do with toys if you do shit yourself, might be fun for a kid, like... knottin' up rope and shit. And if you're cookin' with an oven you prob'ly end up with bones they'd like... just be careful, cooked bones can crack and hurt 'em, they gotta be raw. Straight-up raw meat's no good either, though, dogs get salmonella just like folks do. And there's stuff they can't eat either way, like chocolate or onions or booze, even though they're gonna wanna eat it. You gotta figure out if you're cool with sleepin' with a dog, too. Ain't good to put 'em in a doghouse outside even if you ain't, dogs freeze just as easy as you. And you need time to train 'em... like, Lance is really smart, but that ain't all dogs, and you gotta be able to tell 'em to stop so they don't run out into traffic or nothin'."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Embarrassment is a worthy cost for proper food. Ayame knows enough about Tsubasa's situation to know they might not have eaten well today. "Good!" she says. "I like it well enough." What is it? Don't worry about it. Ayame will order more of it shortly, and when the server looks askance at PUPPY, she'll put on her best Mom smile to smooth things over.
Their place is cramped... That tells her things, too. "Hmmm, I see," she says. "Then we'd need to walk the dog..." They do not have a yard as such; Ayame lives in a (very nice) apartment! But shots and such, that makes sense. "Hmm... the expenses do add up. But that's a nice idea," she reflects. "Arts and crafts are a good, fun thing for children."
She did not know about the cooked bones, or the raw meat issue. Salmonella is a word she didn't expect Tsubasa to know. "Aah... Hmmm." Sleeping with a dog. That's important. "So they'll want to eat things they can't, we need to consider proper sleeping arrangements, and they need training."
She considers. Then sighs. "...I have a feeling that he's not quite ready for that. He's only six. Thank you, though."
She pauses. "Maybe..." She considers Tsubasa's name. "Maybe a nice bird."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa just kind of tries not to meet the server's eyes when they come around to check on Ayame and the fact that she brought a dog here. They try to make themself inconspicuous. They'd rather not be noticed.
... and, well, their brother was studying to get into med school. They picked a few things up, even before they did research into how owning a dog worked.
They brighten up a little when Ayame gets her other bright idea, though. "Birds are cool. Had a cockatiel growin' up. I mean, don't think he's dead yet or nothin', just..." Just, there's no way they can see Matcha any more. It kind of kills the lights in them, but they just shrug it off. "Birds got a lot of stuff to think about too, though. They die easier than dogs. Like, non-stick frying pans, teflon, stuff with heavy metals in it... even fumes like bleach or oven cleaner or bug spray'll fuck 'em -- uh," Tsubasa is evidently quite used to swearing but at least aware they shouldn't, "sorry. But -- but you can do a lot with bird toys, too, like, mirrors and stuff..."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
They are not that inconspicuous. The server absolutely notices them. Ayame powers through, though.
But Ayame notices that brightness--she's not entirely surprised, because of Tsubasa's name, but it's still nice to see. "Oh, yes?" She doens't pry about the situation. But birds... "Hmmm. I don't use a lot of chemicals in the house, of course," she says. A pause, and a dry laugh. "I was your age once," she says. "A little bad language isn't going to hurt me too badly."
Bird toys, mirrors...
"Hmm. So the biggest danger to the bird would be things I could control. That might be nice. A cockatiel, you said? I'll have to do some research into what kinds there are."
"Well, thank you!" she says. "That's very helpful."
A pause. "You like birds... Is that why you like such colorful hair?" she wonders. "It does suit you."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa scratches at their cheek. (The left side, notably. Wouldn't want to scratch their concealer off.) "Uh, hadn't figured it was all that decent," they mutter, glancing away, when she excuses their cursing. They're preoccupied with respect, for some reason. Three guesses why, and the first two don't count.
"Yeah," they nod. "Birds are good if you keep your environment under control. You just gotta keep a lid on it." Of course, the Seki family home was downright regimented, so a cockatiel was no problem for them.
"Sure," they acknowledge her thanks, simply. The server comes around with their own lunch, and they mumble some thanks before ripping into the sandwich. Chomp, chomp, chomp. They were hungry, apparently; they haven't eaten anything since lunch!
Once they've devoured that sandwich, though, they glance back at the hair falling down to their shoulders. "It's, uh..." They start, chewing on the inside of their cheek as they try to think of how to say it. "Y'know, rather be a freak on purpose than by accident. It's like that."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"No," Ayame admits. "It would be better if you did it less. But I'm not very bothered, if it's just me." If her kids were here that would be another story. Still...
"Hmmm, all right. That's..." She considers. "More or less fine." The kids aren't too messy as kids go, and Ayame keeps things in order...
But, thanks aside, Ayame waits for an answer to her statement. She listens to their answer, and tilts her head. "Hmm."
She has to stop and think about it a moment, her expression growing distant. She's able, after that, to relate it to something she knows. "...Better be the thing they say you are, then have it be unjustly applied," she reflects.
Her eyes refocus.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Sure," Tsubasa shrugs, when Ayame tells them she's not that bothered. "Whatever you say."
More or less fine... well, at least Ayame seems pretty responsible. A bird would probably be fine with her.
They focus pretty heavily on their salad in a moment they feel they've made quite awkward, though. "Uh, yeah," they mumble, into it. Poke, poke, they poke the fork into the salad. "It's stupid, don't worry about it."
Chomp. Tsubasa quite likes cherry tomatoes, actually.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ayame will consider the matter of language. But, well. Ayame is quite responsible! A bird would do well. And is pretty without being... quite as much of a handful as a dog. It might be a good idea. As for the awkward moment, well--
It is, a bit. "Hmm." She shakes her head. "No, I don't think so. ...I've never stood out quite as much as you do, but I certainly felt like everyone was staring at me when I was farther along with Tohka-chan. It's... unsettling."
A smile. "Regardless. I'll have to tell my sister how helpful you've been."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Oh." Tsubasa does the maths on this woman in her thirties, and figures she must have been, like... mid-twenties having her kid, if he's six. So, like, the normal amount of awkward, not the kind the Boss was facing up to. Still. "That sucks."
Having a baby's not really something they can relate to, personally, if only because relating to it makes them want to poke their fork somewhere entirely less pleasant, but being stared at sucks no matter what the reason is.
"What, you keepin' an eye on me?" They grouse, as they stab their salad again. Chomp, chomp. "... nah, it's cool. Ain't seen her in a bit, though. Y'know, ain't got caught for nothin'."
Surely they mean they haven't done nothin' and were just distracted by lettuce.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
While Tsubasa's maths are correct, they don't have all the information. Indeed, she continues, with a sigh, "I was nineteen. Still in university..." A shake of her head.
But, stared at! That's the point of what she said. And then the grousing comes and Ayame laughs politely. "No, this is a coincidence. But I'm sure she'd be happy to hear that I had a good interaction with you."
Hmmm...
"Well that's good," Ayame answers. "The last part, not that you haven't seen her. I know she has been busy."
She then looks over Tsubasa again, and can't help but frown a little, seeing those bruises.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Oh, shit, really?" Tsubasa's surprised to hear that, and briefly wonders if they've lost the ability to count. ... no, idiot, she just must have multiple kids, duh. "Damn."
At least Reiko isn't sending her sisters to spy on them. That would be weird.
But... Reiko's been busy. "Oh, yeah?" Tsubasa asks, glancing back down to their salad. "Guess she's got important shit to do. Uh, it's cool. Ain't like I wanna end up on her radar or nothin'." ... besides, if Tsubasa told her what happened and she reacted like Katsuya did...
Look, there's just some things Tsubasa can handle, and other things it's better to not give a chance to happen at all.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"Mm-hm," Ayame confirms for Tsubasa. She wouldn't usually tell someone she's just met about that experience--but she really does want to reach out to Tsubasa. "Too young, a lot of people would say, my parents included. But I wouldn't change it. I love her too much for that."
A smile. That would be weird, though. And, "She does." She's not going to say she thinks Reiko works too much; it would give the wrong idea to someone she works for. But, "I suppose 'no news' is 'good news' when it comes to things with her," Ayame allows.
"How's the salad?" she also wonders. "I think this place's dressing is particularly good, they mix it in-house."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Oh, a her," Tsubasa says, confirming in their mind that there are multiple kids. "Cool. Uh, I mean, not cool, but if you want kids, y'know. It's cool. ... but, uh, your parents didn't like it?"
Tsubasa shrugs, though, when Ayame supposes Reiko does important work. They'd actually agree with her on working too hard, if only because it's still kind of weird to them that she'd put her neck out for them and let them crash with her while their dad decided not to be a jerk. Whether that has more to do with Reiko's hardworking nature or Tsubasa's low self-esteem... "Yeah, guess so."
Poke, poke, stab, chomp. "Yeah?" Tsubasa asks, once they're done with another bite. "It's cool. I like the tomatoes."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"Yes!" Ayame says, and this she much more commonly shares. "Two girls and a boy," she explains, and she is very happy to be able to say so. "Haha, yes." Cool! She'll accept 'cool'. As to her parents, though... "That's right," Ayame answers of her parents. "They were... very angry," she puts mildly. "I was supposed to be studying mathematics, not boys. ...But a person has to decide her own path, one way or another."
"I like the tomatoes too," she says. "They're sort of a little bright spot amidst the rest, aren't they? You need a splash of color. Food should be pleasing to look at and to eat."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Cool," Tsubasa confirms again, when Ayame shares how many kids she has. It's not their thing, but, like, they'd be a huge prick to be down on kids with the company they keep.
But they frown, thinking of Ayame's parents. "... angry, huh. Yeah, I... get that. Glad you didn't lose your kid."
Why they'd think Ayame was at risk of losing her child to her parents' anger is a thought exercise left to the reader.
Chomp, chomp. "Yeah," Tsubasa agrees. "Presentation's part of it, I guess... I can't be bothered, though. It's whatever." They eat what they have around to eat, and not all of it tastes as good as this. Why should it, though? They're lucky they have enough food, so they can't complain about it being boring or a pain in the ass to get together.
There's probably a good reason why they keep stealing chocolate from convenience stores, though.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ayame wouldn't expect it to be Tsubasa's thing, though this is in part because of assumptions as to their gender. Ayame means well, but she doesn't fully understand X-Gender, either.
"Definitely," Ayame agrees as to her child. "But I lost them. ...Until recently, anyway." A shake of her head. That's much too much to get into with this young person, so she cuts hersself off there. Instead...
"It's hard to do it when it's just for you," Ayame opines. "When you make food for someone else it feels more important to make sure they enjoy it. But it's easy to neglect yourself. It adds up, though."
Ayame knows what she wants to do, of course. But Tsubasa would reject her attempts to help right now. Maybe if she left some cookies with Reiko...
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Oh," Tsubasa frowns. "That sucks. But they ended up accepting you again, huh?" They look down, at the table. "... do you think, uh... that happens a lot?" They venture, a little too awkward to bring themself up.
Luckily, by just making it into a general statement, Ayame will never suspect it's personal.
She supposes it's easier to make food for someone else, though, and Tsubasa shrugs. "Sure." They wonder if they're neglecting themself... but they're kind of uncomfortable with the whole concept.
Like, they should be able to take care of themself.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ayame had been going there to assure Tsubasa that it's OK to go against your parents--that you can still have a happy life that way, choosing your own path. But she's a smart cookie interperssonally, and she recognizes the way Tsubasa asks that question. She recognizes what they're looking for. "...It can," she says more gently. "We're still sort of getting used to one another again. It's important... that it goes both ways."
That's the best she can offer. She doesn't need to talk about her own complications there. This... person, needs something different from that.
"In any case," she says, "I should be going soon. ...But it's been nice to meet you, Seki-kun. You've really added a good bit of color to my day!"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Would Tsubasa's father ever... get used to them again?
"... maybe when you're an adult," they mumble, to the end of her statement. She's old, so maybe that's why it goes both ways. They're at least firmer as they agree: "Sure."
It's impolite to mumble.
"Aight," they nod, putting their fork down. There's still a bit of salad on their plate, but they'd hate for Ayame to think she hadn't fed them enough. "Guess I'm that," colorful, that is.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Mumbling!! It is rude, but Ayame hears it anyway. She doesn't argue for now. Instead she settles for that agreement.
"You are," Ayame says. "But..."
A pause. "I don't think you're a freak," she says, finally commenting on that exact verbiage. "Thank you for keeping me company. I'm off to the mall! I heard they had a few deals..."
"Deals are also important when you're older," she offers, and smiles. "Take care."
...She's going to worry about that youth. Maybe she can indeed leave some cookies with Reiko...
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Uh, thanks, I guess," Tsubasa says, evidently a little embarrassed by Ayame insisting they're not a freak. The lesson they take from it is mostly that they made her uncomfortable being too real about it, because why else would she insist they weren't?
(Of course it's true. They're -- patchwork. ... just like Hanzou said.)
"Sure," they say, pretending they buy most of their goods instead of palming them. They'd care about deals if they did, probably, but a five-finger discount means everything's on sale. "See ya."
Tsubasa wonders, as they get up and wander off with Lance, whether it would have mattered if they'd told her what was really going on...
... but they decide the whole thought is stupid. She barely knows them, so why would she go that far out of her way?
(Somehow, they miss the fact that she went out of her way to flag them down to begin with.)