2025-08-20: Take Your Time
- Log: Take Your Time
- Cast: Sojiro Sakura, Ayame Watanabe
- Where: Leblanc, Yongen-Jaya, Tokyo
- OOC Date: August 20, 2025
- IC Date: June 28, 2012
- Summary: Ayame finally makes it in to Leblanc while it's open! He has coffee, curry, and a bit of wisdom to share. She might come back with her husband.
<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.
Off to the side of a back alley, sits a small cafe that seems to almost be intentionally hard to find. Yet word of mouth in the area will point you right to it. The coffee and curry shop, oh that shop with the cute waiter, oh that one where the old man looks like everyone is bothering him, yes word of mouth gets around and can lead someone directly to the front door of Leblanc Cafe.
The cafe is rather empty, there is one guy sitting in a booth in a corner doing a sudoku, with a cold cup of coffee in front of him. The owner and currently only staff meeting is sitting behind the counter reading the paper. To Sojiro this is the magic hour, the middle point between the lunch rush and the after school rush. Sojiro sets the paper down and produces a cup of coffee from beneath the counter, sipping it slowly as he closes his eyes and just focuses on the sound of the soft jazz playing in the background.
If only time could stop and this moment could stretch on forever.
Warning 'my-desc' for Ayame Watanabe(#524PenA):
player is missing description
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Alas. The quiet softness cannot last forever. There's a bell, and a woman in blue opens the door. Ayame Watanabe is not tall, being a little shorter than average, but her long black hair is glossy and her smile is easy. She steps into the place and looks around--and her eyes linger for a moment on the painting. "Oh," she starts, and smiles at it. It's really something.
...But then she looks to Sojiro instead. "Hello!" she says, and starts over to the bar. "I finally get to come over while you're open!"
<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.
The bell rings and Sojiro takes his glasses off for a moment and rubs his eyes and then turns to face the new visitor to the shop. With a smile on his face he greets the young lady, "Welcome to Le Blanc. " At the mention of being open, Sojiro tilts his head a little and looks at the new customer. "Well we are open, breakfast, lunch and dinner." Still he recognizes her comment as meaning she is new to the shop.
He grabs a damp cloth from behind the counter and wipes down the bar, out of courtesy to show that it is indeed clean. He then gestures to one of the barstools, "Bar is open, unless you'd rather a booth. Wherever you feel comfortable. " Taking a moment he steps around from the bar and gestures to the hung chalkboards above the bar. "Menu is up there. Let me know when you are ready."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"Then just bad luck before," Ayame answers. That is indeed the case--she's new. And she's pleased. "The bar will be just fine," Ayame says, and comes around to take a seat near Sojiro, so he doesn't have to go too far to serve her. The bar is clean! That's always nice. Cleaning she doesn't have to do herself...
One of the benefits of going out.
"Hmmmm, I see..."
"What about your mountain blend?" Ayame wonders. "That sounds good. ...The smell is heavenly, anyway. At home I don't really have time for good coffee..."
<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.
"One mountain blend." Sojiro says before stepping behind the counter and producing an empty cup and saucer and placing it in front of Ayame. He steps back and reaches for a tin and produces freshly ground beans. A single scoop into a filter that is placed on top of a beaker. Slowly he pours the boiling water across the grounds, moving the water slowly over them to evenly soak the grounds and produce a rich black liquid underneath in the beaker. A few moments later the filter and beans are removed and disposed of and the contents of the beaker are poured into Ayame's cup. "One fresh cup."
Sojiro smiles and does admit to himself, he prefers the slow moments where he can treat every cup as if it is the only cup. He produces a tray with cream, and sugar if wanted. As his show is done he returns to being more of a bartender then barista, "I use to be that way. " Taking a moment he looks at 'Sayuri ' before back to Ayame, "I had someone teach me that good coffee was worth the time. "
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ayame watches with delight as Sojiro makes the coffee, one cup at a time. It's nice to see someone who clearly knows what he's doing performing a task. An the smell is wonderful. The cup is there... "This smells wonderful," she says, and takes a moment to inhale the aroma before she has a sip.
"...Mm," she says. "You can really taste the distinct flavor there. ...Bitter, but in a clarifying kind of way..."
A sigh. "Thank you. This is great." A beat, then, as she looks to the painting, and back to Sojiro. "I can't argue with this cup in front of me," she admits with a smile. "But my kids don't give me a lot of time to take. And they certainly won't wait for something that isn't sweet."
"...It's a beautiful painting, too. It really adds something to the vibe, here."
She didn't go for the cream or sugar. It's fine.
<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.
Sojiro smiles at the review and accepts the young lady's comment. " I greatly appreciate hearing your opinion of the brew. Sojiro follows his customer's eyes to the painting again and looks at it with her. " Yes, a friend of one of my employees painted it and hung it here." Sojiro doesn't even remember he thanked the kid but now he couldn't imagine the cafe without it.
After a moment or two he removes the additional add on options of cream, sugar, and puts it away for now.
"Kids are funny that way. At points they take up all the time and it feels like you will never catch your breath. Then they grow and it's almost like they want nothing to do with you and you have all the time in the world. " Sojiro comments while he steps back towards the section behind the bar that would be the kitchen. He opens the lid of the pot and the smell of curry fills the cafe for a moment as Sojiro stirs the simmering curry. " Don't worry, we have hot chocolate too." Sojiro adds as a side comment to offering sweet things.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"Good things should be remarked on," Ayame thinks. "It helps remind us they're there."
The painting... Hmm. "I wonder about the artist," she says. "...I feel something for it. The woman and her baby..."
Still, kids. "Ha," she says. "I hear that last part... But ah, I don't know if my heart can take it. My oldest starts middle school next year. My youngest started elementary this year. ...It's a little hard to have them all out of the house," she admits.
"Still," she says, "That curry smells wonderful, too. ...Could I get a bit of that, as well?" A laugh then. "I'm thinking more of trying to bring my husband here than the kids."
<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.
Sojiro turns right back around and grabs a plate, within moments rice is on the plate and then the curry pot is opened. The golden curry is poured on the rice and drizzles a little on the plate itself so some can be eaten without rice if so chosen. Soon the plate is in front of Ayame, and then chopsticks and a napkin is provided. "One curry."
Sojiro settles back in at the bar, "You say that now, but the summer vacation is right around the corner. Then you will be looking forward to school being back in session." Sojiro chuckles before he gestures to the booths. "Couples are always welcome and if you come a little later in the evening we offer a similar quiet atmosphere with a cozy booth for two."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Rice! Curry! And chopsticks to break. Tck!
"...Wow," Ayame comments once she's had a little. "This is very good." She has a little more of the coffee with it, and everything is wonderful, for she has a meal she didn't cook with flavors her kids wouldn't approve.
Ayame laughs softly. "Oh, that's true," she says. "But that's also more time off for my husband; he teaches high school, you see."
A cozy booth... "That does sound nice," Ayame admits. "I'll keep it in mind. If I can get him away from his work in the evening long enough, at least."
<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.
Sojiro nods his head, " Oh. I hope he enjoys his work. I have heard it is stressful, but it is such an important job. " Sojiro tries to imagine himself in a teaching job, and can't even form the thought bubble to imagine it at all.
"Well I hope you and your husband find the time to join us for dinner. If for some reason I am not working that night, tell my employee that Sojiro said to treat you both to the best." Sojiro introduces himself inadvertently as he talks about the supposed date night.
"So your kids are in school, your husband teaches, what do you do, if I am not prying?" Sojiro asks as he begins to put together another cup for himself.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"He does!" Ayame confirms. "Maybe too much," she jokes without quite joking. "It's really very important, though. I'm glad he has something so fulfilling."
His employee! Just the one, it really is a small cafe. "I'll remember that," Ayame says. "I'm Ayame Watanabe, by the way. I hope I'm here often enough for you to remember it, given how good this is!"
Her kids, her husband....
"It's not prying," she says with a shake of her head. "I stay home and take care of things," she says. "...Well, right now I'm on a break while I do the shopping, but--you know."
"I suppose it would be less lonely with everyone gone if I had a job outside the house," she admits, "...But I always wanted to be able to really emphasize my family."
<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.
"A pleasure to meet you Ayama Watanabe. I look forward to your continued patronage." Sojiro says as he pours himself a cup of coffee. A sip is taken just as the mention of taking a job outside the house is said. Sojiro doesn't respond as he continues, he just looks at the cup for a moment longer than a beat, maybe showing the old man is a bit lost in thought.
He sets his cup down under the bar, "Emphasizing your family is just as noble as being a teacher. I am sure many parents look back and wish they had done that. Besides, if you were working, who would be there for your little one when they get out of school." Sojiro says with an attempt to jest, but his tone is somber.
"Your own future is important too, but the years go by quicker than you'd expect. You could blink and suddenly realize your youngest is graduating." Sojiro adds before realizing he is rambling, " I am just saying, you are allowed to take your own time for things and don't need to rush to fill the hours quite yet if you don't want to."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ayame smiles. She'd like to be here more often, though it's not particularly convenient. Maybe that makes it more special. If she can bring Ikkaku, maybe...
Ayame sips her coffee again. She's quick to eat by default, but does take the time to savor when she has the chance. And what Sojiro says...
Ayame nods. "Yes," she agrees, and she doesn't really take it as a joke. The future...
He is rambling a bit, but, "...Thank you," she says. "I apprecaite that. My own parents were most concerned with success. ...But what I'd rather have had was them around at home, more."
"I hope you haven't blinked to find that," she ventures, but doesn't dwell on it; if he doesn't want to answer, she's happy enough to offer the out, "...I enjoy taking my time. Having to rush is less pleasant."
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<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.
Sojiro smiles softly as he glances back to 'Sayuri' for a moment, "Take it from me. You don't get to be my age, without wishing you could go back in time and make things slow down. " Slowly he raises his cup to his mouth and sips the coffee. Turning back to Ayame he smiles. "Hopefully you will not have to experience that moment for many years."
Sojiro smiles warmly and adds, " I think taking your time is the smartest move anyone could make. "