2025-09-21: Cooking and Secrets
- Log: Cooking and Secrets
- Cast: Ririka Kawase, Shinjiro Aragaki
- Where: Iwatodai Dormitory, Iwatodai
- OOC Date: September 21, 2025
- IC Date: July 14, 2012
- Summary: Shinjiro catches Ririka cooking, and they talk about her technique, music, Strega, and the situation with Eiji's Palace.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
It's early morning in the SEES dorm, and Ririka is up with it. There's more than enough time for someone to, say, cook a breakfast and then enjoy it at a nice, leisurely pace before heading to classes, and... that's what one Ririka Kawase happens to be doing.
She's up and dressed in her school uniform, with a plain black leather vest over the blouse, and a pair of calf-height boots. She's tall, standing at 5'10", with long brown-black hair and red eyes.
And she's got her headphones on as she works, blaring something that sounds loud and angry but at a low volume. The kitchen space is easier to work in now, a fact Ririka is grateful for as she busies herself at the stove. She's in the middle of cooking a rolled omlette, though she also has rice and tea in the works, too. Nothing complicated, mostly simple things she can prepare easily.
On the ocunter is a tray with a small plate and a few bowls, and cups. One pair of a bowl and cup is far nicer and ornate than the others, meant as offerings vessels.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro wakes up earlier than you'd expect. His sleep is the den of nightmares, and therefore he never is well-rested. So, this morning, he's stepping downstairs, clad in his red coat and beanie, to grab some leftovers and head out to Sumaru for the day.
As he steps downstairs, he hears and smells cooking, and decides to check it out. Passing over to the kitchen, he knocks twice loudly enough to be heard through headphones on the doorframe before stepping inside to get to the fridge, a bit taller than Ririka. "Hey, Kawase," he greets, before looking over her efforts.
"Tamagoyaki, huh? You using light or dark soy sauce?" It's half to check her cooking skills to see if she even understands why he's asking, half to actually know.
He eyes the vessels, but hasn't pieced the entire motive quite yet, as he doesn't want to assume, though he's clearly looking at it.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Honestly, left to her own devices, Ririka would absolutely have those headphones turned all the way up. She's bobbing her head to the beat, and alternating humming and singing along under her breath as she tends to her pan.
But she knows other people might be about, so they aren't turned all the way up. She does blink and start a little as she looks over. "Oh, Aragaki-senpai. Morning."
She pulls the headphones off, and they briefly blare something angry and downright punk-sounding before she fishes her phone out to hit pause. But at 'Tamagoyaki', Ririka nods. "Yeah, my sister showed me how, and... I wanted to practice it." The second question makes her blink for a moment. "It's... dark, I think? That's usually what I find in the store."
She follows Shinjiro's line of sight to the tray and then quickly tries to put her focus back on the pan. "Why do you ask, Aragaki-senpai?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Practice is always good," Shinjiro nods. "Can't get better without breaking some eggs," he jokes.
As he looks over it, considering her response... "Dark is Kanto-style, out here near Tokyo. It's good, richer, less salty, but changes the color a bit. Light is popular in Kansai, more subtle umami flavors. Was curious where your roots were." A pause. "I've used both before, depending on how I want my omelette. Usually prefer dark, myself." A glance back to the funerary tray. "Is that how you like it, or is this for someone? I see rice and tea out, too."
He's trying to place where he heard that snippet of song, meanwhile. What genre is it? He likes the heavy stuff, so he might be able to figure out a rough ballpark on genre at least.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka smiles and laughs a little at the joke. "Yeah, well... I should know a thing or two about practice at this point..."
She does listen, as Shinjiro explains the difference. "Huh. I figured the light sauce would have a different flavor, but I didn't think about the color." She follows that glance and quickly looks away, shaking her head. "It's for me. It's just..."
She falters for a moment. Shinjiro was there at Eiji's palace, wasn't he? Her gaze remains fixed on the pan. "... It's just the way my sister taught me. She probably learned it from our mother."
Ririka's listening to old hardcore punk from the 80's, which is definitely not the classical she grew up playing or the experimental genre-blending rock her band usually plays.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Ah, yeah, music takes practice too. You're listening to punk, right? I like that sort of stuff, different from what you usually play though, isn't it?"
But then, Shinjiro watches her gaze, watches her falter, and stops from whatever thought he was going to give about soy sauce. "You alright?" A pause. "You're Ichika Kawase's sister, right? You were at the..."
He trails off, looking around to see if anyone is down here. No one else is, so. "You were at the Palace."
It's probably not the best subject to broach right now, but it's an important one, so he does so anyways.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Yep," Ririka agrees. "A whooole lotta practice." Someone attuned to the classical music scene might also recognize Ririka as a virtuoso pianist. But as for punk. "I am." Ririka shrugs a little. "I like a lot of different kinds of music. Everything's got something interesting to study."
She does smile a little when Shinjiro says he likes it, too. "You do? Cool. Anything else you like?"
Ririka takes a deep breath to try and ground herself, which only works so much. Ichika's sister. "... I am," hse says quietly.
She gives Shinjiro a long look and then nods. "... Yeah." She was the one in the (non-supernatural) wolf mask, after all. And there's really no denying it--she had to summon her Persona, after all. "... and so were you."
She looks down at her cooking, starting to roll the next layer of egg. Something dark and moody enters her tone. "... SEES doesn't need to know about it," she says quietly. "Ogre's handling it, and I can't... I can't drag anybody else into my sister's business."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Old grunge, mostly Western stuff but there's also good stuff here, too. Ecstasy was a great band, shame about the lead singer." Shinjiro also shrugs.
But about Ichika... "Yeah, I was. Your sister asked me to help out." He has no reason to lie about it. "Put me in touch with Ogre."
Though, shouldn't drag anyone else in... "Sure, makes sense. I think the mask is overkill, but I get the vibe. Secret's safe with me. But I am going to continue helping... this seems to go into the deep dark conspiracy shit, from what we've been looking at."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Nice, there's a ton of cool Western stuff I listen to. I... used to know someone who listened to a lot of Western hardcore stuff who got me into it. You ever listen to Swimsuit Murder?"
"Oh, yeah, that's... really terrible."
Ichika asked, and Ririka nods. "Didn't know you two knew each other, but that makes sense."
Ririka finally transfes the egg onto the plate and turns off the burner, then looks at Shinjiro. She keeps her voice low but there's something seething in it. "That bastard knows me, Aragaki-senpai. What was I supposed to do? Waltz right in there and show my face? When Ogre first told me about that Palace we didn't even know that was his Shadow in there. We just thought that was the actual guy, somehow."
Her hands now free, she lets one hand drop to her leg, tapping out a melody on her thigh as she takes a deep breath."... I appreciate the help. I had no idea how messed up he was but... we can't just let him get away with that shit, right?"
Surprise, Ririka swears! (Sometimes.)
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro nods about Swimsuit Murder. "Yeah, they're riot grrrl, right? I've listened to a bit."
"We've met. I've been investigating the... Joker Killer, and she gave me some fresh intel after the Kasugayama attack." A beat. "Gonna probably talk to her again tomorrow, see how she's holding up."
But about 'that bastard', he pauses. "If you didn't know, that's fine. Palaces are a relatively newer thing for the community. The good thing is, anything you do in there won't get out to him, as far as we can tell. We were poking a mob boss's Palace and managed to stop the guy." A sigh. "Talk to Myunghon Yeo, at the Cardboard Dragon, if you want to know more about Palaces. They're a good friend of mine, you can tell them I sent you."
But about letting him get away, he hears that cursing and... "No way in hell. I hate to say it, but this isn't just about your sister anymore. If he's really involved in human trafficking... we need to put a stop to it. Find something to destroy every shred of a life he'll ever have."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka nods, "Yeah. I dig their sound." There's a flicker of a smile as Shinjiro says he's listened to them.
"Oh, that guy." Ririka sighs. "Well, if you want to talk to someone about that attack, I was there. " She nods when Shinjiro says he's going to check on Ichika, but doesn't comment.
She looks down as Shinjiro says it won't get out to him. "... that's kind of a relief." She glances to the side. "... I still feel better with the mask. I don't know if I could stand that guy..." She shudders a bit. "... after some of the stuff he said? If he looked at me--" Ririka quickly shakes her head to try and clear that thought. That's a road she doesn't need to go down.
She blinks. "Wait, that... Kaneshiro guy? You were involved in that?" She nods about Myunghon. "I've met them. And been to their store. I told them I wanted to help out however I could."
Not just about Ichika. "No, I know. I just... still have a hard time believing all that stuff could be real, it's just..." Ririka shakes her head slowly.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro smiles back, but pauses about the Joker Killer. "...it's personal. I've been poking around Kasugayama." A sharp grimace.
"I've heard from a few friends what happened there now, who was there, but I still don't get why Strega helped him." A pause. "Actually, Shirato would definitely do it, and Niko will do anything she finds fun, but..." He mutters the last part to himself.
But, about the mask, he nods. "Then wear it. He's gross. What he said about Myunghon and Shimizu was..." He's getting angry, so he cuts himself off.
"Yeah, he threatened Myunghon's shop. It's how we got close. We managed to stop him, at least. The Phantom Thieves helped."
Conspiracies, though... "Unfortunately, they are. Conspiracy theorists are hard to disavow these days, what with those people who attacked the television studio."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Ririka says of Strega helping the Joker Killer. "... they have someone who can block Navigator abilities, too." She pauses. "... you're on a first-name basis with her? I just don't understand her. I fought her, she was keeping a bunch of us from getting in the school."
"He's really gross," Ririka agrees. She looks down with a scowl. "Yeah, I caught that too. he'll just... mess with anybody, won't he?"
"Wow. So you helped with that, huh? I know some people don't like how the Phantom Thieves do things, but... I dunno. It's hard not to think about all the people guys like Kaneshiro hurt."
Ririka takes a deep breath. "Yeah, I just... didn't think I'd ever stumble into a real one."
She goes to her tamagoyaki and slices it, then starts washing the pan and other things she used. Her technique, both the cooking and the slicing are... decent. She won't win any culinary awards, but it is edible, at least.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Yeah, the goth girl," Shinjiro nods about anti-nav. About Niko... "Everyone's on a first name basis with her, according to her. She asked me to call her by her first name, so what else do I do?" He does not say that he wants to understand her better. That may be misunderstood.
"They've got too much power at their fingertips with no accountability," Shinjiro grouses, shrugging. "We can't trust them."
And about the Tamagoyaki, he watches her cutting skill. "You could serve to cut a bit slower, I think. Precision over speed." A pause. He's offering unsolicited advice... "Sorry, worked in a kitchen. Reminded me of when I started out and the chef would give me advice. You ever want feedback, let me know."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"I didn't see her. I just know someone was blocking me from sensing where everyone was in Kasu." Ririka shakes her head. "I ran into her a bit ago. She kept trying to insist we were friends no matter how much I told her we weren't. She kind of creeps me out."
"... yeah. And the people who should be doing things about it don't."
Ririka pauses, looking to Shinjiro. "What?" But then he explains, and she nods. "Oh, I see. Um, cool, I will. I've actually been working with Ichika-chan on it, it's... a nice way to spend time with her."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"I don't think she's creepy. I do think she can be dangerous, though. But there's more to her than either of us understand, for sure." Shinjiro says sympathetically towards Niko, shrugging as he moves to finally pull some food out of the fridge.
"That's just the way the world works," he sighs. But about cooking... "Oh, that's fine. Cook with your sister. I just don't want anyone messing up in this kitchen or I'll have to step in. You're decent enough that's not a problem, but if things are burning, it offends my sensibilities. Food isn't something you should waste."
He absolutely means it, too.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka pauses, looking at Shinjiro. "... I... probably," she has to concede. "I just... don't think I can be the one to find it out. I can't forget that she attacked my sister's school, you know?"
Stepping in. "Uh... right. You're... really passionate about cooking, huh?" Ririka smiles a little as she puts away the last of the acoutrements she used to make her breakfast. "That's kinda cool."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"That's fine. Just... there's always a meaning behind something," he shrugs again.
Shinjiro instead considers the question about cooking as he puts his food in the microwave. "Yeah, but also... I never had much food. Orphanage didn't feel food secure, and living on the streets definitely wasn't. Dorms are closest I had, but that's got strings attached, like attending school." A grimace. "So if people aren't taking care of how they handle food, there's a problem I won't abide."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Orphanage. That feels important, but... also not a topic she should broach. 'Living on the streets' isn't much better. "... I can see why you'd take not wasting food so seriously, then. I'll... do my best to be careful when I'm cooking. I'm not really trying to make anything complicated, anyway."
She moves to the tray, it's got her breakfast, two bowls of rice, two cups of tea. She goes to find an apple and put it on the tray, too, then checks to make sure she didn't forget to clean up something.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Yeah..." Shinjiro sighs, waiting for his food to heat up. "Thanks for understanding. Good luck on your cooking journey."
He looks... two cups, two bowls. She's definitely making an offering, but if she didn't want to talk about it... it's fine. He can always learn some other time.
"Enjoy your meal, Kawase."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Thanks," Ririka says as she picks up her tray. She offers a small smile. "It was nice talking with you, Aragaki-senpai. And thanks, I will."
She didn't want to talk about it, but she is definitely heading up to her dorm room with everything in tow.