2025-10-06: Jazz It Up
- Log: 2025-10-06 Jazz It Up
- Cast: Ren Amamiya, So-young Park, Sojiro Sakura
- Where: Cafe Leblanc, Yongen-Jaya, Tokyo
- OOC Date: October 06, 2025
- IC Date: July 22, 2012
- Summary: So-young drops by Leblanc for curry and coffee while Ren studies and Sojiro mans the counter. There's talk of musical instruments, and just what would suit Ren the best.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
It's Sunday!
...before first term finals.
The dichotomy of the day off before a set of grueling exams is not lost on Ren Amamiya, who is enamored with duality, even when it's kind of a shitty duality like this. They would love to be out and about town, making the most of a sunny day after yesterday's thunderstorm; they are instead at Leblanc, seated at one of the booths and dressed in their usual casual wear (white button-up shirt, black undershirt, jeans, black shoes, and of course their thick-rimmed for-fashion-only glasses), studying like a good, diligent student.
They are not a particularly diligent student. All the same, something (or rather, someone) lit a fire under them to do as well as they can, and so they're giving it their all. Even if it is all very last-minute. At least Umie's tutoring has been fruitful; it definitely feels like they're retaining more after her tips.
They're reading over dates in their history textbook and have been for nearly an hour now. It is i n c r e d i b l y boring, but they have an extra-strong cup of the Boss's coffee at their side, and it's still fairly early in the morning--though not so early that it isn't open to customers. The prospect of finishing up here and doing something fun in the afternoon is also motivating. Maybe they'll text Minako later, just to chat...
...where would be a good spot for a first date...
No, focus, focus. Ren shakes their head, then redoubles their efforts to concentrate. ...They've been at this for a while now, though. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a break...
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young's trip to Shimokitazawa a couple of days ago reminded her that she hadn't poked around Yongen-Jaya yet, practically a crime given how well-known the area is for being full of small, interesting places that the conductor typically thrives on. In particular, So-young has heard of a number of underground live houses and bars around the area that she'd love to poke her neck into one night, but she prefers to take the measure of a place in the daylight first.
One of the things that she has definitely still not gotten used to - even after almost two years of living in Tokyo and exploring bits of it on foot from time to time - is just how quickly a summer shower can hit during the rainy season. One moment she'll be enjoying a peaceful exploratory walk on a nice sunny day, the next she'll find herself in the midst of a downpour, and then as if to add insult to injury it'll stop and the skies will clear again almost the moment she manages to find some cover.
(She is not averse to frolicing in the rain like she's in a musical, let's note. But she is averse to feeling like a wet cat.)
The conductor is learning, though, and she's particularly on guard given the weather yesterday - so at the first sign of a suspiciously crisp wind she's immediately zoned into the nearest available place that looks welcoming and pleasant. You might expect her to blast through the door the same way she does at the Cardboard Dragon, but if there's one thing So-young does have it's the ability to hold a certain respect for a place's atmosphere. It's just another form of art, after all.
So after stepping in, So-young closes the door carefully behind her, and takes a moment to appreciate the feel of the cafe. She looks rather larger-than-life in comparison, notably tall and with a mass of white hair streaked with black. Her clothes are more casual than normal - a blouse and capris - but she's still monochrome enough to almost look dour if it weren't for the incredibly bright smile and the pair of red rimmed sunglasses perched in her hair. "... hello!" she greets.
<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.
Sojiro was in and out having spent the morning handing out coffee to those wanting something warm after the rain. Now though the morning rush had died down and he was simply sitting at the counter reading the paper and keeping an eye on Ren. That kid's phone kept seeming to find it's way into his hand. Still he had been trying his best to study at least, which was a nice surprise.
The chime on the door catches his attention as a new customer comes in and he tilts his head for a moment. There is a glance over to Ren as if to ask, 'Is this one, one of yours?' Still no words are said instead he folds his paper up and walks behind the counter. "Welcome to LeBlanc, what can I get you?"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Underground live houses and bars, you say..........
No, not for lack of interest, but Ren will need to go to Kichijoji for any of that. Why? Just because.
They only glance up, and only out of habit, when So-young first walks through the door; they don't actually take in the fact that this is someone they know, if only in passing. They're still trying to memorize one more date, just one more date. But then she speaks up, and it clicks in Ren's head that they've heard that voice before, and they look up again and realize they know this woman from the Cardboard Dragon (and elsewhere, but shh).
They offer her a smile and a nod of greeting. They don't know if she recognizes them, but no harm in being friendly. Sojiro glances at them, as if to ask if they're friends (which is fair, Ren's had several people over the past several days for study sessions, from Yusuke and Makoto on Wednesday to Umie yesterday); Ren just shrugs a little. They only know her in passing, and she isn't here because they invited her.
They still have the ticket she gave them, actually, now that they think of it. Minako's always wearing a music player and headphones; if they can pick up a second ticket, that could be a pretty great first date...
...Yeah, their concentration is pretty shot right now. They shut their textbook after marking the page number, then stretch, lean back, and enjoy a long sip of coffee.
Then twirl their phone on one finger, just for fun. That's been their big interruption today.
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young is old enough at twenty-seven that she could be a teacher, if a particularly hip and trendy one. (Her own words and estimation of herself, definitely - but considering how odd some of the teachers at some of the schools around here can be, maybe not all that far off the truth.)
She doesn't immediately reply to Sojiro's question, her gaze caught by the sight of Sayuri hanging behind the counter and lingering there for a moment in appreciation - but then she looks up towards the rest of the cafe and treats it with no less attention, clearly appreciating the atmosphere as a whole rather than just staying focused on the painting that first caught her eye.
So-young would be the first to admit that she's not really a true coffee lover in any real sense of the word - she rarely has time for anything more than grabbing a can from the nearest convenience store as she bustles to the next place and her trendy cafe trips are usually more about the desserts given her sweet tooth - but really, there's only one possible answer to the owner's question as she makes for one of the high chairs to hang her bag on the back with a pleasant smile. "What would you recommend?"
"--oh!" she blinks with surprise as she catches sight of Ren tucked away in a booth. Whether she knows Ren's name is severely in doubt, but she's not about to forget handing someone a ticket or messing with their cat, and sometimes those kinds of markers are all you need for your memory to pick up the slack. "It's a small world, isn't it? Have you had a chance to catch a performance yet?"
"Unfortunately, you might be out of luck for the next week or so," she continues merrily as she sits down, turning in her chair to have both people in her view. "Rest assured, you aren't the only one in exam hell right now. I'm down two junior flute players and a viola, and we tend to halt performances for a couple of weeks to give the younger members a chance to catch up and let our audience crawl back in."
<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.
Sojiro shakes his head at the twirling of hundreds of dollars of electronic equipment but doesn't say anything to Ren. He has a job, he can buy the next one when that one gets a shattered screen. Instead he focuses on the new customer as she questions him on recommendations, "Well the curry is warm and the coffee is hot."
He then gestures at chalkboard menu above his head listing the roasts of the day and the curry flavor being noted as house special. " So I guess the question is, are you thirsty or are you hungry? " Still once the question is asked he just sits back and listens, he didn't know Ren was a music fan, and doesn't quite have enough musical knowledge to inject into a conversation with a stranger, little lone with someone he knows.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
The Sayuri hanging on the wall is different from the one more commonly known, at that. The one known best by the public has a cloud or mist at the bottom; this version instead has the woman for whom the painting his named holding a baby. A fan's interpretation, or...?
Ren doesn't interrupt her looking around or her order conversation with Sojiro. They are, at least, very good at that phone-twirling; it might be a risk, but they haven't dropped it once. Occasionally they tick a pen or pencil across their fingers too, and they've yet to flub that either. Granted, 'yet' does not mean 'never,' but they're clearly dexterous.
"Not yet," they reply. "I was thinking of going soon, though." But apparently the next week or two is a no-go. That makes sense. Ren nods. They're busy with finals too, so that's fine, honestly.
"Everything here is good," they offer of the menu. "You can't go wrong."
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
"Then I'll gladly try some of both. Today's specials, please," So-young replies as she leans an arm on the counter, clearly a little relieved as she sniggers to herself. "I was a little worried you might list off specific blends and expect a refined palate that knew the difference between a nutty aftertaste and a wine-like finish. I must admit, I'm one of those people who is annoyingly instinctive when it comes to liking something, rather than describing it in full detail."
"It's a lovely cafe, though!" she adds brightly. "Tokyo still manages to surprise me after all this time, the amount of places you can find if you just dive down a side alley. My usual haunt is Shibuya, but contrary to what everyone says, it is entirely possible to get tired of it from time to time." Her personality is slowly swelling to fill all available space around her - she's sitting with such confidence it's as if she owns the place, just the same as she did in the Cardboard Dragon.
Her praise is genuine - she hasn't looked back to the Sayuri yet, preferring to focus on what's right in front of her. So-young isn't really the sort to be polite when there's something that has captured her interest, so it really is her appreciating the cafe's atmosphere as well.
"It's a shame, certainly, but I'd rather not be the sort of conductor that screws up my orchestra's lives for the sake of a performance. You would not believe how mad some of them get at having to show a little courtesy," she smirks, but her eyes have narrowed - as if there's a challenge in front of her. With infinite poise she reaches into a pocket of the short jacket she's wearing and takes out what looks like a particularly fine pen, metal and clearly expensive--
--and begins twirling it between her fingers in turn, though perhaps with a little less innate dexterity and more dogged practice behind it. "... you know, you should consider picking up an instrument," she beams out of nowhere. "You'd do well with a piano or strings, I'm sure."
<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.
The Sayuri, is why Yusuke gets a discount on certain days when Sojiro has been left with his thoughts to long.
Sojiro nods his head, "One house special coming up. " Without another word he turns and pours a cup of coffee and sets it infront of So-young. For a moment he wonders if she will be able to taste the nutty flavor, that gives the coffee an almost chocolate flavor. He sets a small tray on the cabinet that has sugar available and from a small fridge Sojiro places a small pitcher of cream.
A moment later he is back in the kitchen putting rice and curry on a plate, making sure to not miss some of the apple chunks. Turning back he places it at So-young's seat with chopsticks.
"It's not much but it does the job. " Sojiro says to the compliment of his cafe. It does indeed do it's job. He glances over at Ren, and pictures the kid picking up drums for a moment. For a brief moment he has deja vu about a conversation with another child about drums. With a gruff noise he adds, "Just not drums."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
If So-young seemed extroverted back at the Cardboard Dragon, she's definitely filling up Leblanc with the sound of her voice and the force of her personality. It's not a bad thing, but it's good that Ren was ready for a break anyway. They watch as she chats up Sojiro, smiling slightly as she praises the place to him, and wait patiently for her to address them again.
"I bet," they say mildly. If she's got students in her orchestra, it would be unkind at best for her to insist they perform during finals week. Summer vacation is right around the corner, so they'll probably have more time then, assuming they're not going on vacation somewhere...
There's a certain glint in So-young's eye. Ren doesn't know what that's about until she pulls out a pen and starts twirling it too. They grin, catching their phone between their fingers and setting it down, then trading it out for (a significantly less expensive) pen and twirling that deftly between their fingers. They hadn't meant to issue any challenge, but if she's going to try to compete, they'll rise to the opportunity.
But perhaps this was a clever trap. She suggests they pick up an instrument. "You think so?" they utter, more startled than anything else. They consider this for a moment, then admit, "If I started playing anything, I'd want to give the saxophone a try." ...which is decidedly not a string instrument.
Somehow they could see Akechi on the piano, though... That or the violin. Or--comedy option--the trumpet.
Sojiro weighs in, which is to say: no drums. Ren chuckles. "Drums seem more like Ryuji's style, anyway." They shut their eyes briefly to breathe in the scent of curry. They had their own morning serving not too long ago, so they're not hungry, but it always smells amazing. They at least do taste the nuttiness in their own cup of coffee, of which they take another sip... They've gotten a more refined palate for coffee and curry since they started staying here. It's almost like they have both every day.
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
"Thank you," So-young smiles as she gravitates first towards the coffee, humming softly as she takes a sip. As promised, she doesn't seem the sort to pick out specific notes and really dig into them as if she were a wine connoisseur, but she is at least an appreciative customer capable of making a noise of appreciation. "Ah... I really have gotten too used to convenience store food," she laments after she chases the bitterness of the coffee with the curry. "That's the other problem with living in Tokyo, definitely, but at least I get to eat a lot of good food!"
She blinks at the bartender's grumbled comment, and then breaks into an easy laugh. "If it helps, drums are about the one thing I'm not all that qualified to recommend to anyone. I'm not above banging out a rhythm in the arcade, but I've never got the hang of it in person. My tastes tend run to the orchestral only," she adds as she takes out a business card to slide it across the counter towards Sojiro: So-young Park, Guest Conductor, Tokyo Philharmonic.
"Ooh, saxophone," So-young finishes her dance with the pen in her hands - or is it a pen? She doesn't hold it like one, rather she's gripping it as if it were a laser pointer. "I was purely thinking based on manual dexterity, but if there's an instrument you'd like to try, never let anyone dissuade you from it. Try not to let price tags dissuade you either," she immediately adds, "Though I will admit that's a much tougher problem."
"It would definitely suit the cafe though, don't you think? A bit of jazz flair would do wonders," she looks back to Sojiro with a beam, humming a snatch of something suitable under her breath. She's kind of instantly taking Ren's side on this because, well... in nicer words, she does consider it her duty, her calling, to try to tempt as many people to the side of music that she can. More realistically, any enjoyable mischief she can generate along the way is strictly a plus.
<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.
Sojiro blinks at Ren's comment as if the reasoning was absolutely perfect, "You are correct. Drums are absolutely a hoodlum instrument and no...worker of mine would be caught dead being a hoodlum. " Sojiro finishes as he realized who he was talking to mid sentence, though to be fair Ren is probably use to these oddities, right up there with going to fairs and other events to buy sweets for his customers. Didn't he hear something about a carnival or circus recently?
Sojiro looks at So-young for a moment with his infamous scowl that just hangs naturally on his face before he looks at the corner by the door. "Yeah maybe, a small instrument perhaps."
Sojiro can feel that it is two against one, sighing he concedes with his own advice. "I knew several people back in my day that used music to woo those they fancied." Sojiro adds before he turns to stir the curry.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren nods slightly at So-young's cheerful lament about Tokyo's convenience store food. They've definitely had that problem too. At least as a part-timer at the Triple Seven in Shibuya, they get an employee discount, which helps keep it affordable. Leblanc's curry and coffee are both delicious, but they already eat it for breakfast every morning; more than that would be even more of an unbalanced diet than they've already got going on.
"How's the food compare to Sumaru? They've got their own chain stores, right?" Ren wonders. They haven't been to Sumaru a lot, but they've been there enough to notice that much.
They don't argue with Sojiro about his implication that Ryuji's a hoodlum, or that drums are a hoodlum instrument. They have to silently agree on one point: they're not going to get caught being a hoodlum.
"How much do instruments run? I don't have that much petty cash," Ren wonders to So-young. They're not guaranteeing they're going to pick one up--a saxophone is not a small instrument, and the sound does carry way too well in here--and for all that she encourages them not to let the price tag dissuade them, depending on how big it is, they will definitely get dissuaded.
"A jazz flair would suit Leblanc," they agree, at least.
But Sojiro mentions something potentially interesting, about playing instruments to woo a partner. Ren already knows that Minako likes music, and so they sit up straighter to look over at him. "Oh yeah?" they say in a way that might prompt him to continue.
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
"There's nothing wrong with a little hoodlum in your music, though," So-young elegantly returns Sojiro's comment, wagging her spoon and taking his comments entirely in stride with another gremlin of a grin. "It's good to shake things up a little at times. Besides, don't tell me bossa nova wouldn't also be perfect." It can be rather hard to keep up with So-young's enthusiasm for music, as she hops from one topic to the next with abandon. Maybe not a teacher, given how little she often stops to explain things.
Ren's question does stall her enough to make her pause, and she spends the time appreciating another mouthful before she speaks. "To be honest, I don't really have a complete answer for you. So far, my time in Sumaru has been mostly spent at the shop we met at - the other person you met there is my sibling, and the first that either of us knew about any of it was a couple of months ago at best. We have been... learning to live with each other," she offers a theatrical sigh. "I could tell you about the places local to it, but Sumaru as a whole I have yet to map out in my head."
She has the presence of mind to grimace at the question of cost. "... you will definitely want to look at second-hand rather than new, or perhaps try renting one for a while," is her attempt to let Ren down gently, because she knows all too well how much instruments can run. "Fortunately, a good reed can usually help make up for a slightly beat-up instrument - with the downside that reeds are a thing you have to replace every year or so as well. If I had a couple of million yen lying around I would definitely establish a library to lend instruments out."
Sojiro's wistful memory makes So-young's smile widen until it almost cuts her face in two, and that's before Ren visibly perks up in response in an incredibly telling way. "Oh, yes, definitely. It's hard to go wrong there, isn't it?" she immediately goes with the flow of this. "A quiet atmosphere, low lights, just the two of you, some soulful music..."
A wailing sax solo is not what she would personally put in that mental image when compared to other instruments, but it's more fun to see where this goes.
<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.
Sojiro shrugs, "I can't say any my attempts with music ever worked out for me but yeah for the right people it definitely works out. " Sojiro sprays some water into a cup and works on cleaning it as he listens to the two.
The words of So-young painting the picture of romance has him turn though and pick up his cup of coffee and sips it. A deep breath taken, before he adds, "Well maybe if these exams go well. We can work out a bonus or loan or something to help you find something to do over the upcoming vacation."
Sojiro then looks at So-young, "You shouldn't let money stop you. There are always ways to make things happen if you want them hard enough." He sets his cup down and turns back to the dishes.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren smiles slightly into their coffee when So-young takes the side of hoodlum music. Maybe she'd be a bad teacher, but at least she has enthusiasm in spades. They nod when she admits she's not used to Sumaru enough to be able to compare its food to Tokyo's--that's too bad, but it's not a big deal, either.
But... so Myunghon is her sibling, huh? They did keep referring to each other by a Korean term they didn't know--that must be what it meant.
The grimace tells them everything they need to know. Even if they rented an instrument, it sounds like the upkeep would be a lot... That's disappointing.
Sojiro only shrugs. "Ah," Ren replies. Not much of a story there after all... Oh well. Ren's touched when he offers to work something out if exams go well. They smile, but shake their head. "Nah, it's okay. I'd rather listen to music than play it anyway--I'll save my money for stuff I really want."
Like buying model gun upgrades for The Phantoms. Those cost a pretty yen, let them tell you.
"Speaking of, I should get back to studying," they say, then drain their coffee cup and open their book again. "It was nice running into you again," they add to So-young. She's got her food to eat, and they've got these dates to memorize, and Sojiro has those cups to wash, so a little silence--or maybe the sound of the news on TV in the background--will do no harm.
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.
Sojiro looks over his shoulder at So-Young, "Ren, make sure to study extra hard." Still he does something he hasn't done before, he changes the channel to one of those music only channels that came with the cable package however he never used, until now. He leaves it on smooth jazz, sets the volume to low, and goes back about his duties. It would appear So-young has left her mark.