2026-08-19: Another Glass
- Log: Another Glass
- Cast: Hana Fukami, Shinobu Shimizu
- Where: Emisa Higa's Apartment, 28C in Shinjuku, Tokyo
- OOC Date: August 19, 2026
- IC Date: December 27, 2012
- Summary: On a delivery to one Emisa Higa's apartment, Shinobu Shimizu finds Hana Fukami! ...It could be an awkward situation, but another glass of wine is poured and some secrets are kept, instead.
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
One of the nice high-rises in Shinjuku is Shinobu's next delivery target, on floor 28, apartment 28C. It's for one Emisa Higa; the specific delivery is a box of something that probably isn't super important. The building is sleek and elegant, with a lot of glass, gold, and black to it. The apartment looks nice; there's the 'Higa' nameplate on it that confirms it's what Shinobu is looking for. But when she knocks at the door--
"I'll get it," Hana offers, and while her voice is muffled from within, Shinobu will spot--
Hana! In pink as she often is, relaxed. "Oh!"
She has a glass of wine and is not wearing shoes.
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Shinobu takes work where she can get it. Often, this includes making deliveries - things people want transported personally, rather than leaving it up to big shipping companies where packages might get lost in the shuffle. As far as the jobs she takes goes, she likes courier work. Travel can be exhausting, but it means she gets to see a lot of different places and meet a lot of different people.
Today, it takes her to a high-rise in Shinjuku. It's a nice, fancy-looking place... She always feels a little out of place in places like this, but it doesn't deter her. She arrives at 28C, and sure enough, the nameplate matches... Shinobu knocks - but the face that greets her is not one she expected to see, but not unwelcome.
She also notices that she's with wine and without shoes. She gets the feeling that she might have interrupted something.
"Oh, hey, Fukami-san." Shinobu greets. She has to remember to add the '-san', she tries to speak a little more politely on the job, as opposed to her usual casual, rough but relaxed tone. "How've you been?"
She lifts the package she's carrying demonstratively, then.
"I've got a delivery for Emisa Higa, is she in?" She asks.
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
Courier work has to be exciting! But today, it's a different kind of exciting--The exciting of seeing into people's lives. Hana blinks in surprise to see Shinobu, but we'd already seen taht--
"Shimizu-san!" she greets. Hana doesn't have to work at being polite; politeness is just in her normal register, even more than the average woman.
"I'm--great!" she says, and then the package is noted.
A red-haired woman appears in the doorway a moment later. "Na-chan," she starts, "Is it someone interesting?"
Emisa Higa is not holding a glass; she's short, though, a full head shorter than Hana, not even five feet tall. She is dressed casually, obviously at home here. And she brightens. "That's me!" she says. "Oh--"
Hana glances at Emisa, and glances at Shinobu a moment later. it's fair to assume something was interrupted...
But instead of hurrying Shinobu on her way, "Oh, you're Hana's friend?" Emisa says. "That's me--I'll sign for it. If you have time, you should join us for a few minutes!"
"I... want to explain," Hana says with a little laugh, "But it would be nice to see you. We have more wine, or juice if you're not drinking."
Either way, Emisa reaches out for the package or signature sheet or whatever Shinobu wants to hand her.
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
'Great', is it? ...Things definitely seem great.
"Good to hear." Shinobu offers with a nod. Her attention turns to the shorter, red-haired woman who arrives shortly after. She announces herself as the one she's here for, and Shinobu catches Hana's glance between them.
Definitely fair.
Hana's friend... They've only met the once, but they did get along pretty well.
"We ran into each other a little while back." Shinobu replies to Emisa with a nod. Emisa then offers an invitation to join them for a few minutes - and Hana says she wants to explain. Shinobu thinks about that for a moment. She is kind of curious - normally she wouldn't pry, but when they're the ones inviting her...
"Hm... you are my last delivery for the night." Shinobu reasons. It'd be another thing if she had more packages waiting... but as it is, this was the last bit of business she had to take care of. She nods, then. "So, sure, it'd be nice to talk. Just so long as I wouldn't be getting in the way. ...Wouldn't say no to some wine, either."
Emisa reaches for the package and Shinobu hands it over to her along with the signature sheet, to confirm the delivery.
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
Great.
"Yes, this is the woman I told you about the other day," Hana explains of Shinobu. Maybe 'friend' is premature, but who knows? It might apply soon. And she has been invited...
"Wonderful!" Emisa answers. "Not at all!" She assures Shinobu. "We were just relaxing."
Emisa signs, hands it back, and takes the package, while Hana steps back to allow Shinobu to come in. "You see..." Hana starts. But before she actually gets to it, she goes around to the cabinet to fetch another glass for the white wine they're drinking. It's as nice an apartment as the outside would lead one to believe, with a decent view of the city out through the window, a leather couch, and other nice things. The wine is on the coffee table. "Ah, sit wherever you're most comfortable," Hana invites first, as Emisa says, "be right back!"
She disappears into the other room to put away the package for now.
"...We're seeing one another," Hana explains to Shinobu. She may have also mentioned a boyfriend, but doesn't right now. Instead, "But it has to stay a secret. I'm sorry if that's a problem..."
Emisa comes back in with a smile. "It's as she says! Don't worry; if you were 'interrupting' I wouldn't have sent her to the door."
"Assuming that's not a problem," Hana says, pouring and handing Shinobu a glass, "How have you been? I know it's a little of an awkward sstart to a conversation."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
So Hana told Emisa about her - that makes sense. Emisa assures her that they were just relaxing, and Shinobu nods. She relaxes a little herself, at that.
"In that case, thanks for having me." Shinobu offers as she follows them both inside.
The inside is just as nice as the outside. This place really is fancy... she can appreciate the decor, at least - and the view is good, too.
She looks toward Hana as start to explain then heads to fetch a glass, and then to Emisa as she moves to put away the package. At Hana's invitation, Shinobu moves to settle in on the couch.
And then, Hana finishes her explanation - they're seeing each other. ...So her assumption wasn't off-base.
"Hey, congrats, then. I'm happy for you two." She offers with a smile, then shakes her head. "No, I get it. It's not a problem. I know how important it is to be careful."
Emisa returns and Shinobu looks back her way with a nod and a small laugh.
"Makes sense!" She replies, before looking back toward Hana. She accepts the glass with a nod of thanks.
She takes a sip of the wine first and foremost. It's better than the stuff she usually gets...
"Nah, don't worry. It's not that awkward - could've been a lot worse." Shinobu assures Hana with a shake of her head. "I've been fine, though. Work's been keeping me busy, but the holiday season pays pretty well, so... I can't complain."
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
"You're welcome!" Emisa remarks cheerfully.
Hana sits down next to Shinobu, where Emisa sits down in the plush chair nearby, as the hostess. Shinobu gets it immediately--
And Hana sighs in relief. "Thank you," she says. "Yes. In my position particularly... Well, I'm on 'thin ice' already," she says. "Seeing a woman--seeing multiple people--would potentially be a big problem for my current position."
Emisa says as she returns, "A bit for me, too--but not as much, since i'm not in the public eye tot he same degree."
The wine is really nice.
"Oh good," Hana answers, and Emisa laughs. "If you'd come in an hour, it might've been worse," she admits. "But it wasn't."
"So do you mostly do courier work?" Hana wonders. "It must be interesting to meet so many people."
"I'm a secretary myself," Emisa says, "So I love it when people do exactly what they say they'll do, when they say they'll do it."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Multiple people - now that part does surprise Shinobu, having not known about her boyfriend. It doesn't bother her, though. She nods as they both explain.
"Yeah, I get that. I guess that's the hard part of being a public face... Anything that comes out is going to get scrutinized." Shinobu comments. She considers for a moment, looking between the two them. They've both trusted her with this... so she can return the favor.
"...Even for me, I've gotta be careful about who knows." Shinobu comments.
Shinobu laughs again at Emisa's response.
"Good thing I didn't get caught up, then." She replies, taking another sip of her wine.
"I wouldn't say 'mostly', but it's easy to fit into my schedule since it's mostly 'on-demand', so I end up doing a lot of it." Shinobu explains, as Hana asks about her work. "Otherwise, I just take what I can get and where. ...But yeah, that's definitely one of the perks. You meet all kinds of people doing what I do, and I've learned a lot because of it. I'd say it's done a lot to get me where I am."
Emisa explains that she's a secretary, and Shinobu smirks at her comment.
"I can get that. I appreciate that, too." She agrees. "Makes things a lot easier."
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
Hana's anxiety is abating very quickly, and not just because she's already a full glass in. It's more because not only does Shinobu 'get it', but she's like them.
"Yes," Hana agrees. "It's... difficult. I'm not sure yet what to..."
She trails off, but Shinobu reveals herself too, and Emisa nods along. "You undersstand perfectly," she says. "My boss would look at me differently if he knew; it might be a problem. At least my parents do, but... they're not precisely as supportive as Hana's are."
Emisa laughs back to Shinobu. "Good thing!"
Hana sips her wine, continuing to sit in a fairly prim and proper way as opposed to Emisa's deeper relaxation. And hana says, "Ohh... yes, that makes sense. I did a 'little of everything' when I was doing office assistant jobs on sets, so I think I understand."
Learning a lot! Emisa smiles. "Always good to broaden the horizons."
A beat, "Haha, I thought so," Emisa continues.
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"...Yeah. Feels like there's no good answer, sometimes." Shinobu comments with a sympathetic nod, as Hana trails off. It's a difficult situation, as she says. Torn between her career and her relationships...
She looks toward Emisa, then, and winces sympathetically.
"Sorry to hear that." She offers. "Mine don't know yet... but I already know how they'd react. Less they know, the better."
Their reaction to Ayame convinced her that it wasn't safe for them to know. It's good to know that Hana's, at least, seem to be better about it.
Shinobu takes another sip of her wine, nodding toward Hana.
"Yeah, probably not that much different - I just got a whole wider area to handle, is all." Shinobu replies. Emisa gets a nod, too. "Yeah. I've picked up all kinds of skills from the people I've met, too. You'd be surprised what comes in handy."
She smirks at Emisa's reply - it looks like they're on the same wavelength, there.
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
"Mm," Hana agrees. "Well, I won't figure it out while I'm drinking," she says, and puts on a laugh she wants to feel. But Emisa says, "They're not the worst about it, but they do hope I'll 'grow out of it' and find a nice man." She shrugs. But Shinobu's.... "Mm. Then here's to not giving them more than they need to know." She raises her glass.
Ayame would agree with Shinobu... if she were less clueless about that aspect of her sister's life, anyway.
"You must be very good at a lot of things!" Hana says brightly. "That's good. I bet I would be surprised!"
Emisa adds, "It must be an exciting life. I get most of mine outside of work, myself. Though you might not believe how satisfying it is to get a proper organization going--the spreadsheets can really sing."
Hana looks back to Emisa in obvious affection. "I've almost always been interested in acting, myself."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Hana laughs, and Shinobu laughs, too. She can tell it's put on - but sometimes it's worse if no one plays along.
She looks toward Emisa, then, and makes a face. That sentiment from her parents doesn't surprise her... but at least it seems like they aren't as bad as they could be. She often finds herself on the other end of that assumption. Sometimes, it feels like that's just how people define them...
"Here's hoping they come around eventually." She offers. And when Emisa raises her glass, Shinobu raises her own in agreement. "I'll drink to that."
She does, in fact, drink to it.
"I'd like to think I am, anyway." Shinobu agrees. Exciting...
"It can be. ...Sometimes too exciting - but that's how it goes." Shinobu confirms. ...Even if most of her excitement comes from other things - but she can hardly talk about what else she gets up to. She laughs.
"Hey, I believe. A job well done is a job well done." She replies. She glances between Hana and Emisa. She catches that look - it's sweet.
Hana mentions her interest in acting, then.
"I remember you bringing that up..." Shinobu comments thoughtfully. "I bet you'd do great. Here's hoping you can get another role sometime."
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
It's kind, to play along. Emisa gives Shinobu a grateful look.
But she also says, "Hopefully. I do have some ideas," she shares, "But we'll see if any of them pan out. ...And it's not like we don't have a man, it's just, he's mostly Hana's. I'm not going to marry him, certainly."
But Shinobu does seem exciting! Hana and Emisa both think so. But too exciting... "Oh, does it get dangerous sometimes?" Hana wonders. "I suppose that's why I'd have trouble. I'm really not... a fighter, at all."
Emisa pats Hana's hand.
A job well done...
But Hana smiles. "Thank you," Hana says. "I enjoy my show, but tht's where my passion is."
Emisa adds, "And she's really good at it, too."
A look to Shinobu, "Still, there's a bit left in the bottle, and a bit before I need to take this one off to bed. Another glass?"
It's an offer! There's still a lot they could talk about.
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Some ideas... Shinobu nods.
"Here's hoping, yeah?" She offers, and nods again in understanding. "I get that. Even if it's just for appearances... that kinda thing can cause a lot of strain."
Hana asks if her work gets dangerous.
"Sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I keep out of shady stuff... Just, I do a lot of physical stuff, which means sometimes you gotta think on your feet quick to keep people from getting hurt." She explains, and offers her a reassuring smile. "Hey, nothing wrong with that. The world takes all kinds."
She nods back as Hana thanks her.
"It's good to know what you're passionate about." She comments.
...She's still trying to figure that out for herself.
Another glass is offered, and Shinobu considers hers. She probably should get going...
...but then again, that wine is awfully tempting.
"...Hey, why not?" Shinobu replies with a shrug. "Hit me."
There is, indeed, a lot left to talk about.