2026-09-08: Pets, Apartments, and Parents
- Log: Pets, Apartments, and Parents
- Cast: Ren Amamiya, Hyousuke Suzuki
- Where: Leblanc Cafe
- OOC Date: 2026-09-08
- IC Date: Sun Jan 06 2013
- Summary: Finally following up on Ren's invitation, Hyousuke pays a visit to Leblanc. The two find they've more in common than an appreciation for warm drinks and hot meals.
(|======================== Back Alleys - Leblanc Cafe ========================|)
-======================================================= Tokyo/Yongen-Jaya ====-
Tucked into one of the alleyways of Yongen-Jaya is a yellow shop with a
red-painted awning and doorway, and several pot plants flourishing in a nook --
coffee&curry Leblanc, according to the lettering above the entry. Prices for the
cafe are hand-written on a chalkboard propped up on a wooden chair, while a
green welcome mat labelled 'Leblanc' calls visitors in.
Cafe Leblanc is a cosy, intimate dining affair, with three tables for groups and
several high chairs at the front counter to let visitors enjoy coffee or curry
whilst chatting with its proprietor, the stern yet deeply kind Sojiro Sakura. A
yellow pay-phone lets visitors call for anyone they might need, while several
blends of coffee are featured on the walls behind the counter, alongside a
kitchen tucked away from visitors. There's a sink and a TV on one side of the
room, near the toilet and stairs; on the other side of the room, by the
entryway, a lavish potplant and pendulum clock are further decorated by a
beautiful piece of fine Japanese art -- the woman's portrait, 'Sayuri'.
(|============================================================================|)
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke was sure that, by now, most of his peers were sitting down for some kind of exam or other. He, on the other hand, found himself everywhere but at one. Pudding had been walked earlier that morning, and with the dog worn out and more inclined to laze around than demand another play session - until it'd finished its nap, at least - Hyousuke found himself wandering around with his own thoughts, hoping to kill time until he felt inclined to go back. Hirasaka was his first choice, but as he surveyed the menu of a nearby cafe and felt a distinct hole begin to form in his stomach, he remembered an invitation that'd been extended to him some months ago.
Leblanc was a little difficult to find at first, though that could have been chalked up to Hyousuke's unfamiliarity with the area, rather than any sort of obscurity on the establishment's part. Keen-eyed observers might have noticed him bumbling aimlessly around Yongen-Jaya for no small amount of time before eventually finding the door, partly because of a need to clear his head and get some fresh air, and partly because his ability to pick his way through unfamiliar territory left a lot to be desired. He ended up where he wanted to go eventually, however, and stepped lightly into Leblanc.
"Hello? Anyone home?" Hyousuke said, gently closing the door behind him as he made his way through. The door had been unlocked, and it was roundabout lunchtime, so he assumed the place was open. But it never hurt to be sure. He glanced around the place, noting it was a touch less rough than some of the places he frequented near Kasugayama, and immediately felt a little underdressed in his plain t-shirt and 'well-loved' jeans.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Winter break is almost over. A lot has happened over vacation, both good and bad. Ren sent texts to their third-year friends--and boyfriend--wishing them luck on the college entrance exams, and has otherwise had a quiet day in. Though, by 'a quiet day in,' that really means they've been minding the cafe while Sojiro's out handling some business. The curry is on the stove, and they've gotten quite good at making coffee, so both of them are confident they'll do just fine.
They're washing dishes when Hyousuke comes in, having just said good-bye to a couple of regulars who'd also come by for a curry lunch. Thanks to that, it's pretty empty at the moment--no wonder that Hyousuke asks if anyone's home at first.
"Be right with you," they call over their shoulder as they hear the door open and the bell jangle. They finish up what they've got, rinse their hands and flick off the water, then turn around as they dry them.
"Welcome," they say mildly, wearing their usual glasses and a Leblanc apron over a V-neck white shirt and jeans. They recognize Hyousuke, and though it was some time ago, they remember that they'd encouraged him to come by at some point. "What'll it be, Suzuki-san?"
In case he needs it, they tilt their head upwards, towards the menu hanging over the cafe counter. It's mostly about different types of coffee, but there's also the curry, as Ren had mentioned before. Today there's plain and chicken curry.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
As Ren recognised him, so too did Hyousukre recognise them. It didn't manifest as much - nothing more than his brow shifting a fraction of an inch upon seeing them - but anyone sharp-eyed enough would have been able to catch the shift in his expression for the fleeting moment it was there.
"Take your time, I'm not going anywhere yet." He said, letting a gentle and joking tone thread through his words to try and keep the mood light. All the while, he ambled leisurely over to a seat at the counter, and began to mull over the menu the moment he sat down.
There was a brief lull in the conversation as Hyousuke surveyed his options, interrupted only by brief and quiet mumbles about the various options on offer. His eyes travelled slowly down, though he appeared to stop paying much attention at about the halfway mark. Before he'd reached the end, Hyousuke decided he'd made his mind up, and turned back to Ren with a polite, gentle, smile hanging on his lips.
"Chicken curry looks good. Mind if I get that with a mocha?" He didn't just know tea. He knew *more* about tea, but even he'd needed to stop by an as-yet-unnamed coffee chain for a dose of caffeine now and again.
Another brief pause on his end passed, and Hyousuke spent it dragging his gaze slowly across Leblanc's interior, soaking in the atmosphere while he had the time for it.
"Nice place you got here." He said, not quite looking at Ren, but very much talking to them. His attention seemed to be on the array of equipment and kitchenware stocked behind the counter, though even that didn't hold him for long before he drifted back to facing Ren directly. "I would've come sooner, but a lot's been happening. Been hard to find the time, you know?"
He couldn't tell Ren *quite* what, however. After all, Ren Amamiya was a perfectly ordinary student who was most certainly not supernaturally-inclined.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren does recognize that brief recognition in Hyousuke's eyes, though it hardly surprises them. The only reason he'd come to a restaurant this far afield from where he lives is if he were coming based on their recommendation. They had said they part-time here, but he could have forgotten that much, though.
They nod amiably and wait as Hyousuke seats himself and looks over the menu. During that time, they move on to drying the dishes and putting them away. By the time they finish, Hyousuke's ready to put in his order.
"Not at all. Coming right up," they reply. First, the mocha; it starts with brewing the house blend, then adding in chocolate, sugar, and milk. Ren serves that up in a cup and saucer with quiet grace, then takes a moment to head into the kitchen and come back with a plate of rice and chicken curry. "Here you go. Take your time."
Hyousuke comments on the place and then how long it'd been. "Thanks," Ren says simply to the first, and to the second, "It's like that sometimes. Vacation's a good time to catch up on things you've been meaning to do." Like, in their case, playing Drake Adventure. Not a lot of time for video games otherwise. Fortunately, as an early video game, it didn't take them long to get through.
It does strike them, though, that Hyousuke's here and not taking entrance exams. They're not sure, but they think he's a third-year like Ichika and Tsubasa. Rather than ask about that directly, though, they wonder, "You graduating soon? If you don't mind my asking."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke was quick to take the cup, but slow to take the first sip. Initially, it was hesitance, born of an aversion to searing his tongue before he'd even had a chance to taste the coffee. The next was a simple desire to savour it. He blinked slowly, letting himself focus on the taste of the drink rather than anything around him. For a moment, Leblanc did not exist, save for the faint notes of curry and coffee that lingered in the air. There was no conversation with a friend of a friend, no pressures from the outside world - just him and a warm, sweet, drink.
He set the coffee down as slowly as he'd raised it to his lips, and allowed it to rest with quiet *clink* before looking back up to Ren. He didn't say anything about it - not immediately - but the polite smile he'd worn had begun to shift into something wider and more satisfied.
"You're fine. Yeah, I'm graduating soon - not gonna be in college though, if that's what you're asking." Dense as he was, Hyousuke wasn't a complete idiot. Even someone like him, whose skull was ostensibly as thick as a dam, could read between the lines once in a while.
Hyousuke took another sip, more out of a need to fill time and think of how to follow that up than anything else, before deciding that perhaps he could preemptively try and assuage any misgivings about his choices. A few people had already expressed concern, after all, and he didn't want to add to the tally.
"Figured I'd just be wasting my time since my exam scores weren't great. Not bad, just... not the kinda stuff you get into university with. Figured I'd focus on getting some work, finding a place to live, that kinda deal."
A bite of the curry came next, and he treated it in much the same way as he did the coffee. A small bite at first, testing the waters to see if it was cool enough to dig into properly. A larger spoonful followed, and he treated it with all due reverence, taking the time to assess the flavours rather than simply shovel it down his gullet.
"Man, that's good." Hyousuke remarked, once his mouth was clear. "Really hits the spot when it's this cold out too. I should've come here earlier!" He chuckled a little, then turned the conversation back around to Ren. "So what about you? What're you doing this year? Got any plans about what you're doing after?"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
It's always nice to see someone enjoy a cup Ren brewed for them. They watch him savor it, hands in their apron pockets, with a slight smile. The silence while Hyousuke has his moment is thus cozy and comfortable, and when Hyousuke's smile seems more sincere after his first couple of sips, Ren shares in that satisfaction.
Hyousuke understands what Ren was getting at, and they simply nod. Nothing wrong with not going to college. Ren had always assumed that's where they were headed after high school, but now they're not so sure... Though apparently unlike Hyousuke, it's due to other circumstances rather than their grades.
So once again they simply nod. They do note how he says he'd be 'wasting his time' rather than he's 'not interested,' which has its own implications, but Ren's willing to leave that alone for the moment. "Cool. Good luck."
Hyousuke digs in, and Ren takes a moment to pull out a crossword puzzle from under the counter and work on it with a pencil stub. This isn't the one that Goro partially filled out ages ago--that one has a special spot in their room upstairs--but that doesn't stop them from mulling over the clues and filling in possible solutions while there's nothing to do.
"It really does," they remark. Curry was already a favorite food of theirs, and thanks to how good Leblanc's is, they can get away with eating it every day and never getting tired of it. Lucky for them.
Less lucky is the question Hyousuke asks back--very logical, especially in response. "I've still got a year to go before I graduate," they reply, which does not in any way answer what their post-high school plans are, considering they don't actually know. They don't even know where they're going to be for their third year. They were only supposed to live in Tokyo for one year...
But once again, that's not something they're going to go into with someone they barely know, even if he's a trusted friend of trusted friends.
"I'll probably keep part-timing for now," they conclude. It's true enough, and maybe it might help Hyousuke feel better about his own situation.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke sipped thoughtfully on the coffee as Ren spoke, taking the time to digest the answer he was given as much as he did the coffee that followed soon after. Small mouthfuls of both were the order of the day - he was willing to risk either going cool, rather than simply downing both and never getting a chance to appreciate the work that had gone into them. Ren mentioned that it was still a while until they'd graduate, but Hyousuke said nothing, simply looking forward expectantly. He waited for something a little more concrete - a dream, an ambition, even a vague idea - but settled for the answer of part-timing for the time being.
Even so, the expectant look lingers for a few seconds longer, as if he expected a followup, before falling back down to the curry. He'd hardly made much of a dent in it, but appeared to be enjoying it all the same, picking at it with a slow but consistent rhythm.
"Word of advice if you get work somewhere you gotta move to." Hyousuke eventually said. He glanced around quickly, as if looking for something - or someone - before glancing back to Ren. "Start looking for a pet-friendly apartment early. Getting into one of them's supposed be bad enough when you can sign the paperwork yourself. Finding somewhere when you've got no full-time work and you're still relying on someone else to sign for you... It's a pain in the ass."
The small laugh that followed was wry, and carried a bitter note, but it was a laugh nonetheless.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren's had dreams and ambitions, even still has some, but the ones they have now are ones they can't share to those outside The Phantoms, and the ones they had in the past... are no longer relevant. They see that expectant look of Hyousuke's, and they pretend not to.
However, when he offers his advice, they look up at him, eyebrows rising to express interest along with the attention. That look turns blank, then slightly troubled when he gives it. "That's... something I'll have to keep in mind. Thanks."
Ren had never actually considered that before, considering Morgana isn't a pet. That's absolutely something they'd have to keep in mind if they ever do get an apartment here in Tokyo. They're less worried about having to find somewhere else to live now at least, now that Sojiro has warmed up to them pretty fully after they helped Futaba leave her room, but you never know when an emergency might happen--and they still don't know what's happening to them after this year.
"You have a pet?" they wonder. They hadn't heard about that, but they also don't know much about Hyousuke beyond their last meeting and what they've seen of him when he shows up in a fight. It's a pretty big gap, but Ren's used to that. Isn't there a huge gap between how they present now and how they present as Joker, too?
Though there's something else that's even bigger there, considering that bitter laugh. "...You got someone to sign for you?" God knows it's been hard enough for Tsubasa, and might well get much worse now. Ren would hate having to find a new place to live if they had to beg their parents to sign for them.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke, of course, had no idea that Morgana was not a pet. He'd seen Mona, of course, and he'd seen the cat. But connecting the two was another matter entirely. To him, Ren was just another student with a feline friend.
"Pudding. He's a dog I adopted just before Christmas." Bitterness became barely-restrained enthusiasm when he began to speak of his pet, and while he managed to hold himself back from outright gushing about Pudding, he couldn't stop himself from showing a picture of it on his phone. Small, golden-furred, and with a face that was unusually angular for a dog that looked - in some regards - like a cross with a larger labrador or retriever, Pudding looked every bit as sweet as its namesake.
Whatever wind was in his sails was knocked right out again when it came to talking about who was signing for the apartment itself. Hyousuke scraped at the curry again, but none of it was lifted to his mouth. It was more him fidgeting than making any attempt to eat, and he pondered carefully how best to put across the situation he'd found himself in. Even if he weren't inclined to keep his own counsel, Ren was a virtual stranger. Even Hyousuke knew it to be rude to simply dump all manner of personal baggage on someone like that.
"Yeah." He began, then frowned, and started again. "No. Kind of. It's... complicated." He took another drag of the coffee. Another short delay to organise his thoughts, though by that point, he got the inkling that it was getting a little obvious. "Me and my parents, we... don't speak." Not 'don't speak a lot' or 'don't talk much.' It was a very deliberate choice on his part to say they did not speak at all. "My brother says he's willing to help, and all I gotta do is call, but we don't speak either. Not because he's an asshole, it's just that..."
He pulled a face, shrugged a little, and breathed softly out. "...It's complicated.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"Cute name," Ren comments on Pudding. They lean over the counter to look at the offered picture, and add, "Cute dog, too."
It's nice to see Hyousuke brighten up when talking about his new dog. It's less nice to see him deflate when the topic turns back to the matter of his would-be apartment. They watch him without returning their crossword when he struggles to answer, and continues to listen quietly when he finally starts to work his way through.
He and his parents 'don't speak.' Yeah, Ren recognizes that one. They glance away slightly, hand lifting to mess with a lock of their bangs, as he goes on. "...I don't have siblings myself, so I don't fully get it, but if he offered... seems like it's a better option, at least."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Ren wasn't the only one to spot something in the other's mannerisms. That quick glance away didn't tell Hyousuke the whole situation, but it told him enough. That hand reaching up to fiddle with their hair only served to reinforce what he thought he perceived, and he set the coffee down on its saucer to commit fully to talking. Hyousuke spoke a little softer and a little more quietly - still enough to be heard clearly over whatever noise filtered in from outside, but the shift was noticeable to all but the most oblivious.
"Yeah. I think he means it, and I'm gonna talk to him for Pudding's sake, I just... need to work up to it." Hyousuke fell silent again, and willed himself not to follow it up with any questions about Ren's personal life. He knew well that they might not be willing to share, even if he sensed they were kindred spirits. It was all in vain, however, as his tongue moved faster than his mind, and he looked to Ren with a somewhat rueful expression. "You got problems with yours too?"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren nods once when Hyousuke admits he does believe his brother, it's just a matter of working up the nerve to reach out. They can understand that too. Hopefully it'll work out better for him than it did for them. "Good luck."
Silence follows. It seems to Ren like the conversation is probably over; Hyousuke still seems fidgety, so they still keep an eye on him, but they start to return to their crossword puzzle. They haven't even put pencil to paper yet when he blurts out that question, though.
"My parents?" Ren says, raising their eyebrows at him; they already said they don't have any siblings, after all. Those eyebrows soon sink. "I guess. We don't talk either. It's not a big deal, though. They do their thing and I do mine."
It's hard to care about people you know (believe) don't care about you. Not the real you, anyway. If they're all disappointments to each other, better to not think about it. It's... just harder right now, considering they don't know what's happening to them after the end of this school year. Maybe they should ask Sojiro to talk to them for him. They're sure they'd take him more seriously anyway. On the other hand, they're not sure they like leaning on someone else to do something they know they should do themself... They scratch their head with that pencil stub. Who to ask for advice on the matter?
...Well, there's someone going through something similar himself right now, isn't there? "If you didn't have your brother to help you out, what would you do instead? Try to talk to your parents anyway? Try to get someone to talk to them for you? Or something else?" they wonder.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Though he displayed no outward reaction, Hyousuke couldn't help but feel a little perplexed at Ren's stance on things. Though he could not gauge what exactly the nature of their relationship with their parents was, he felt confident in saying it wasn't a good one. Why, then, did apathy - or what appeared to be it - colour their reactions? It was then that images of a rooftop, and the sound of a familiar counsellor's voice, both flashed into his mind, and the notion twisted into something different. The question was turned on him, and he wondered just why there was so much anger in his.
He dismissed the thought. They had given him every right to be furious. They had failed in all but the most basic, legal, requirements of their duties despite his efforts, and even that was debatable. It did not bear thinking about - certainly not now. Not when there was a conversation to resume, at least. Once more, Hyousuke found himself thrown for a loop, but it was for a different reason entirely. His lips tightened, and he stared off in a different direction, pondering what indeed he would do if he had nobody to turn to but himself.
"...Hard to say. If my brother didn't stick his neck out for me, I wouldn't even be here." It was a little cryptic of a response, but given how close Ren had come to being met with the full force of the law, they might have been able to figure it out. He sighed, scratched the back of his head with one hand, and leaned forward onto the counter with the other. "Maybe I'm just proud or stubborn or whatever the counsellor'd call it, but I sure as hell wouldn't go back to 'em. I don't want those assholes feeling like I owe them any favours. Courts couldn't care less about helping you either."
As much as he hated to tell Ren that he didn't know, or that someone in that position was up the proverbial, it looked more and more like that was the only response he could give with any degree of confidence. However, stubborn and prideful to the end, Hyousuke refused to give in, and offered something he hoped was at least a little less dismal a response.
"Could try and make it seem like it'd be a bigger problem for them if they didn't sign it. Tell 'em they can sign the papers and let me pay for everything so we can go back to not talking. Or, I dunno... find someone to crash with. A friend or something. Probably wouldn't be easy, but at least you'd have a place."
Not that he'd had either as an option, but they were the first things he thought of that at least seemed feasible.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
When Ren asks that question, something about Hyousuke's vibe... changes. Unlike the friendly aura he'd had a moment ago, now he feels a lot angrier. Maybe this is closer to his true self, given what he's like when he's fighting with his Persona. Then again, sometimes certain things just set off your anger.
"...I see. That's rough." Ren does get a pretty good picture of the situation based on that limited description. It's a good thing for Hyousuke he has a brother he can rely on in any capacity, then. Ren has a lot of people they can rely on now, but when they first came to Tokyo, it really did feel like they had nothing and no one to turn to--that they were barely tolerated by those who were supposed to take care of them.
The answer doesn't help all that much for them, though. They appreciate Hyousuke's honesty, but trying to blackmail their parents would turn out terribly, and they've already looked into crashing with friends in the past. Thinking on that, though, does remind them of Maruki's offer to put them up... They raise their gaze to the ceiling, considering this. It was a kind offer, and one that Ren isn't dismissing out of hand, but how helpful would it actually be to them if they had to move somewhere based on the location of a future job? No, it's good to have a better idea of what to do if they had to find a place all on their own.
So they look back at him. "How much does it cost to live on your own?" Hyousuke might not know yet since he's clearly still in the process of finding an apartment, but he's also clearly been doing research, so it's worth asking as long as he's here.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
It was a difficult question to answer - that much was writ clear on his face. He kept the stance he'd had when giving his previous answer to Ren, and though his voice wasn't any more settled than before, it was at least hesitant instead of just outright resigned.
"You're not gonna like this, but that's hard to say too. Doesn't look like the average place is gonna cost much if you're just renting for yourself, especially if you get it one of the cheaper areas. Could probably pull off renting on a part-time budget if the job's good enough."
He let out a breath that fell somewhere between a sigh and a grunt, manifesting his frustration as that noise so that it didn't linger in his speech.
"Problem is that I'm not on my own. And I'm guessing you won't be either." He said, assuming Morgana was Ren's, and not Leblanc's. "I've been looking around for somewhere I can actually afford with my work, but a pet jacks up the price, and everyone does it differently. Probably wouldn't be as bad if I was working full-time or something, but all I've got's some part-time stuff and whatever gigs I can get between shifts."
What he neglected to mention that his side gigs were mainly selling off Mementos goodies, raiding treasure chests out in the Dark Hour, and shaking down whatever Demons were unfortunate enough to cross his path. He couldn't say that to Ren, however, so continued on with more mundane talk.
"'Course, you get what you pay for. Part-timing'll get you an apartment, but it's basically just four walls and a sink. I'm gonna have to start figuring out what to do for a real job if I'm gonna move me and Pudding somewhere nice."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Though Morgana is a friend and not a pet, that's going to be what any landlord assumes, even if there is somehow a Persona-using landlord out there. (There's at least one Persona User cop, so why not?) Hyousuke's assumption is thus not out of place. If it came down to it, Ren could probably let Morgana stay with someone else--maybe Haru, maybe Sojiro and Futaba--but... they've been together for so long, it just feels natural. Obviously they don't hang out every single second of every single day, and Morgana is savvy enough to work the train to get where he needs to get to if they have to part ways out in the city, but it hurts Ren's heart to think of the two of them just not living together anymore.
So when Hyousuke explains that it'd only be affordable if they were on their own and otherwise it's much more expensive and all over the place, Ren's mouth pulls to one side in a brief half-grimace. At least it sounds like doing it that way would be more or less what they've been doing up until now, but they can immediately see the ways it'd be worse: they wouldn't get a guaranteed meal a day, and who knows how close the nearest bathhouse and laundromat would be? They rub the back of their neck as they consider this.
"Thanks for being straight with me. That sounds really tough," they murmur. They'll have to continue to save their money, they guess.
Of course, they also earn a lot of money in Mementos and Palaces and so on--but that money is the team's money. That's for equipping everyone, getting medicine and other medical supplies, and so on. Dr. Takemi gives them a pretty good discount on her stuff, which is a huge help, but if they had to move away, she wouldn't be right around the corner anymore either. Things might get harder for The Phantoms too if they couldn't stay at Leblanc anymore.
...to say nothing if their parents tell them they have to return to Inaba.
"If you find any full-time jobs, let me know. I only got part-time stuff," they add. Thinking on it, Umie has a tiny-as-hell apartment in Shibuya based on a part-timer's income... Then again, they're not sure she's got the option to have pets. Maybe they'll try asking her about apartment-hunting too. It might not be an immediate concern, but from what Hyousuke's told them, it's smart to be prepared.
"'Til then--how about you tell me more about Pudding?" they suggest, as much out of a genuine desire to see more of that pup as to change to subject to something less of a downer and see Hyousuke happier too.
Once that happens, he can better enjoy his lunch, too.
...And at the bottom of the stairs, a furry ear twitches, just before Morgana silently pads back up to the attic.