2026-10-13: Pairs with Croissants
- Log: Pairs with Croissants
- Cast: Remi Ryuuja, Miho Ijuuin
- Where: Aoba - Main
- OOC Date: October 13, 2026
- IC Date: Thursday, January 24, 2013
- Summary: Miho comes over to Remi's apartment to check for bugs, and while she's there, the two decide to chat. Remi presents coffee, preserves, and coffee to go with the chatter.
(|=============================== Aoba - Main ================================|)
-=================================================== Sumaru City/Aoba Ward ====-
To Sumaru's east is Aoba Ward, where fashion and commerce abound. The city's
fire department headquarters is based here too. Ample shopping can be found at
the stores that dot Aoba Way. Past it, Aoba Park is a popular place to walk
around and relax, especially since there's an outdoor concert hall located
deeper within where one might catch a live concert.
Various programs are filmed at Sumaru TV, where famous stars like veteran
actress Junko Kurosu, talk show host Hidehiko "Brown" Uesugi, and popular model
Eriko "Elly" Kirishima might be spotted. Along the way, one will pass Kismet
Publishing, where popular publications like hot teen magazine Coolest are made.
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Remi has, by all accounts, a pretty nice apartment. It is nowhere near the luxury of Miho's penthouse, of course, but between her part-time work and, perhaps, some subsidizing from her friends, it's still nice. And when she's by herself (which is often), she tends to crank up the heat and shed some of the extra layers she needs to battle her body's faulty temperature regulation.
Today, is not one of those days. Today, she has a guest, so she's dressed head to toe and has the thermostat set to something more sane. Her expression is serious, arms crossed as she watches her friend Miho at work.
It's a rather fascinating thing to watch, at last for her. To see a side of her friend's expertise that doesn't rely on unsettling supernatural powers.
She'll follow Miho's lead on how to act during this sweep though, of course.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Any apartment in this building is at least Nice; Remi's has the benefit not only of being objectively a good apartment, but also Remi's good taste in decor. ...The heat necesary to keep her comfortable is something Miho doesn't complain about even when it isn't set to something more conventional for her benefit, though she is in shirtsleeves rather than wearing her jacket now--the jacket is over a chair, as Miho works to hunt through the aprtment for bugs.
Not insects; there are exterminators for those. Bugs, surveillance equipment. Miho has gone through shelves, scanned walls, looked in vents and grates...
But eventually she seems satisfied. "You are safe," she says to Remi then, turning around and dusting her hands as she looks to her friend. "We may speak freely."
Really, it's just 'be quiet' during the sweep. Now it's done!
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Remi got a hand in her home decorating skills from Yua, no doubt. Or at least, how to do home decor practically, and on a modest income. She doesn't have access to her family's mansion money anymore.
... or at least, she didn't, until the new year hit, though she still hasn't really asked. (It's fine, her parents have been hesitant to offer, too.)
Remi appreciates that Miho won't complain, though Remi prefers to at least keep up the facade of hospitality and normalcy when she can. She at least doesn't have on her extra outdoor layers.
Remi lets out a quiet exhale as Miho declares them safe. "My thanks, as always, Miho-chan." She gives her head a small shake. "What a thing to worry about... I am indebted to your skill and expertise, as always." She stands up from where she'd been leaning. "Can I get you anything to eat or drink, dear? I have some croissants I made yesterday."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho, of course, does have access to her family's mansion money. That's why she has the penthouse. ...But the family doesn't keep in mansion money by being extravagant without at least somet hought to cost.
(And Miho is glad enough to compromise on the temperature; she'd rather not have to strip down any further for comfort.)
Now, though...
"Of course," Miho says. "It is a consistent hazard of our 'advancement' among our mutual acquaintances..." Though at least Chizuru is unlikely to spy on them for compliance's sake, others certainly will look for advantage.
...Also, Miho's paranoid. The fact that ti's justified in her life now doesn't mean she isn't still paranoid.
"I would love one," Miho says. "A croissant and whatever you would pair."
Pause. "So how are you doing?" she asks. "Aside from bugs and conspiracies."
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
A little bit of frugality can go a long way... though this isn't a leson Remi appreciated in grat depth until last year.
"Ah, yes, our 'advancement.'" Remi sighs, shaking her head. "Another advantage of our benefactor's 'benevolence.'" She shakes her head.
Remi will leave aside the question of Miho's paranoia for now. She does her best to be observant (she can't stop being observant sometimes) to try and give Miho as little cause for false alarm as possible.
But she smiles as Miho accepts. "Splendid. And if you are leaving the choice to me..." Remi considers. "I do have a nice coffee blend I've been meaning to try. Would that suffice?"
She heads to her kitchen, where she has three potted succulents on the window sill of her kitchen window. She starts the coffee to brew, then goes about getting two plates ready along with a few different spreads. "I'm doing as well as ever, I suppose..." she says, as she works. "My work is... rewarding enough, in its way, though I've had no luck with auditions."
She pauses for a moment. "... relations with my family, however, remain... fraught."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"Right," Miho answers. The matter of their relationship with Chizuru Ishigami is... complex; there is certainly an element of seeming 'benevolence', or something like it--but that is not all. One does not advance in such a conspiracy on purely good vibes and positive feelings.
The choice. "It would," Miho says. "I have long enjoyed your coffee." Miho follows along so as to keep up the conversation, and looks to the succulents thoughtfully.
Hmm.
"A chance to perform must be pleasant," Miho sys, "Even if it isn't the roles you want."
"...Would you like to talk about that?" MIho invites. Her own familial relations, well--
They're great. She has a son! Yua's health is fraught, but their relationship is as strong as ever.
...But she could use something to discuss that isn't Yua's health, too.
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Remi will clarify the sarcasm for Miho later if she has to--but she is at least using a consistent tone of voice when she says it.
"That is kind of you to say, dear. I have a French import that..." She sighs. This brings up complicated feelings in her, and a feeling of longing. She considers France her home just as much as Japan, despite not having spent nearly as much time there growing up.
She shakes her head. "... it's very good. A gift, though, I do not mind sharing it."
She smiles at Miho. "... it is, it is," she reassures. "And a wonderful challenge, at that. Though... Well, it may sound childish, but there is very little chance for swordplay at the cafe."
Remi has, assuredly, been asking after Yua's health. But she could use a break from thinking about that, too, especially since there's nothing for her to do abou it, unless she wanted to threaten a doctr with a word.
... which would probably be very counterproductive.
"Mmm... I suppose." She puts the coirssants in the oven to warm them up, and then turns to look to Miho. ".... I scarcely know where to begin. In some ways it feels like no time at all has passed, and yet in others it feels like nothing is the same."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
It's cool. Miho totally got it.
A French import.... "Thank you then," Miho says. "It is all the more precious for that."
A good challenge--and... hmm. "Yes, I understand," Miho says. Swordplay is altogether different from the sorts of things they have to get up to for the Order. 'Play' being th operative word.
...Probably better not to threaten teh doctors.
"Mm," Miho says. "But time has passed," she says. "Clearly, since you have a younger brother, now."
"Have you discussed that much with them, yet? Or with him, for that matter?"
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Precious. Remi manages a small smile for Miho's sake. "It is, at that. And there are few I would share such a precious thing with."
... well, Yua would be one of them, but it's probably best for her to avoid excess caffeine for a while.
Indeed. Forced acting may have kept her acting skills sharp in the lab, but... no, the skills she employs in that work are rather different.
"... well, yes. And I am no longer the same person..." Remi sighs and brushes some hair back out of her face. "We have talked a little. But of course, what I am able to say is... very little. I have kept to the prepared cover story, of course."
A shake of her head. "Little Tamashi-kun is only two... the best I have been able to tell him is that I was away for a time, but that now I am back. Though he seems to accept me as his sister readily enough."
"But for my parents... I do not know what I am to them anymore. I am certainly not their heir, that much is certain. But I find I am not certian how to be their daughter, otherwise."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"I'm glad to be one of them." Despite everything.
Soon, they'll have Yua back. Miho intends to make sure of that. ...For now, though...
"None of us are the same person as we were, back then--you more than most, but the difference is in degree, not kind." She pauses. "...Which is to say, you should not isolate yourself even further as a result."
What she can say, what she can't say... "Of course," Miho says. "You do not want to get them involved in all this, if it can be helped..."
She nods. "The very young can be resilient in that way," MIho reflects. And vulnerable in others.
"And to ask is not the way of such families," Miho understands. "...It is difficult."
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
"Of course..." Isolating... it's rather easy for Remi to do that, sometimes. "Mmm." She holds out her hand, palm open, and then makes a fist. "The things they did to me... it is... difficult, to trust myself around other people sometimes."
She lets out a hollow lauigh. "I was talkinga bout dating with a friend the other day. How am I supposed to maintain a relationship?"
"Heavens, that is the last thing I wish for them." Her family and the NWO... no, perish the thought.
Asking. Remi sighs. "Yes. Which makes discussing things all the more difficult, non?" She's silent for a moment. "... he's the spitting image of my father. I should think he will have... a much easier time of things, when it comes time for him to run the company."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"Yes," Miho says. "...You worry what you might do. That you will lose control. I cannot alleviate this worry. ...But should it come to pass, I will help as best I can."
Dating? "Should you be alone forever, because of what they did?" Miho wonders. "It is difficult, but perhaps it is worth trying."
Perish the thought.
"I see... That sounds as if it works out very well for them. But if they had no place for you, they could have said so; the normal thing to do..."
She considers. "Ordinarily, in a situation like yours, if theyw anted to go around you they'd pay you off. ...The fact that they haven't suggests that they do not have a preconceived notion of what to do."
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
"... Yes. I worry quite a bit. I feel as if I am in a constant, precarious balance for control of myself..."
"... I suppose not," she admits. "... but in truth, I have not dated essentially since high school. I am out of practice for a start, and I do not..." She glances aside, crossing her arms. "... quite know how to go about things, as an adult."
It's kind of embarassing to have to admit that, but it doesn't make it any less true.
But the ordinary thing to do... "Yes, well. You are right about that. I have, at least, made it clear that I cannot be their heir apparent, and they seem to have accepted that." She's quiet for a moment. "... perhaps they are still in shock, and uncertain of what to do. After all, it's hardly as if I have disgraced the family, in some way."
She turns to take the two croissants out of the oven, plating them, and pouring the coffee. She sets a place for both herself and for Miho at the kitchen table, along with two different jam spreads.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"Indeed. ...But do not discount your efforts; you are winning that battle, more often than not."
Remi hasn't really had the opportunity, to Miho's mind--between abduction and recovery. But... "Hm. Well, dating men is easier than dating women," she says. "Men are more likely to expect romance from you--or at least sex--and thus if that's what you're after, it's easier to get. With women... I've never tried, absent Yua, but the trouble to me seems to be that 'dates' are a great deal like 'friendship' if you aren't also pursuing physicality. There is a difference... but it becomes harder to vocalize."
"So if you're interested enough in men, you could let one take the lead--or if you know where to find gay women..."
Miho is a solver, where she can be. She has advice!
But now, "I see. Then, there is a start. They have not tried to pay you to go away, and you both know where you stand as regards inheritance of position."
"...Yes. I think they are in shock. Thus... perhaps you have an opportunity to decide what you want to do. If they are waiting for you to act, and you are waiting for them to act... it will not change until one of you does."
Miho steps over to the plate and moves to take a seat. "Thank you, Remi-chan."
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Winning the battle. "Mmm... thank you, dear. That means a great deal for me to hear. But at the same time, fighting that battle is... tiring."
It's one of the reasons she finds it easier to retreat to her apartment with her wine and only her plants for company.
Remi definitely hasn't had the opportunity. She stares at Miho for a moment as she offers her advice. "... Well. If we are going to be frank about it then... yes." She lets out a quiet huff. "I do rather miss some... physicality, in my life." Implying she's had it before, which may or may not be a surprise to Miho.
Look, she was very discrete about her relationships in high school, but she knew what she wanted.
"... I may know someone I can ask, for the latter." Beat. "... perhaps of the first, as well."
"... I suppose it does not hurt that I have not come, hat in hand as it were, to ask them for money. I am... well, mostly self-sufficient--though I am, as ever, grateful for your assistance, Miho-chan."
aBut if they're both waiting... "You may have a point. But I do not know what I want. I had always been ready to go into business, to be introduced to an agreeable suitor, to go through my life as it had been laid out for me..."
She looks at the table. "... and yet, I am not that version of myself. A year ago I did not know how to... make a croissant, or preserves. I am even pursuing my acting, though if with difficulty."
"... Those two versions of myself seem incompatible.."
"But you are quite welcome, Miho-chan."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"Fair enough," Miho says. "...To know battle always is tiring."
Miho has her own, after all. But she notices Remi hiding away, and she does want to encourage her otherwise. At least, that's how she puts it. "We should be frank," Miho agrees. "It's important. If we do not have outlets for our emotions, then those emotions will surely overcome us." It might sound strange for Miho to discuss emotion... But she does have them.
A pause, though. "Hmm. It is at least easier than hiding around in school, as an adult." She doens't comment whether it's a surprise.
Buts he knows someone... "Good," Miho says. "I wish you luck." She stops short of offering to do background checks on potential dates, but it does occur to her.
"Hmm... yes, that helps, I think." A shake of her head. "You would do the same, were our situations reversed. You are welcome."
She doesn't know...
"For better and for worse, your life is yours to choose, now," Miho says. "...If not in all ways yet, then at least in this."
"For what it's worth," she says, "I like this version of you. I think she makes a good friend."
She accepts the cup of coffee, and lifts it as if in toast.
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
"... some days I find my emotions easier to access than others," Remi admits, quietly. "I had to force myself to stop feeling them, for a time, to cope."
"I suppose you are correct... I have less to justify, as well."
"Thank you for the luck, dear. I am still... considering what I might do, but your encouragement is warming me to the idea."
"Bien sûr, dear. Certainly."
Remi considers that for a moment. "... it is a choice I never thought I would have," she admits. "Little wonder, then, I do not know what to make of it."
But she smiles, a warm and genuine one, at the compliment. "Well, I am certainly glad of that. You are one of my most cherished friends as well, Miho-chan."
She lifts her coffee cup in return.