Late December catch-all!

[hoboagogo]

WHO: Shinjiro Aragaki, and others!
WHERE: Quite a few places!
WHEN: Mid to late December
WHAT: Just a quick catch-all log for the end of December!
WARNINGS: None foreseeable. Will update should that get changed.

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Decorating with the kid and the dog!

[hoboagogo]

[Sure, he doesn't exactly plan on being in De Chima over Christmas- but he's got the day free, and there's still a box shoved in a crawlspace full of random cheap decorations. The Hamadas will likely be in Heropa with Cass, he and Akihiko will be going out of town through Christmas and New Years…

But he needs an excuse to hang out with Ken and Koromaru before he leaves- and neither of them are particularly good at just sitting around and talking. As much progress as they've made over the year, it's still easier to have a distraction, or something else to focus on when it's just the two of them. Be it making dog treats for Koromaru or cutting Ken's hair, or making a lame attempt to justify the time spent by decorating the house that no one will be around to enjoy.

(Except maybe Jacob. Who knew, with that guy.)

But he's attempting to try and make more progress with Ken Amada and their burgeoning sort-of-friendship. It's so easy to stagnate and claim that it's good enough that Ken doesn't hate him, that they can talk and cooperate… but that won't exactly make progress, will it? And it wouldn't be fair to Ken, who had clearly put forth effort of his own.

So he pulls a length of scratchy, green-plastic garland from the box, nose wrinkling at the dust kicked up by it, and moves to offer it out to his younger teammate.]

I think we got this for the stair rail? I don't really remember...

[amadaman]

[Ken is sitting by the box, and he sneezes the moment too much dust falls from the garland and lands on his nose. He's already covered in glitter from the ornaments they fished out earlier, although he's used to that thanks to Mabel, and he wrinkles his nose to fight off another sneeze before reaching out to take the garland. If his expression then was uncannily similar to Shinji's there, none of their friends (that is to say, Minato) are around to point it out today. It's just them, the decorations, and Koromaru bumping into things in the other room with the stocking he got stuck on his head.

One glittery child looks at the garland then at his teammate and at the stairs.]

I think it's the best place to put it. Do you think it was taped up last time? I don't think using tacks would be safe.

[hoboagogo]

[Christmas just means glitter, he's learned. At least Shinjiro has managed to avoid getting as covered as Ken. It's mostly stuck to his hands and the sides of his jeans, where he'd kept wiping his hands there... and maybe some nested in his hair, from shoving it behind an ear...

Okay. So maybe he's got a bunch of glitter on him too.]

....I dunno. Probably? I can't remember if I helped or not. Let's tape it anyway.

[He'll step over the box and around the distressed Koromaru to grab a small plastic dispenser of tape from the coffee table, wedged between scraps of wrapping paper and bows..]

Some at the top and then to keep it in place at the bottom'll work, I think. You wanna wind it around? [There's a creaking noise as he pulls out a length of tape.]

[amadaman]

[They're a sparkly bunch and are going to be trailing glitter for days. Being shorter, Ken's had a bunch rain down onto him too, though he pays it no mind as he gathers up the garland in his arms and straightens to trail after Shinjiro.]

Well, I don't want to damage the wood. And it might actually be too tough to get a tack through. And yeah, I can get it.

[Like a normal person and climb the stairs, at least. Once the garland is taped down securely he'll start to hop up the steps, winding it around the rail.]

[hoboagogo]

Alright- I'll see what else is in here.

[It's a weird mix of things he can't remember owning- Maybe someone else had picked them up? Maybe it came with the house. Or maybe he just hadn't paid too much attention to it. Either way, he's digging up a huge wadded tangle of lights, green cord all braided and weaved in and amongst itself.]

We got some lights here, too. Coulda sworn there was a tree someplace...

[A glance up, as though to see how that garland is coming.] You guys went out and got a real tree, right?

[amadaman]

[At that, Ken grimaces, though there's an obvious, easy look behind the expression. As exasperated as he acts, he's completely warmed up to those housemates, and it shows in the way he laughs as he shakes his head.]

Mr Bull dragged Kaneda-san out at five in the morning to illegally cut down a tree in the forest and dragged it all the way home. It's as real as it gets.

There was a bigger box where we found all this stuff. Maybe it's in there?

[hoboagogo]

[There's an amused noise as he sits down on the floor, staring at the knotted and tangled cord in his hands- and he tries to tug it, to loosen it slightly, but the bulbs just catch on the wires.]

You didn't go with them?

[it's a bit of a tease- he's sure Ken disapproves of it juuust enough to not want to be involved. Also- 5 AM. Yeesh. Sure, he's halfway to Heropa for work by then, but he's not a twelve year old.]

And yeah, it probably is. We can get it after all this junk. [--Which will be a while, because he's having trouble figuring out where this strong of lights even begins.] I'm surprised all your cats ain't broken everything hanging on it.

[amadaman]

I was at Minato-san's place still so I only found out when they posted the video.

[Ken gets to his feet and walks over to where Shinjiro's wrestling with the lights. From his height he can see it right at eye level, and he reaches into the tangle -- his small fingers can fit into the smaller knots -- and starts tugging until he pulls out one end.]

Krem's really smart and works well with Koromaru.