With your baby's breath, breathe symphonies

[resoundingpledge]

WHO: Residents of Nonah #005, adopted members of Nonah #005, stray birds, stray cats, stray dogs, visitors to Nonah #005, neighbours of Nonah #005, people passing Nonah #005 on the street . . .
WHERE: Nonah #005
WHEN: Feb. 3
WHAT: Setsubun! Bean throwing!! Family dinner!!!
WARNINGS: Teenagers

[Demons outside!
Good fortune inside!

. . . or maybe just an excuse for not-at-all homesick teenagers to throw sweet-crunchy roasted soybeans around the rooms of the house (presumably to invite good fortune in and not just to make a mess), or at anyone who wants to play the part of a demon and be chased out. There's a few bowls of soybeans and paper oni masks around for those who want to join in on the fun.

Unfortunately, due to the absolutely deplorable state of the local supermarket, there's a decided lack of thick, unsliced sushi rolls. They tried, they really did. But as it turns out, defeat might not be a bad thing: instead of sushi, a large electric skillet and two platters dominate the dinner table. One is stacked high with sliced nappa cabbage, mushrooms, onion and cubes of firm tofu; the other has thin strips of beef, ready for the pan.

The first sizzle of cooking meat might just be enough to call out anyone still lingering away from the fun, but if not, at least two helpful birds will poke heads around doors. After that, it's an every-person-for-themselves battle of can you get that piece of meat just as it's finished cooking? Or will that mushroom be stolen just as the sweet soy sauce broth marinates it to perfection?

That's the fun of sukiyaki though, it's the best of family and celebratory meals. And there's been a lot worth celebrating.

Demons out. Good fortune in.]

Comments

Ken;

[rassera]

[Kaneda sees Ken standing there, and decides...not to throw beans at him. Yeah, even the adrenaline junkie asshole knows you probably shouldn't throw stones in glass houses when the glass house can summon a demon Pokemon out of his head.

So instead, he walks up, hands outstretched and 'feeling' the air, eyes jittering around aimlessly.]

KEN!!! KEN!!!!

I can't find you! THERE'S TOO MANY SMALL BEANS IN THIS HOUSE! YOU BLEND RIGHT IN!

[His hands eventually land on Ken's head and shoulders, 'feeling' around until he's 'positive' it's him.]

Phew. Close one--almost lost you in that mess.

HOLY SHIT the joke i'd been thinking of

[amadaman]

[You may have avoided throwing stones in the glass house but what you just did was a wrecking ball to the glass house walls, Kaneda Shotaro.

Ken doesn't even move. Kaneda is doing something stupid walking toward him, and Kaneda is saying something dumb, and Kaneda is now touching him and messing up his hair and -- saying something even more stupid. Ken, who on a normal basis will make a face and grouch at him and complain, stares straight ahead for a good two seconds

before slowly tilting his head up to meet Kaneda's smile with a chilly one of his own. A certain boxer will be thinking of his ice queen classmate in this moment, perhaps reminiscing about some bathhouses.]

Yeah? Maybe you want to re-lose me before I make you as small as these beans.

[Do you want to die Kaneda]

[rassera]

[Those hands jump back up, hovering over Ken as he hears that. A chill practially snaps down his spine, the hairs on the back of his neck rising.

Kaneda wasn't afraid of almost anything. But that didn't mean that Ken wasn't unnerving as fuck. Instead, his hand will work its way up to his neckline, rubbing there out of habit.]


I didn't do this.

[As if saying that would save him some sort of divine punishment. This looks like a Kaneda idea but he can assure you this was not his idea he didn't even know you could GET this many soybeans.]

[amadaman]

[Ken steps closer.]

I'm not a bean.

[Too bad Kaneda your problem wasn't the beans. It was calling him one.]

[rassera]

[Calm down murdercorgi at least wait until the 15th before you go punch more Russians.]

IS THAT IT?

[If Ken's stance intimidated him after that, he certainly didn't show it as he backs up, pivoting to start collecting a few of them off the ground.]

Noooooo sense of humor. You're gonna shoot up to 80 if you keep that up!

[amadaman]

[This fucker.



Ken follows behind him and then there is a clicking noise.]

[rassera]

[There's a pause as his muscles tense. Okay. That's definitely a gun click. If it's real, he can survive the gun wound and Ken gets to go to a nice round of therapy. If it's the fakeass one it's not HIS fault the house is destroyed.]

...Well?

[Calling your bluff right there, Ken.]

[amadaman]

[It's totally a bluff but not entirely. All he needs is that one moment of tension before he kicks out

good thing he had no shoes on

and jams his foot right into Kaneda's knee joint from behind]

[rassera]

[And down Kaneda goes. That foot hits at just the right area for those knees to buckle, falling to the ground enough for Capsule to immediately run over to see if he was alright.

You can practically hear "MASTER MASTER MASTER YOU TRIPPED STANDING UP!"

...And he lies there for a moment, staring up at the ceiling. Giving Ken five seconds to say something.]

[amadaman]

[Ken gains himself five more seconds by just going ahead and sitting on him. At least he's light.

And knocks the Evoker against his own head because like hell he's going to point it at someone else even playing around. Capsule gets invited to sit with him.]

Who's closer to the ground now?




[This is supposed to be a holiday]

[rassera]

[...


His eyes stare up at the situation, at Ken sitting on him, knocking that gun playfully against his head as Capsule sits, watching the whole scene.

Look at his master and the little friend of master's playing! This is a good thing!

...there's another glance at the floor, eyes cast sideways and then...back up to Ken. Before bursting into laughter.]

You got me!

[amadaman]

I did.

[But as Kaneda laughs, Ken heaves a deep, deep sigh... and tilts sideways until he crumples onto the bean-covered carpet.]

I just vacuumed this morning...

[rassera]

[Kaneda watches Ken slide off, putting his hands to the floor to start picking up beans...as Capsule goes to continue eating them.]

Hey.

It'll get clean again.

[Small consolation, but there it is.]

[amadaman]

[Ken kicks at him again. Gently. At least he's comfortable enough in a house with Tetsuo to be doing this! He's really just lying on the floor as Koromaru comes back and starts slobbering all over his face.]

You mean Maya-san and I will be cleaning it again.

[rassera]

[That's true. It's nice seeing Ken having his usual fight back.

He starts feeding some of those beans to Capsule, but only after making a specific hand motion for a command.]

Nahhh! Look how good Capsule's doing!

[amadaman]

Capsule isn't a vacuum!

[Ken makes a sound like he got punched in the gut now. But only because Koromaru decided he'll make a great throne for him. Koro is king of the bean mountain!]

Are they making dinner though?

[rassera]

[Aw Koro, here, have a non-Ken bean to celebrate your new kinghood!]

I think so...smells like it, anyway!

[amadaman]

[Heck yeah Koro chomps down on those]

It smells like nabe. I hadn't had those in ages... I kept thinking about it in Antartica. It was cold enough to make me want to swim in nabe soup.

[rassera]

[And with each one eaten, Kaneda's got another for him, even tossing a few.]

Wanna go check it out? I'm starving.

[Kaneda, you're always starving.]

And who knows? Maybe these two'll have this place cleaned by the time we chow down!

[amadaman]

[Ken groans and then holds out his hands, palms open in a clear "pull me up" gesture.]

Are you ever not hungry?

[rassera]

[With a hoist from his stomach, Kaneda rolls back to gain momentum, then somersaulting forward onto his feet in a crouch.

And then when seeing Ken's outstretched hands, he takes them to lift him up.]

...

[Freezing mid-tug.]

I don't think so. Hm.

[amadaman]

[What no don't stop there Ken tries to wiggle away now with a whine.] Ow ow ow ow not the shoulder-- lets get food then!

[rassera]

Hmm? Oh right!

[With one more pull, he gets Ken's heels to brush against the floor, quickly pulling him to his feet.]

Race ya.

[And not even waiting for him, hhe starts to make a dash for the kitchen. Sorry, Ken! All's fair in love and Japanese food.]

[amadaman]

Ah...!

[Kaneda did not just challenge a competitive twelve year old to a race.

He challenged, to a race, a competitive twelve year old who had been granted a decent level of superspeed.

Needless to say Ken employs the shit out of that as he immediately dashes after him, scattering a couple cats on the way to skid into the kitchen right before Kaneda does.]

[rassera]

[Kaneda stops short just before the Sukiyaki, ready to claim victory...only to find Ken had beaten him. There's a glance back towards the living room, and then to Ken.

Back to the living room.

Back to Ken.]

How did you--