[Closed]

[hunterrabbit]

WHO: Hide, Kaneki and Touka
WHERE: Various locations in De Chima
WHEN: After this
WHAT: FRIENDSHIP COFFEE AND DINNER MEET UPS
WARNINGS: Canon spoilers, mentions of cannibalism/gore/violence

Coffee with Hide:

[Alright Hide. That little disappearing act at the end of the video actually took her by surprise, so she’s taking this a bit more seriously than she did at first. As in, she actually is running down the street like she’s in a race – pushing past a few innocent bystanders in the process. Is she running at full speed? …No. Noooo, of course not. Too many people in the way. But she’s still going pretty fast.

The train station is finally coming into view, so she’ll find out soon if Hide’s already there or not. And if he’s not, he’d better show up soon, because she’s going to feel like an idiot if she ended up bolting through the city for nothing.]

Dinner with Kaneki:

[It’s late in the evening when Touka finally makes her way over to Kaneki’s house for…dinner. She double checks the address on her communicator before moving over to the door and giving it a few quick knocks.

She’s really not looking forward to eating these “donated” bodies that’re supposed to have chemicals and other nasty-tasting shit in them. But she’s already put off eating for too long, and she can feel herself starting to get a little weaker with hunger. If this is their best option for right now, it’ll have to do.

While she waits for Kaneki, she turns towards the street – glancing around and half looking for that invisible stalker asshole. Visible or not, she might be able to smell anyone nearby that she doesn’t recognize.]

Comments

[enucleation]

[ he is not around, don't worry, Touka.

But Nishi did leave what he calls a "gift", and even if just proves further what a creepy little psycho he is, Kaneki did ask him for it. Nobody likes to eat shit everytime, and he feels like Touka deserves something better.

When she arrives, Kaneki is already expecting her so it doesn't take him long to open the door. The house is... empty. There is only the essential furniture and if Touka glances through the books she will notice they are all practical arts such as fighting, building things, no fiction or novels. There is smell of coffee everywhere, though, and that is good considering the kind of food he keeps inside the house.

Kaneki is wearing dark clothes, and this time around, there is no eyepatch covering his eye ]

Touka-chan, hello.

Come inside.

[ he gives her enough room to pass by the door, but he will look out once before going back inside. ]

[hunterrabbit]

[Touka turns towards the door again when she hears it open, and offers him a small smile.] Hey.

[She moves past him and then quickly into the main room. It barely looks like anyone lives in here. More like a hotel room. The books are the most notable feature, so she takes a few steps towards them. Seeing a few here isn't a surprise...but the contents of the books aren't what she expected. And she figured there'd be more of them.

But it's a home away from home, isn't it? So it's not going to be perfect. And no matter what the inside looks like, it's nice knowing that Kaneki lives alone. Having a private place to talk sounds a lot better than a public coffee shop.]

Thanks for letting me come here. It's a lot easier than trying to hide it from my my roommates.

[enucleation]

[ he doesn't spend much time there, anyway, so it's only natural it doesn't look like he lives there. Kaneki only drops by to eat and sleep and here isn't much else he uses his house for.

He closes the door behind them, and takes the chance to lock it too (just in case ok), before he heads to the kitchen. There are plates and glasses set, of course, but he doesn't expect Touka to want to eat in front of him (not civilized, right?). She can eat in the living room, if she likes. ]

I know. It's better to have some on the place you live at, but with roomates it's impossible.

Touka-chan, would you like some coffee? I have Ethiopian roast: its delicate yet richly complex. I think you'll appreciate it. [ he still knows about coffee. Probably a lot better than before ]

[hunterrabbit]

[Touka looks back at him and raises an eyebrow as he locks the door - "paranoid much?"

Following him to the kitchen, she actually finds herself wishing that she could bring herself eat with him. Humans do it all the time, and the idea actually sounds nice - talking and enjoying a meal together with someone. She'd done it with Yoriko before...but obviously, that's different. Maybe another time she'd be willing try it with Kaneki. But not tonight.]

Wow, look at you - knowing your way around coffee. I never thought I'd see the day. [She's kidding. Mostly.] I'll try a cup, but maybe after we eat? [At least that she can do with him.]

[enucleation]

[ yes. Yes, he is.

he smiles at Touka's words, moving to the fridge. ] I had to learn sometime.

[ Inside the fridge there are bags (not transparent, of course) or all sorts of sizes, with numbers written on it - dates. kaneki keeps everything cataloged, so he knows when he took what (he imagines the government is doing exactly the same, to keep an eye on him and make sure he is consuming enough flesh so he won't go insane), but at a corner of a shelf, there is one without any numbers. That's what he will pick and give Touka.

it doesn't come from a lab. ]

Here. [ he offers it to her ] You can stay in the living room. [ and take her time. ]

[hunterrabbit]

I dunno. You seemed pretty hopeless at first. The real test will be when I taste it.

[She’d leaned against the wall – arms crossed as he’d moved to the fridge, and not really giving much thought to the labels until he hands her the unmarked one. When she takes the package, she turns it over in her hands.]

This one’s different. [A statement, not a question. So much for the government being their only option right now.

She looks back up to him – curious, not accusatory. But even if he doesn’t tell her where it’s from, she’ll still eat it.]

[enucleation]

[ while he was here he learned more about coffee since he had time. Past 6 months, not so much.

In any case, when she mentions the difference, kaneki nods as he grabs a plate, fork and knife, and hands it to Touka as well ] This was not donated by the government. Nishi brought it yesterday from the morgue. [ so it's sort of fresh and it doesn't taste terribly ]

I figured this would be a good start. [ though, next few times, she will probably have to deal with donated bodies. Kaneki HAS to eat them before asking Nishi for more. ]

[hunterrabbit]

I see. So that's how he's useful.

[A morgue isn't a bad idea. Maybe a bit risky, but probably not as much if you're invisible.

She puts the package and utensils on top of the plate to make it easier to carry (so there's less of a chance she'll drop it and break it). But after a little pause, she holds the plate out to him.]

Take half. There's enough. [She nods towards the fridge.] And if I need more, I'll take another half of one of those. [No reason they can't both have something better to eat.]

[enucleation]

[ Kaneki nods. Yes, indeed. That's how he is useful. Perhaps some other ways, but Kaneki is still planning that out. For now, he is their chef, that's all.

However, when Touka offers him half, his eyes look at the package, before they move up to look at the girl ]

I'm used to it. [ to eat bodies with chemicals, he means. It's nothing new to him, it's nothing that upsets him, either. But he doesn't think Touka has to go through that if she has other options. ]

[hunterrabbit]

[Okay. That's just sad.]

All the more reason to take some, then. [Just because it doesn't bother him doesn't mean it tastes good. It's not the same.

She pushes the plate forward a little further.] Just share it with me.

[enucleation]

[ he looks at the girl for a moment longer, and then at the plate as she shoves it to him, and finally kaneki takes it into his hands. Alright. They can share.

because the limb is already cut to pieces (done after Nishi has given it to him), all Ken has to do is to open his bag and put half of its contents into his plate. And before, that would definitively gross Kaneki out, but after so many months doing grosser things, this doesn't bother him. Once he has half of it in his place, he gives the bag and Touka's plate back ]

You can serve yourself from the fridge, if you want more. I don't mind.

[hunterrabbit]

[It's strange seeing him handle food like that. Like it doesn't bother him. To get him to a point like this...just what the hell happened? It seems like the more time she spends with him, the more she worries.]

Okay. I'll come get you when I'm finished.

[When he hands her the plate, she holds it close and turns to move towards the living room. But she looks back over her shoulder to him before walking out.] And…thanks.

[enucleation]

You don't have to thank me, Touka-chan.

[ he nods with a smile back at Touka, and simply sits down on his table. He doesn't eat much besides what he has in his plate, since he has enough food inside the fridge to eat as he feels like he needs. He doesn't think much about the flavor either, but he appreciates it doesn't taste so bad this time around.

Once he is done, he washed his plate and face, and begins making coffee for the two of them. ]

[nagachika]

[She won't have to wait long. He won't be there, for sure, when she first runs up to it, but there's definitely something moving towards her within two, maybe three minutes of her arrival--

It ALMOST slams full-force into her, but manages to skid to a stop just before doing so.

There's a smell, kind of like burning rubber or cloth, for sure, and while Hide barely looks like he's been running a marathon--his hair definitely tells a different tale. A pair of goggles is snapped up off his eyes and pushed down around his neck--

He gives Touka one hell of a grin.]

Damn.

Looks like you beat me.

[hunterrabbit]

[Since she hadn't been there for too long, Touka had started looking around the station to see if she could spot Hide anywhere. But she freezes when she catches sight of something coming towards her out of the corner of her eye, and she raises both her arms defensively on a reflex.

But nothing actually hits her. And then she hears a familiar voice.

It takes a moment to register that it’s actually a person who was moving so fast. She stands there, blinking at him for a moment, before finally lowering her arms.]

Hell. I don't believe it.

[Faster than a car. Who would've thought? She grins back at him.]

Doesn't feel like much of a win, when you had so much father to go.

[nagachika]

[His hands fall down onto his knees and he takes a moment, now, to wheeze out a bit of a breath he'd been holding in. A stupid, silly grin still on his face as he looks up at her, only to see that bright and beautiful smile that can only belong to one Kirishima Touka.

Lovely.]

Heeeh... are you someone who gives up... that easily? [He straightens up, shaking a hand through his hair a little, taking a moment to look her over, as well. Was it just him or... did she seem a little older? Just a bit.]

Though I really was kicking it. I think I might've hit my top speed there, around the turn...

[hunterrabbit]

[And he looks a bit younger from when they last met. But Kaneki had already warned her about that. Either way, it still seems like the same Hide she remembers.]

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm impressed. Especially because you managed not to crash into me. [He gets a few extra points for that. Even if it was a little close.

While she waits for him to catch his breath, she reaches into her bag and pulls out a little bottle of water to offer him. Running through a few cities would make anyone thirsty, wouldn't it? Even someone with superpowers.]

Good to see you again. [It really is. In fact, she's almost surprised by how much she means it.]

[nagachika]

If there's one thing I'm still learning, it's how to turn, and how to properly stop. [He outright admits it, where's the harm.]

I'm pretty impressed I managed to not crash into you, too. It's a new personal record. [grIN.]

...It's good to see you, too. [All silliness aside.] You look a bit older than last I remember, though, yikes! [THUMBS UP.]

[hunterrabbit]

"Yikes"? There something wrong with how I look now? [Watch your wording there, pal. It hasn't been that long, right? Her hair's longer...she didn't think anything else was different.]

Supposedly, I'm a few months ahead of you. [By their world's time. That's what Kaneki told her, anyway.] I guess you looked older too though, last time I saw you back home. Your hair was longer...[She measures it out with her hand.] and you were wearing a hat. [Because wearing a hat is a huge difference, apparently.]

[nagachika]

No--! No way, that's not what I meant at all!! I mean like. 'Yikes, am I the only one left in the past here?' [Smooth. Saved it.]

A few months ahead, huh... you and Ken both, then. [He runs a hand through his hair.] You know, I was thinking of letting it get longer. Does it look good on me? Touka-chan?

[hunterrabbit]

[Yeah, yeah. Nice save this time, but she's still got her eye on you, Hide.]

Hm. First of all, don't wear the hat. It made you look like a deliveryman. Or something. [And it made it harder to tell if his hair looked any good or not.

She tilts her head and taps a finger on her chin as she tries to compare the image in her memory to the guy standing in front of her now.] But I think this short cut you have now looks better than the longer one.

[nagachika]

[Smooth as crystal, he was.]

...A deliveryman... [He looks upward a little, his head tipping back. Did he really... look that bad...] No hats then, no hats ever. There's no way he wanted to look like a deliveryman.

[He waves a hand, to get her to follow him. Come on, were going out for coffee, right?]

Man, I thought longer hair would suit me better. I guess I just make myself look foolish instead, huh. [Says the guy who's currently wearing a bright yellow shirt and red jeans.]

[hunterrabbit]

No baseball caps, anyway. Maybe your hair would've looked fine with out it. [She shrugs and turns to start following him down the street.]

That was the first time I'd seen you in months, actually. You were putting up posters at Kamii.

[nagachika]

[He waves his hand a bit as she follows him, his arms folding behind his back. Something of a chuckle escaping him.] Posters, huh? I bet you anything I was doing some extracurricular after-school activity.

Without Kaneki around, I get restless and just start doing things like that without thinking about them.

[hunterrabbit]

I think you said it was for the culture festival, yeah.

[She scans the crowds a bit and looks towards the shops along their path - wondering which cafe he had in mind. Anything would be fine, as long as it's not the same place she'd met Kaneki at. They'd caused a bit of a scene there, so...it's probably best not to go back very soon. Or at all.

When Hide mentions the restlessness though, Touka looks back towards him.]

Has he been gone for a long time before? Or do you just mean any day you don't see each other?