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;

[amadaman]

[Ken may have been standing her for all this time. Or he may have just gotten here. Who knows? What's clear is, Ken who is standing in the doorway is not moving an inch or saying a word, possibly not even breathing as he stares at the riot going on in his house. He smells food, but more than that he sees beans everywhere, scattered even more than they already are by Koromaru dashing in to join Capsule making a mess, and the cats collecting them.

Why.

If you're trying to walk through that doorway -- sorry. Ken's standing there, totally in your way.]

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.]

[learntofly]

[Oh. Oh she knows that look. (She thinks.)]

D-Don't worry! We'll clean up when the party's over!

[amadaman]

[Oh it's the nicest-seeming bird of the flock. Her name was-- her name was...]

Yayoi-san...

It's okay. Who started this?

[learntofly]

It was me and Kururu-chan . . . We wanted to thank everyone for letting us stay here, and then we realized it was Setsubun and . . . well.

[She gestures at the ongoing festivities almost apologetically.]

[amadaman]

[Ken follows a certain bird with his eyes, sighs... then shakes his head with a little smile.]

No, I think we should thank you, on second thought. It'll be too quiet without you guys here; Tetsuo-san's talking to people too. We'll just have to make sure everyone cleans after.

Do you need help?

[learntofly]

[Her hands fly up almost as though to ward him off.]

Oh, no! This is our way of thanking everyone for letting us stay so long. We can't let you help with the clean up.

[ursawhiner]

[Guess who's been really enthusiastic about throwing beans!! And has been hovering by the sukiyaki like a starving dog!]

Ken! Welcome home! Happy uh... Spring? I wasn't really paying attention when they explained it.

[amadaman]

It's for banishing demons from the property and keeping fortune in, actually. I forgot why it's today.

[Ken's already got a bean or two stuck in his hair by the time he makes his way over to Dipper.]

There's going to be beans in this house for months...

[ursawhiner]

Wonder if beans would work on Bill.

[It's only mostly a joke. He reaches up to brush the beans out of Ken's hair absentmindedly.]

Hey, at least they're dry. Worse that happens is that they get kind of dusty.

[amadaman]

Hmm. He's not the right sort of demon, probably. And I'd rather not see him.

[Ken's orange tips bounce up and down even at that brushing. It's so bouncy. Truly anime hair.]

Have you ever had this before? Sukiyaki.

[ursawhiner]

[Dipper doesn't want to think about Bill right now. Instead, he playfully tugs on a lock of Ken's hair.]

Still not used to you having orange hair. And I don't think so. It's like stew, right?

[cantread]

[He wasn't, but he is standing nearby, watching the chaos. He does notice Ken though, and decides to speak up.]

Looks pretty interesting, doesn't it?

[amadaman]

It looks like a mess, [is Ken's indignant answer before he even checks to see who this is. He squints at him.]

....... Sis... sel... san?

[missleadingquestions]

................Y'know. I didn't think setsubun was a thing over on this coast.

[Maya has not-so-fond memories of having to clear out every last bean from the manor for Morgan, and she seems so pleased to be entering this house with Ken right now.]

[amadaman]

It's a thing for festive Japanese people, I guess.

[Ken is clutching a bag to his chest full of grieve ties, and he's suddenly glad he picked the one with Kaneda's cereal boxes lest he squish everything else.]

I just cleaned this room...

[resoundingpledge]

[ One of the answers to that question is all together too cheery, peeking out from the kitchen at the sound of the front door. There's plates in her hands, almost as if she thinks setting the table for a group this energetic is something worthwhile instead of utterly futile. ]

Welcome home!

[amadaman]

Kururu-san...

[At least Ken is now distracted from his distress by her greeting. The N5 boys aren't all about "welcome home"s, so it's been a while for him. He blinks at her almost surprised, arms loaded with a paper bag full of cereal boxes.]

Ah, I'm, were home. Thank you. Did you guys prepare this...?

[resoundingpledge]

Yayoi-san and I did. There's dinner too, if you're hungry . . .

[ That's . . . a lot to manage, though, for someone who'd been moving like he was hurt. No matter how light the bag.

She sets down the plates, turning back. ]

Would you like a hand?

[amadaman]

Huh? Oh -- um, no, it's okay! They're just boxes.. Maya-san carried the heavy stuff for me, too.

[He doesn't realize it's because he's injured; he's thinking it's his size and apparent age, as it usually is. He shakes his head.]

Do you need any help cooking?