Father's Bonding

[vampireglub]

Jin could totally understand Alex’s anxiety in finding the right house. Jin lived in a part of town in which townhomes were quite common. Townhomes were difficult as is, as they were interconnected houses that all tended to look the same. First, you had to find the right set of townhomes and then find the right one hidden in plain sight amongst similar looking, interconnected units. It was for that very reason and Jin’s personal building tastes, that he decided to spice his specific townhome up. It was also one of the reasons as to why Jin didn’t see his current townhome as his lifelong home. Jin and Aiko were personally living in a smaller two bedroom townhome: the living room, kitchen, and bathroom all being on the first floor and the laundry room and bedrooms being on the second level. The house itself was around 900 square feet and left little to no room for them to upgrade if Jin decided to remarry or adopt. Their current home was minimalistic but honestly left much to be desired in Jin’s eyes, especially as his big dream was to design his own, lifelong home.

As the two men left for the hibachi restaurant, Jin locked his front door and approached Alex’s car. Jin was personally indifferent when it came to Kia’s, but he knew that they were reliable cars. Jin then entered the car once Alex unlocked the doors. As they began to drive, Alex complimented Jin’s outfit. In response, Jin offered a kind smile and thanked Alex for their comment. “Thank you. These clothes are honestly much comfier than the suit I was wearing earlier,” he said with a soft laugh. As they continued to drive, Alex opened up that this whole experience was new to him. Jin couldn’t agree more, having done the same things Alex did once his partner had left him. “I’m happy I’m not the only one,” he laughed harder this time. “As odd as it feels, it also feels incredibly refreshing,” he responded earnestly.

((OOC: ))

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Alexander would smile a bit and nodded his head at the other man's comment about his own clothing being much comfier than the suit he was wearing "I would imagine, a full three piece suit looks nice but dang it's not meant for comfort" he chuckled a little bit "It's a real shame since they look so good" Alex had a few full suits himself but they were rarely worn and when they were Alexander felt so stifled when he wore them, he could only imagine needing to wear them everyday for a job like Jin. While driving Alexander would begin to air his thoughts on how it felt to be out with someone without bringing his kids along so when the other sympathized with how he felt he grinned a bit, feeling glad that he finally met someone who could relate to how he felt. He would then nod his head as he made another turn after a red light "Right? It feels so strange but also kind of...nice even to actually get out and not have the kids with us" that wasn't to say the the men didn't love their children and didn't want them around, of course not. But after spending so much of their lives dedicating it to their kids to finally get some time away from them was as Jin said, refreshing. As they drove Alex would reach down at the next stop sign as he clicked to get a radio playing as some country music began playing over the speakers, specifically Luke Bryan's 'What she wants tonight'. For a moment Alex felt a bit embarrassed at the song he had left it on but quickly remembered how Jin hadn't judged him for his taste in music thankfully and so he would leave it right now "If you want to change the station then please don't hesitate" he just wanted to let Jin know that he was more than free to change the radio if he wanted.

As Alex drove the conversation would remain relatively light and simple right now, talking about this and that such as minor things before eventually the restaurant would come into view and Alex would smile "Alright, here we are!" the Hibachi restaurant did look to be a bit nicer than some of the other places that had been suggested earlier but Alex was just such a fan of the food that the higher price didn't bother him at all. As they pulled in Alex would grin at the other man before heading inside with Jin and when the Hostess asked how many he was about to include his kids out of reflex but paused for a moment before chuckling at him almost saying 'three' "Two" the woman would nod her head before leading them to a smaller grill where the chef would arrive shortly once their orders were given. Alex would open the menu given and glanced around at the different people and groups getting their show "Hm so much to choose..." it all sounded so good "I'm thinking the tofu stir fry, what about you?" he'd inquire to the other man, wondering if anything caught his attention on the menu.





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vampireglub

 

[vampireglub]

As their conversation continued on, Jin couldn't help but agree with Alexander's sentiments. Although he always thought and worried about Aiko, he knew she was in safe hands and was enjoying his day of "freedom" even if the cause of these events were from a not-so-fortunate event. For Jin, it was honestly a one in a million chance to have a free day without work or Aiko. Although he'd gotten so used to his routine that it felt odd that work wasn't calling him or that Aiko wasn't by his side, it felt ultimately refreshing. Sarah would sometimes take Aiko, but it was usually only for a few hours on a week night to give Jin some time to relax, clean up the house, or pull overtime at work. Jin didn't mind it too much though, as he never wanted Aiko to feel lonely or that she was bothering him, especially as his ex-wife had simply walked out on Aiko, leaving her behind as if she were nothing. She never took Aiko for the weekends, she never visited Aiko for holidays, she just left Aiko without every saying goodbye. At this point, it seemed as though Aiko was too young to really register that her mother essentially abandoned her, but it often worried Jin, which is why he rarely relied on Sarah or any other potential babysitter. Jin honestly already felt bad leaving her at daycare while he worked but he grew to accept it as it was necessary and as Aiko seemed to enjoy playing and learning with her friends.

Alex and Jin listened to a variety of country songs before they finally pulled up to the Hibachi restaurant. Jin got out of the passenger seat, looking to get Aiko out of her car seat in the back out of reflex. Slightly embarrassed by how ingrained his routine was, he blushed, hoping Alex hadn't noticed. The two then walked in, being guided to the back and sat at a small hibachi grill. Jin quickly began looking over the menu, excited for the food. As he looked at all of the options, he could feel his mouth start to water, all of the options sounding delicious. "Well, I'll probably get a glass of sake and some hibachi salmon," he responded. Personally, Jin would never admit it to anyone, but he was trying to watch what he was eating as he was growing older. As delicious as red meats sounded, especially a hibachi sirloin, it was harder to digest and not nearly as lean as other meats such as fish and poultry. Although Jin wasn't necessarily looking at losing weight or bulking up, he was looking at taking good care of his body.

((OOC: Sorry for the wait. Got busy with school and celebrating my birthday! XD ))

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Alexander had to admit that even now when he was out with Jin and having a guys night in the back of his mind he couldn't help but worry a tad about Ann and Ace. He trusted his DJ and Lindsay with his kids completely but it was just the irrational, fatherly instincts that were being completely irrational. What if they ran out into the street to get a toy they lost? What if one of them climbed a chair and jumped off, cracking their skull open?Ace in particular had a penchant for climbing things he wasn't supposed to after all. However he needed just a deep breath to remind himself that DJ and Lindsay were completely capable at handling the twins. They'd been doing it just as long as Alex had by all means since the two of them had been his go to babysitters since he lost his wife, they'd been so helpful when it happened. Nonetheless Alex wasn't going to dwell on that and instead decided to pay mind to Jin as they kept light conversation throughout the drive accompanied by some nice country music. As had gotten out of the car Alexander had noticed that Jin made the motion to go to the back seat but didn't say anything outside of a small smile. Oh he knew the feeling all too well so he didn't hold the other man accountable for it. Especially afterwards when he was about to order a table for three instead of two since he was so used to going out to eat with just himself and his kids. Once they finally were seated and comfortable the two of them began to go over the menu and while at first he was planning on getting the stir fry something else caught his eye which caused him to smile a bit, he certainly had made his decision. Meanwhile he would turn and listen to the other man and nodded his head a little bit at the other "Sake, that sounds pretty good actually" he hadn't had it in awhile but Alex remembered enjoying the drink last time he came here. So once the waitress arrived asking for their orders to give to the chef who would be there shortly Alexander smiled a bit "I'd like the Yakiniku Beef and a glass of sake please" and once the others ordered Alexander would glance at Jin "Good call coming here, this place is so good" honestly Alex would have been happy with whatever choice the other would have made but he was especially happy that the other had chosen the Hibachi restaurant.





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vampireglub

 

[vampireglub]

Jin looked over the sake menu for a few minutes before he decided on the Taruzake "Cask Sake", as it was aged in Japenese cedar barrels, often making the sake smooth and adding a hint of cedar aroma. Taruzake was a great light-bodied and drier sake, often served cold or at room temperature, having a smooth flavor with a lightly spicy finish that often resulted in a mild aftertaste. Personally, Jin enjoyed sake that was barrel-aged or that was made in the kimoto or yamahai style. Sake made in the kimoto or yamahai style had no lactic acid added to the yeast which resulted in more wild bacteria, giving the sake a more smoky, savory flavor that most Whiskey, Bourbon, and Scotch drinkers, like himself, enjoyed.

"I'll take a glass of the Taruzake chilled and the hibachi salmon, please." Jin ordered. Once his order was in, the waitress left, informing the bartender of their sake orders and the chef of their food orders. As the waitress left the table, Alex began to speak. "I'm excited to try their food," he offered the other a light smile. "I'm also happy to see that they have some decent sake options as well." It had honestly been a while since he had sake but he knew what he liked. In fact, Jin knew quite a bit about sake as his father used to often enjoy a glass of sake. Jin had learned about all of the different techniques used to make sake, how sake should be properly served, and so on. Sake was traditionally served out of porcelain flasks, called tokkuri, into ochoko, which are small ceramic cups. Chilled sake could also be served in wine glasses. In the case of special occasions, the sake would be poured into saucer-like cups known as sakazuki. In Japanese tradition, the youngest or person with the least seniority is encouraged to pour for others and then to have someone around them pour their sake for them. The person serving often fills the cup completely or to over pour the sake, as an act of kindness and generosity. The act of overpouring shows an appreciation for the friendship or the business and can also act as a small celebration to lift the spirits and enjoy the present state of life. When pouring, it is also important to have both hands on the tokkuri or to place one hand on the arm that is pouring to show respect. Since Jin's father passed away, he hadn't traditionally poured sake for anyone. "Someday, you should let me pour sake for you," Jin mentioned.

((OOC: ))

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Alexander nodded his head at the others comment and returned the smile "I haven't been able to try much from here but what I have tried has been really good" he explained with a happy look on his face. Sake and other Asian foods weren't his specialty simply due to how uncommon such things were in the United States unless he actively sought them out from specialty stores or online, especially good Sake which was usually quite expensive. There were some stores that had a good Asian good selection but he had little experience with such ingredients outside of your typical soy sauce so he didn't want to make something that would end up inedible. It was quite a shame to him since generally Alexander's favorite cuisine was Asian as the balance of sweet, sour, savory, and spicy were phenomenal in his eyes and palate. Alexander would then glance at Jin and smiled a bit, nodding his head at the others offer to pour his sake for him "Sure! That sounds good to me" Alexander wasn't aware of the cultural significance but he assumed it must have meant something if Jin had mentioned it and Alex was more than happy to oblige. Finally the chef would come out with the ingredients and greeted the two young men as he began the simple show, performing some easy tricks for the two men as it was obvious that the two weren't looking for some really big theatrical performance.





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vampireglub

 

[vampireglub]

Shortly after, the waitress had returned with the sake in a chilled tokkuri porcelain flask and two wine glasses, the restaurant opting for the more traditional American drinkware over the traditional ochoko or sakazuki cups. Once the waitress had set the items down, Jin asked for Alex to pick up their wine glass and to hold it in their right hand and to support the base of the glass with their left hand. Jin then picked up the tokkuri, holding the bottle firmly in his right hand and placing his left hand near the mouth of the flask for support. Jin started pouring lightly, the sake trickling out before moving to a steady stream only to conclude with a light trickle once again. Once Jin finished pouring Alex's sake, he turned the mouth of the sake bottle towards himself, making sure not to drip any of the sake on Alex or the table. With a smile he offered for the other to try a sip of the sake before he poured himself a glass of the chilled cask sake. Once the first drinks had been poured, the chef would walk over, introducing themselves before putting on a light show, providing just enough entertainment to please without being a distraction as the two men continued chatting. "So, how is the sake? Is it to your liking?" Jin asked, hoping the other enjoyed his selection.

((OOC: ))

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Alexander would listen to the others request to hold the glass a certain way and the Father would oblige, interested in the entire process that was happening. Alexander would then take a light sip of the sake and found himself pleasantly surprised. It was sweet with a very noticeable smoothness that could only have come from a good aging process but what really surprised Alexander was how quickly it vanished. The flavor didn't linger on the palate like some alcohol did such as wine or things of that nature, it really did make the drink that much more refreshing in his opinion. Alex would then turn to Jin and nodded his head with a smile on his face "Oh very! It had a very nice finish and the flavor of it was very good" he gave a soft applause when the chef performed a slightly difficult looking trick before turning back tot he conversation at hand "I must admit I'm not too well versed with Japanese traditions, is there some significance of pouring the sake?" he would inquire to the other man, once again showing a genuine interest of learning about not only the other man but of his heritage as well. Alexander found that even at his age he still had a deep love of learning new things and he always tried to broaden his horizons in any which way he was able to.





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vampireglub

 

[vampireglub]

"Well, I'm happy you like it," Jin offered the other a soft smile, taking another sip of the chilled Taruzake. He then lightly applauded the chef who had completed a more difficult trick with his spatulas. Alexander then continued the conversation, Jin listening to him speak. "Well, without going into too much detail, it is customary to pour for others especially for those who are older, have seniority, or are from a higher level of status." Jin began. "In pouring for friends, the pouring method is pretty lax, however, it is good etiquette for the receiver to simply lift the cup off the table and hold it towards the pourer," he explained. Although this was a pretty informal meeting amongst two new friends, Jin had poured formally for the other. "I poured in a formal manner for you, using two hands on the tokkuri flask and making sure the pinched part of the tokkuri mouth was facing upright." Jin had been taught from a young age how to properly pour sake, as he often poured sake for his father and other older family members. "When one uses regular sake cups known as ochoko cups or sakazuki cups in special occasions, one would overpour to show respect, however, since we're using wine glasses we simply pour a regular four to six ounces." He raised his wine glasses, lightly swirling the sake inside. "Although it is usually customary to never pour for yourself, as this is a pretty informal situation, I simply decided I would pour my own glass," he explained.

((OOC: ))

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Alexander would listen to Jin begin to explain about the significance and meaning behind pouring the sake which had his full attention. Hearing the customs behind it Alexander nodded his head and let out a small 'Ah' when it was explained that it was customary for those with some type of seniority or higher standing to have the one below them to pour it. It seemed like a respect thing of sorts "Interesting" he commented before listening to the other continued on to explain that he had poured the Sake in a formal manner for him which had a small smile appear on his face, well that was nice of him. Then listening to Jin continue on to speak about the special types of cups used for sake he'd nod his head a bit "I see so this type of thing would occur at casual business meetings or with family then?" he inquired with a touch of interest lacing his tone as his dark gray eyes twinkled with curiosity. Once the question was answered Alexander would then listen to the other explain how pouring for yourself was not something one would do normally but as this was just dinner between friends he poured his sake for himself. This caused the Father to nod his head and smiled "I see! Well one of these days I'll have to pour for you even if I'm older!...Wait am I older than you?" it had occurred to him that he didn't know the other man's age. Maybe Alex should have been the one to pour for him if that was the case! "I'm thirty, what about you?" he inquired, curious about the other man's age now.





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vampireglub

 

[vampireglub]

Jin spoke excitedly, happy that someone was actively listening to him as he talked about his culture which was something he was very proud of. In the past, he had had many fights with his ex-wife about some of his cultural traditions, especially in regards to teaching Aiko about her Japanese cultural background. Kim, his ex-wife, always told him that being raised biculturally might make it difficult for Aiko to properly and successfully develop an identity that fits within the American ideals. Kim was even worried that Aiko would be bullied for acting differently than her peers by upholding certain Japanese cultural values. Now that she was out of the picture, Jin raised Aiko to be culturally competent when it came to her Asian-American background and he raised her to be proud of her diverse heritage as he was.

"Exactly, any friend, family or casual business meetings with mutuals would use these cups," he explained. He then continued on to explain how to properly pour. Alex then offered to pour for him someday which caused Jin to smile. "I would love that," he explained before Alex asked about Jin's age. "You're thirty? We're pretty close in age then because I'm twenty-nine going on to thirty later this year," he spoke, once again surprised at just how much he and Alex seemed to have in common. They both were single fathers who appreciated cars and the occasional cocktail, and they were less than a year apart in age. 'What a small world...', he thought, never having expected to meet someone like Alex.

((OOC: ))

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Alexander was making sure to soak in every detail that Jin spoke of, finding how something as simple as sharing a drink could be so culturally significant for another. Alexander wished that he had a culture that he could take pride in but sadly he didn't know much about his own heritage beyond that he was a mutt from several different cultures. The only one he knew about for certain was that he was some part German but beyond that there wasn't much else he was too sure of so he always found learning about other cultures to be a fun way to broaden his horizons. He would then listen to Jin confirm his understanding that the act of pouring another's sake was for any friend, family, or business meeting which caused him to nod with a smile on his face "Ah I see" he spoke in a casual tone as he turned to watch the chef continue putting their food together, cooking Jin's dish now. A wide smile then crossed the business owners face when the other agreed that he'd love for Alex to pour his sake for him. Once Alexander then inquired about the others age he'd be surprised to find that he was twenty nine which caused him to chuckle a little bit and shake his head "No kidding? Only a year apart to boot, you and I were meant to meet I swear!" he gave another deep laugh as he sipped the sake that the other had poured for him "It feels good to really be able to kick back and have dinner with a friend, it's been too long" it's like a breath of fresh air. Alex loved his kids dearly but there was something about just simple one on one time with another person that really made today feel special.





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vampireglub

 

[vampireglub]

A smile formed on Jin's face as he recognized Alex was actively paying attention to him. It honestly felt so nice to feel listened to. Obviously, Aiko was a well-behaved child and listened well, but, when it came to the adult things that Jin liked, Aiko's attention span often fell short, as she had little to no interest in things such as sake pouring. Sometimes Jin would talk with Sarah and her husband about things like music, sports, and drinking, but they all had very different tastes: Sarah enjoyed pop music and her husband liked heavy metal, Sarah didn't like sports and her husband was really only in to American football, and Sarah chooses not to drink alcohol and her husband only drinks cheap beer. They all still listened to each other, but they all had interests in different areas.

The two then spoke momentarily about their ages, realizing that they were only but a year apart in age. "The strings of fate work in mysterious ways," Jin laughed along with Alex. "It really has been too long," Jin agreed, leaning back lightly in his chair, his eyes following the chef as they continued to cook with a few light tricks. Although his day had started with a rough bump, it was definitely ending on a high note he hadn't experienced in quite a while. "So," Jin began, striking up conversation again, "tell me more a bit more about yourself."

((OOC: ))

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Alexander had always made it a point to make sure he was always an active listener whenever someone was speaking. Well he tried as long as he was at least somewhat engaged in the conversation with the other person, there had been some instances where he was speaking to another person and all they did was talk and talk, never giving him a chance to get a word in edgewise. By that point Alex had begun tuning them out most of the time since usually the conversation wasn't even interesting in the first place. With Jin however their conversation flowed so nicely, they listened to each other and showed genuine interest in what the other had to say. Alexander was especially interested since Jin was so in touch with his cultural heritage that it really gave the Father an insight into another culture as well as customs that Jin himself followed. He was just an interesting man and Alexander could appreciate their blossoming friendship, just the thought that their kids could grow up and possibly even become best friends was so exciting! 'Calm down Alexander, baby steps. You just met the man!' he mentally scolded his thoughts for getting so ahead of himself, even if it was an exciting prospect! Alexander would then laugh a bit when Jin spoke about the strings of fate "Strings of fate eh? I can't help but agree, especially considering the circumstances of our meeting" he chuckled once again. Had Jin not gotten into his small accident then the two of them would never have met in the first place which would have just been a shame!

Alex would then regard Jin's own question with a moment of thought, reaching up to rub the light scruff that was beginning to come through again which reminded him he'd need to shave soon "Well I don't really know where to begin. I don't think there's much about myself that's interesting enough to share, I'm leading an admittingly rather typical life. I own the garage, it hadn't been easy to open at first and my wife had been worried that I had planned on going independent but my Mom and Dad backed me up on it" he gave a small chuckle "Both emotionally and financially, they'd given me the last several thousand dollars that I needed to get the equipment I needed" he explained to the other man "Before I owned the shop I was working as a manager at the local grocery store, not a fun job let me tell you!" he finished explaining about his humble beginnings, barely noting that this was the first time he'd spoken about his wife in any real capacity for awhile.





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vampireglub

 

[vampireglub]

Jin listened attentively as Alexander explained how he started up his shop, having borrowed money and having received emotional support from his parents along the way. In talking about opening the garage, Jin caught Alex talking about his wife. Out of pure coincidence, Jin's light brown eyes moved to Alex's ring finger on his left hand. To his surprise, although Alex called her his 'wife', Alex didn't seem to be wearing a wedding ring. Jin knew that some people who worked in labor fields such as Alex didn't always wear their rings so as not to dirty them and he also knew that some men didn't wear their rings all the time either due to general comfort or due to changes in sizing over the years. Jin himself had stopped wearing his wedding ring as soon as he had signed the divorce papers. Despite the rough ending to his marriage, he had kept his ring in remembrance of what he had been through with his ex-wife as there had been many good memories mixed in with a few bad ones. Jin personally kept his ring after all of these years, keeping it in a box on his dresser back at his house. Unconsciously, Jin had begun to fiddle with his left ring finger as he would have when he used to adjust his ring when he still wore it.

"I can imagine," he responded, "working directly with customers all while managing employees can be a mighty difficult job." Jin understood how difficult such a position could be as he understood that the managers were the ones dealing with upset customers, fixing errors, working to fix schedules when employees called in last minute, and picking up extra shifts when employees were a no-call no-show. Jin was lucky enough in his career to work with clients in meetings with multiple people involved so he never had to take the full brunt of an angry customer. He was also lucky to not be a manager, having to watch over other employees. Jin often had enough to do with taking care of himself and all of his projects at work that he couldn't imagine having to schedule and overlook the work of others.

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By Bi Blitz