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 Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:02 pm
Hitsuga checked and rechecked the directions he'd written down over the phone with Melody an hour or so ago, standing in front of the small restaurant warily as he clutched the finger-worn piece of paper between his hands.
It was not so much that he feared entering the wrong building so much as he worried that he and Melody might end up in separate places entirely, each waiting on the other with no way to get in touch.
He was eager to see how she was faring. She had SOUNDED better over the phone, to be sure....or at least a far cry better than she'd sounded when last he'd left her, exhausted in the bathtub of her home with two equally-exhausted babies.
And he, of course, had been busy with his own affairs now that the shop was open and operating. Today, though, he'd decided his door would remain closed, to give him time to catch up on things....and in this case, 'catching up' also extended to lunch with a friend.
Drawing in a breath, he stepped forward at last, nudging open the door and stepping in from the noise of Gaia's streets...
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:11 pm
The café is rather quiet at the moment-- then again, most people come to the Jejune June for breakfast, after meals, or for dessert. Or for its cosplay nights, which have been gaining popularity in the past few months. Not that such things would be readily apparent at the time.
"Welcome to the-- oh hey!" A waitress dressed in frills and sneakers, apron stained with coffee, begins to greet Hitsuga, but immediately trails off once she notices his eyes. "Oh, you're that guy! Just a sec!"
Without even waiting for an answer, she whirls around and calls toward the main counter... "Aunt June! Aunt Juuuuuune! He's here!"
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:17 pm
He hears the tone of Sofi's voice before he sees her and feels himself cringe, shying back. He remembers it.....except last time it was much louder. And had sparked what had been one of his worst days in recent memory.
He's...uhm.....
Hitsuga is only here to meet a frie--
He flinches again as she bellows for someone else, wondering if maybe it wouldn't be better to simply leave at this point... gonk
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:24 pm
It would seem, at least for the moment, that Sofi doesn't remember him at all. But perhaps mercifully, she's joined by the aforementioned "Aunt June", a surprisingly young-looking woman with a large silk daisy tucked behind one ear.
"Hitsuga, right? Melo's already upstairs, if you'll just follow me..."
She tries her best to project reassurance at him, but aside from the difference in dialect, it may feel as if it comes from behind a wall of gauze. Quiet. Muffled. But still earnest.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:33 pm
He looks like a man who had been expecting the worst when June approaches him. When she speaks, however, he blinks at her, confused a moment, and then....
....relief must be near-tangible as it emits from him, the flutters of panic receding.
He thanks Madame greatly, apologizing for greeting her in such a way as he offers her a respectful bow and then moves to follow her as requested.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:35 pm
"Why?"
June glances over her shoulder, brow furrowed in confusion. "...You and Sofi have already met?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:38 pm
Dark eyes shift to Sofi momentarily, applying the name to the face.
He's...ahh...
Well, yes, they have sweatdrop
He's afraid it wasn't under the best of circumstances, but that was also just an ill-fated day on all fronts, it would seem.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:44 pm
Blink. Blinkblink.
June takes a moment to digest what Hitsuga's said-- or is she simply straining to pick apart the projection she can barely hear? And suddenly, a look of realization crosses her face.
Sofi, she projects, doesn't usually meet Porcelain outside of family unless--
She smiles a bit sheepishly, a nervous giggle escaping her lips. "Oh, no..."
Obviously not wanting to embarrass Hitsuga further by re-stating the obvious (Oh, YOU'RE the naked guy!), June simply projects an apology; when her son opens his mouth, he doesn't exactly recognize just how powerful his choice of words can be... sweatdrop
"...As you probably already know."
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 12:18 am
Hitsuga looks back at June, confusion very much evident in his features.
Her son....?
His mind races, trying to figure out if he ought to know who her son was.
....and then he recalls Melody fondly referring to "Grandma-June" on the phone, and if THIS woman was the same June then that made her son--
He blinks as the pieces click into place.
....oh....!
Oh yes, Hitsuga is aware. But its all right. Master Boyan is a good man. sweatdrop
....and privately, he supposes that means she's been made aware of the name Boyan had given him as well. ....and he wonders just how long that plans to follow him around... gonk
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 12:31 am
"He is," June agrees, "But..." She shakes her head and trails off as she leads Hitsuga up the stairs.
The cafe downstairs was rather informal-- tables and booths arranged close together to accommodate a steady stream of customers who come in for a quick coffee and dessert and are generally in and out in less than an hour.
The upstairs, however, has a completely different atmosphere. The booths along each wall are separated by tastefully decorated partitions, the tables in the center are spaced further apart, and though music is piped through the speaker system (Right now, it would seem the orchestral score from one of the recent popular Gaian movies is the music of choice), the whole area (currently devoid of customers save for Melody, sitting at one of the tables) seems quiet and peaceful.
...Except for the screech of horror that suddenly pierces the air as Melody, leaping to her feet, stares wide-eyed at Hitsuga.
What... WHAT did he do to his HAIR?! It was so LONG and PRETTY not that it's not pretty now but IT WAS SO LONG and he CUT IT ALL OFF! gonk
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 12:43 am
The screech takes him so offguard that his arms pinwheel for balance, at the top of the stairs, nearly spilling him back down them entirely before he catches himself on the railing, heart thumping in his chest to stare back at Melody.
Hitsuga...ahh....
HE didn't do anything to it, technically. Baikou, on the other hand...
He winces, projections of apology escaping him. He's sorry, he didn't mean to upset Melody... sweatdrop
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 12:47 am
Why would she do such a mean thing?! Melody thought-- she thought Baikou--! gonk
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 12:50 am
Wha...?
Oh, no....nono, it was nothing like that...! he explains, righting his balance so he's not clinging to the railing.
Hitsuga had invited Baikou to cut his hair, Melody sees...
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 12:53 am
"I'll return with some menus," June says quickly, excusing herself.
Meanwhile, Melody can't stop staring at Hitsuga's hair-- perhaps just a bit judgmentally. He does realize that there are places where trained professionals can cut hair, right...?
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 1:03 am
......
...it then dawns on him that perhaps Melody is unfamiliar with the custom attached to such things.
He had preferred Baikou to do it herself, he explains, because...in the Empire, that is how a man tells the rest of the world he has been newly-married. sweatdrop
Boys grow their hair long and lovely to attract attention to themselves, and then their wife, or sometimes their mothers, cut his hair short to show the sacrifices he has made to her.
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