genessia | [Backdated/Locked] A Cheerful Visit

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[Backdated/Locked] A Cheerful Visit

WHO: Luke and Koishi
WHAT: A visit!
WHERE: Luke's apartment
WHEN: November 10th
WARNINGS: There will be cute

When Luke got back to his apartment that evening he might notice something amiss. A few overturned pillows, an open window, a few doors were left half-closed... And an absolutely delicious smell. The source of which was not difficult to find.

There was a wooden box on his kitchen table filled with rice and two pieces of some sort of grilled fish on top drizzled with an amber sauce. Next to it were several more dishes containing a variety of things. Some sort of vegetable dish in a sauce? Did it have pears in it? A couple sliced circular foods that had been breaded and fried. In addition several steamed buns had been prepared.

And hanging off the back of one chair was a very familiar hat-

"LUUUKE!" And there was the hug. Koishi, now quite visible, squeezed him perhaps a bit too tight for comfort, drifting up into the air, spinning around, before landing once more. She looked absolutely better, her eyes bright enough to cast a bit of light on her cheeks.

"Luke! Hello I'm here now. And I'm fine, see? Also I brought you dinner!" That was obvious. The little youkai grabbed his cheeks, squishing them a bit. "I already picked up Ivysaur and Gallade. They looked great and were so happy to see me. You did such a good job taking care of them. Thank you so much!"

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Luke's trip home was fairly uneventful, a book from the library tucked under his arm (one hundred and fifty percent not about youkai but instead a mystery novel) and food for Suna in tow. When he walks into his apartment he leaves both items on the counter and hangs up his coat, stepping out of his shoes and surveying the slightly out-of-sorts room warily.

His stomach betrays his concern, though, grumbling loudly--and not a second later Koishi is upon him. Her hug squishes him, and he fidgets slightly in her grasp as he's spun. And while she seems so very much herself, the Koishi he knows so well, he can't completely shake the trepidation settled deep in the pit of his stomach.

He hopes it doesn't show.

"Ah--you're welcome! They all had fun playing together. I didn't mind watching them at all! They'll have to come back some time." A pause, and he smiles weakly. "You're welcome, really, Koishi. I didn't mind watching them at all. You didn't have to do this--"

"Yes I DO!" She cut him off, letting go of his cheeks. "You did so much for me Luke! More than you even realize. Sis is happy too." A pause. "As... happy as she usually is." Her smile turned a bit sheepish before brightening again.

"Still, there's fooood!" She was practically dragging him into the kitchen. "Unadon. Grilled eel over rice. It's really really good... Well I like it. If you don't I brought plenty of other things to try." She looked hopeful all the same. It looked REALLY good.

"Sis made one of her special teas and gave it to me in a thermos to take but I didn't know when you would be back so I didn't pour it yet. I only uncovered everything when I sensed you nearby. So sit down and I'll find a cup."

She finally let him go and zipped off to find a cup, checking cabinets until she returned with a mug. She filled it with a reddish amber tea with a heavy but somewhat floral smell. "It's not bitter. Don't worry."

Luke follows along, not that he's been given much of a choice in the matter--and when she deposits him in the kitchen he initially goes to direct her to the cabinet and ultimately falls silent. Koishi isn't going to allow him to help, so instead he settles in his seat and waits.

When the mug is placed in front of him, he takes a deep breath, smelling the unusual brew. It's probably no surprise that Luke really does think about his tea. He then takes a small sip.

"Mmm--this isn't like anything I've ever has before," He says quietly.

After hesitating he considers the spread on the table. "This is an awful lot of food, Koishi..."

The tea was, as expected, strong. It was smooth though, ending in a pleasant warmth that tingled all the way down. It actually had an almost chilly aftertaste with a touch of sweet, all with floral undertones. It was certainly very refreshing.

"Whatever you don't eat you can wrap up for later. Everything has a box with a lid and it all fits really nicely together. Don't worry I'll pick up all the containers when you're through with them." She was leaning back in the air a bit as she floated, almost like she was sitting... kinda.

"Luuuke! I know you're hungry when you get home, so eat, okay? I'll feed Suna for you so she doesn't pester you." No doubt Koishi had endued a begging fox while waiting for Luke to return. The food smelled amazing after all.

She didn't wait for his reply, zipping off to do just that. It took her a bit to figure out how to open Suna's food bag, filling her dish before going and getting the pokemon food and filling the other bowl too..

Looks like Luke was on his own in terms of food tasting... But eel?

Despite his appetite--and he is hungry, as Koishi had anticipated--Luke starts with anything but the eel. Everything goes nicely with the tea, which he's almost surprised by...and while it's quite a bit of food, he eats plenty.

Still, when Koishi comes back to the kitchen she'll find that he's made a plate of food for her, a generous helping of the grilled eel over rice for her set on the table before her.

"Everything is really good, Koishi! I saved some for you!"

Despite the oddness of eating eel it was... absolutely delicious. It tasted remarkably like barbecued chicken though the texture was nowhere near similar. And the rice was a great accent, the sauce from the eel soaking into it some and giving it an extra bit of flavor.

The fried circular things turned out to be some sort of root like vegetable perhaps? Either way they were hot and good. Likewise the vegetable salad with the shaved pears was wonderful. And the steamed buns had some sort of meat in them. Beef and pork maybe? Either way it was shredded and very tender.

When Koishi returned blinked down at the plate Luke had made for her, her eyes brightening significantly. Though... she glanced at his...

"Luuke. You should eat your fill before giving me any. I already had some at home. So I'm not hungry. I even had my dessert already. I... got impatient on the way." The little youkai actually looked embarrassed, flattening her bangs over her eyes since she didn't have a hat to pull down.

Edited 2015-11-19 08:34 (UTC)

"I did eat!" Well, he's still eating, anyway, as he finishes a bite of the salad. Swallowing, he looks at her, tilting his head. It wasn't until she'd fiddled with her hair that he'd noticed--

"Where's Mr. Hat?"

The absence of Mr. Hat has completely distracted him from food, and he leans forward in his chair, glancing around the room. "You always have him with you somewhere..."

"Well keep eating. It's your food." She dropped her hand, flush pretty much gone. She had to pause to fluff her bangs again lest they obfuscate her vision.

"Mister Hat? He's just-" She paused mid point, tilting her head. He HAD been hanging on the back of a kitchen chair. She drifted quickly around the table, reaching down and picking up the beloved felt article. "Here he is!" And right back on her head he went.

With the added shade of the brim her eyes appeared even brighter, Koishi sitting back in the air again to watch Luke eat. She really did seem completely back to normal. "Once you're done I have ichigo daifuku for you. Remember? That sticky, chewy sweet stuff that we ate on your birthday? It's that but with sweet red bean paste in the middle with a strawberry! I put them in the cold box so that it would be chilly when you ate them. Its good chilly."

Edited 2015-11-19 09:03 (UTC)

"Oh--okay!"

He continues to pick at the food Koishi's brought, having eaten his way through quite a significant amount of what she'd given him--the eel is the least touched but he certainly tried it! Every now and then his gaze flicks up to hers, uncertain. He's still anxious--somewhere deep in his stomach he feels ever-so-slightly uncomfortable, uncertain, around his friend.

But picking at his food until his stomach is so full it nearly hurts feels better than the anxious roiling he had instead. And Suna, despite her dinner having been in place, eventually makes an appearance, climbing up the back of Luke's chair and setting her paws on his shoulder.

"Hi Suna. Would you like some eel?" Luke tilts his head so he can see the fox's face. "I'm not sure it's good for you."

"Hehe. She was such a little pig back at home. She and Scribbles would team up and nab scraps from the kitchen sometimes along with a few of the other animals." Koishi turned a bit in the air, drifting over and removing Luke's hat, placing her own on his head. "You can give her some if you want. The sauce might give her a tummy-ache though so give her parts without sauce."

Despite the hat swap and the initial face squish Koishi was actually keeping a bit of distance between them. She probably was sensing his nervousness. She tended to be sensitive to things like that.

"Oh! Luke! Sis got me more ring puzzles and a book of riddles. I brought them over if you want to puzzle-things." Ignoring somewhat the elephant in the room.

"But dessert first!"

She zipped over to the fridge and removed a dark wood box from it, drifting back over to the table and placing it in front of luke. She opened it to reveal several round blobs of mochi with tiny bean paste dots for eyes. Each had been carefully cut open to look like a mouth with a big strawberry sticking out of it. "Sis likes to make desserts cute sometimes."

"She'll eat anything she can get in her mouth," Luke comments, "including used tea leaves, which definitely gave her a tummy ache. But she knew not to eat those again."

Suna sniffs the eel she's offered, licking it curiously before snapping up the sauce-free piece she's offered. She then crawled further up his shoulder and settled, resting her hind legs on one side and her front paws on the other, her face on his collarbone. Her dark eyes watched Koishi zip about the room almost protectively, as if Suna could sense her little human's nervousness and was intent on keeping him calm herself--not that the fennec fox was going to be doing much protecting herself.

"Puzzles? Oh...maybe later, if you still want--" If ever there were a sign that he was not quite himself, that was it.

"Dessert? This is an awful lot of food, Koishi." But those mochi-strawberry-blobs are adorable. "...why would you want to eat something so cute?!"

"Why would I..." She tilted her head, her eyes unfocusing a bit. "Ummm Because they're really really delicious?" She had a point, setting the mochi blobs on the table in front of him, backing off some and wringing her hands.

She had settled some since her initial burst of energy and though her eyes were bright, her third eye and arteries where they should be, she still seemed a little bit...

"Is something wrong?" She hesitatntly drifted a little closer, tilting her head partway over the table. "You're like a black stone in sand under clear water." Unusually clear for her riddle-speech, but her eye was open a little bit, turned approximately in his direction. "Do you not like something? If you tell me what it is I'll make sure to avoid it next time."

Wishful thinking Koishi. If only it was that simple.

"They're pretty. Like...little sculptures. It's kind of a shame to eat little pieces of art!" Luke scratches Suna's ears, thoughtful. "I'm sure they taste really good though."

He reaches to take one of said mochi-blobs, still eager to try one despite how adorable they look, when she questions his behavior. Immediately, he freezes, paling just slightly. Suna evidently feels him stiffen beneath her, and she shifts, little eyes watching Koishi carefully.

Luke sinks in his seat, frowning, his gaze falling on the table. The motion tips the hat Koishi had plopped on his head forward, obscuring his face. He swallows nervously, taking a moment to collect his thoughts before looking up and forcing a smile. "Um...I'm sorry. Nothing's really wrong. Everything's really great! I mean, well, the eel's a little weird--I mean, it's a good weird! I've never had eel before. But everything's really good. It was really nice of Miss Satori to make me food. I promise you really didn't have to bring anything..."

"Maybe sometime sis could show you how to make food cute like she does. We can sculpt mochi into all sorts of neat shapes. I bet you would be good at it." Her voice was soft with a very gentle cadence. The little youkai was silent for a long while, only broken by a gentle tap as the soles of her shoes touched down.

He most certainly wasn't upset about the food. Koishi almost regretted bringing it up but it was something that should be dealt with early.

She let him speak without interruption. "I see..." She didn't say anything for several moments, simply watching Luke. Her third eye rested in her hands, the youkai's fingers delicately massaging it. "There's a reason, Luke, as to why humans and youkai rarely mix. It's hard to be friends with a monster. Even the non-carnivorous ones." She didn't really sound hurt. More melancholy. "I can leave if it would make you more comfortable. It's okay. Humans find satori difficult to be around for good reason."

"No!"

The reaction is instantaneous, and it's probably better that way than anything else--because if he stopped to think about it, to question it, to put more thought into what Koishi said or why he was nervous or what was going on he might not prove his point. He might even go so far as disprove his point.

Instead, though, he pushes back from the table, knocking over his now-empty teacup. Suna grunts, jumping off his shoulders as he does so and skitters away as he gets to his feet. Both of his hands are balled into little fists at his side, eyes wide, and he hiccups, feeling tears in his eyes. Before better judgment could come along and have him reconsider his actions, he slid around the table and threw his arms around her, hugging her tight.

"Sometimes I'm scared, but I don't want you to leave, Koishi!"

Edited (Chaaanged my icon) 2015-11-23 07:05 (UTC)

Koishi hopped back a little at his sudden mood shift, catching herself in the air. Her eyes had dimmed significantly, quite wide. She held like that for a moment before, relaxing slightly, she drifted forward a short ways, head tilted, eyes returning to normal.

The human heart was a powerful thing.

She wasn't entirely sure what to say. It had been a long time since another's emotion had truly sparked her own In a way she could even identify... Well, if she didn't know what to say, then best not to think about it too much. She'd just over-complicate it for herself.

She smiled, this time more genuine. "Alright. I wont go if you don't want me to." It widened quite a bit. "That means a lot coming from a human like you. You have such a strong character and you're so determined. It makes me glad. I don't understand people anymore so such strong assurance mean more to me than you know." The artery over her shoulder twisted into a heart. "I don't want you to be frightened of me though. I'm a satori youkai, and its okay to be scared of monsters, but I'm Koishi too. And you're my best friend Luke. I want to help if I can, okay?"

Edited (little errors) 2015-11-23 17:02 (UTC)

Luke nodded weakly into her shoulder from his position with his arms still wrapped around her.

"Youkai Koishi is sometimes scary," He admits quietly, leaning back from the hug and wiping his eyes. One of his hands stayed wrapped around her wrist tightly, as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. "Koishi Koishi, you...you aren't ever. You look like you."

He scrubs at his eyes again, sniffling. "You're my friend. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry. I frightened you. I can hardly blame you for feeling skittish and nervous." She gently placed a hand on his head, her third eye hovering off to one side in the corner of his vision. It was open enough for the frosted surface to be visible. She was very, very focused.

"I don't want you to be scared of me. Youkai Koishi is just as kind and gentle as the mask she wears. Because I haven't changed at all. I was scared too Luke. I couldn't think and I was really uncertain about what I should do and things got a bit out of hand."

Her smile became a little strained. "As frightening as youkai can be, humans are scary too. Any of us is stronger than a single human, but very few of us have any hope of escaping a mob, much less fight one. Especially in this day in age with all the clever weapons you humans have." She twitched once, removing her hand from his head to rub at her left eye. She let her arm drop after a moment, focusing again on Luke.

"I'm saying this because I want you to know more about me so you can feel more comfortable Luke." Or, at least, she was assuming it would help. Mystery and the unknown are what made things scary, right? "I'm not going to try and shelter you like a child. You're young, but you don't need protecting like that. So I'm going to keep being myself. I'm already being all formal and dishonest with my face. I don't need to put on an act too. I'm me and I wont change just because you know more about me, okay? And I'll answer any questions you have."

He's scared that if he lets go she'll disappear, but he's not sure where that fear's come from and he's not sure why it's settled so deep in the pit of his stomach--but it's strong enough that even though she occasionally moves to take her hand back he only grips her wrist tighter as she talks.

Don't leave. Don't leave. Don't leave.

Luke is caught between confusion and laughter at Koishi's comment. "Humans b-being scary? I don't..." He was about to press on when she explained how. The ingenuity, the tools--mobs with weapons, fighting youkai off. His stomach dropped.

He's quiet for a few moments, trying to ease the waves of upset roiling through him, stomach turning uncomfortably. He leans forward until he's close enough to press his forehead against hers. "I don't want to know any other things now. I just..."

The quaking hiccup is enough to make it clear that the apprentice is crying again. Evidently he'd been more distraught after the events in Satsuki's office last month than he'd attempted to let on. "Right now though, you're just here and you're you and maybe an-nother time I can ask things but n-now you're just here and that en-nough. Right?"

Koishi didn't object to his grip. Not really, though after a moment she did shift her hand, slipping from his grasp and catching his hand with her own. She returned the squeeze gently.

She remained quiet, tilting her head forward a little bit. Her smile never really left though, still faint on her lips. She leaned forward a bit, bumping his head with her own and knocking her hat from his head. A playful gesture but not overly so. She allowed him to cry though, reeling in her aura as much as she could, her own emotions vanishing with it. At least for now, maintaining only her expression. Right now it was more important for him to feel his emotions.

"Luke?" She began. "It's plenty. Please don't worry about me so much. I'm not going anywhere." She squeezed his hand again. "Have you not cried this whole time? You shouldn't bottle up your emotions. You might just explode." Her third eye drifted a bit closer, swaying a bit in the air. It was open again. "You can ask me anything you want whenever you want, okay? When you're comfortable... But that's a ways off."

She reached up and ruffled his mop of brown hair a little bit. "For now, I'll stay however long you want me to." She was carefully monitoring her tone, keeping it even and positive. "Spreading paint rippling over and through and drifting down and cascading on rocks only to vanish again with time. Time, time..." Her words became less coherent as she continued, her eye quickly closing. She wasn't fading though, still very visible.

Luke laughs as Koishi bumps his forehead and knocks the hat free, but it's an ugly laugh and tinged with sobs, the kind that comes with a long cry, choked and gasping. She squeezes his hand, and he drops his forehead to her shoulder, quaking with silent sobs as he tried to quiet himself. Gentlemen don't make a scene and this? This is most definitely a scene.

"People don't ex-explode," he chokes out, hiccuping through the comment in defiance. It's not as if his own behavior is really confirming his point, despite his attempt to do so, "emotions d-don't make you do tha-at."

He can feel Koishi's fingers in his hair, and he tightens the hand around hers. Don't let go, don't leave. Every time the thought crosses his mind again his chest tightens a little bit more. Everyone leaves. So many people come and go. So many people come with people they know from home. And here he is and he's got neither of those things--he's still here, and if Koishi were to leave what would he do? The Professor would tell him that's a leap in his logic, that he was upset that Koishi would go home a little while ago and now he's upset about Koishi going home home and they are two very different things.

Luke lifts his head, eyes red-rimmed from crying. He's dizzy from the breathless sobs, tears still rolling down his cheeks. Poor manners or not, he runs his sleeve across his eyes, hiccuping. "Th-thank you."

"They can explode. Just not literally." Kosihi rubbed his back gently. "They explode on the inside. Emotions can break humans. Especially little humans. Let your emotions pour out before they explode. Because they'll burn you up if you don't." Her voice sounded somewhat distant despite how close she was.

She slid back a little after a minute, wrapping an arm around his shoulders instead guiding him over to the chair and urging him into it. She was being careful, keeping a hand on his shoulder to ensure she remained visible to him as she reached over and pulled the daifuku closer where he could reach it. Sweet things would help, right? Maybe? She hoped? A tendril had already retrieved her hat from the floor, replacing it on Luke's head. As long as her hat was here it meant that she was here, regardless of if she was visible or not.

"You don't have many rings. Swaying and rustling and reaching and turning and flexible. But you don't have much of a view yet. Growing and curling... Someday you will though but you'll creak and crack with lots of rings. You'll be strong but you won bend. Learn the right shape now. I know you can do it." She almost sounded nostalgic. "Seeing the mountains change every decade with the ebb and flow of humans. On and off. Carved and resting. That was my favorite..."

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[Backdated/Locked] A Cheerful Visit

When isn't there cute in a thread with these two? Honest

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brb crying forever

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you broke Luke, he's broken. He just wants to snuggle and ask questions later k

oh noes! I must fix!

I miss Little Human and still wonder how she learned/remembered his name lol

Gah! Sorry I thought I replied to this!