reverielogs | open network & mingle

Entry tags:

open network & mingle

» WHO? Ren Amamiya & ota!
» WHEN? Throughout the end of June
» WHERE? The Mess Hall
» WHAT? A request and a mingle, coffee shop AU without the AU
» WARNINGS? none

text; un: @joker

To whomever might be interested/is tired of the sludgy refuse that passes for coffee around here, I've gotten my hands on some real beans and have the means to turn them into a more than passable cup of coffee, if I do say so myself.

I'll be setting up shop in the Mess Hall for ease of access most mornings. Resources are somewhat precious but seeing as there's no currency on the station I won't be charging, though I am looking for a few things in trade if anyone has them available/is consistently successful at coaxing them out of the fabricators. Sugar or flavored syrups for blended drinks, or if anyone has books or e-reader files I'm always on the hunt for new material to occupy my spare time.

Contact me at this user name or ask for Amamiya at the Mess Hall if you have anything you'd like to offer. Thank you for your time.

action;/mingle

[ As promised, most days of the week a tall, lanky teen with messy black hair can be found manning a table not too far from the replicators, a casual but polite air about him as he meets requests agreeably. Sorry, anyone who enjoyed a relatively quiet meal time in the mess; the burr grinder intermittently ruins the tranquility that isn't already deflated by residents pleading to an unseeing, unhearing god for the fabricators to actually make what they want for once.

This is the social mantle that Ren Amamiya donned earliest as a kid on probation in Tokyo. He supposes that the upside of spontaneously waking up in a new place in an unknown section of the multiverse is that stuff like that doesn't follow you there. Ren certainly doesn't miss it, nor the deadeyed stares at school, nor the stage whispered declarations that if you met his line of sight he'd break your arm clean in half. As if these noodle arms could accomplish much past breaking dry pasta noodles into a pot.

Sojiro was one of the first to see the potential for something different. Or it'd be more accurate to say that he hoped that having something to do around Café Leblanc in an official capacity would keep Ren's head down, keep his hands busy so they don't sneak into cookie jars or whatever it is that kids get up to these days. The coffee making lessons Ren picked up are on display in the Mess, a steady rhythm of measurement to grind, boil to thermometer and then the slow, slow pour, everything that Sojiro knew would make a damn fine cup of coffee and learning these techniques is a one-way ticket to caffeine addiction. Because with great power comes great self-inflicted insomnia. ]

Hm? I didn't catch that, sorry.

[ Ren's not usually inattentive but for the moment it took you to ask for a cup or two he seemed to be absorbed in a thought, now jolting back into awareness. ]

Black only, I'm afraid. If you're a fabricator whisperer you could do me a solid, though.

[ Some days a large, long-haired cat is alternately curled up on one end of the table or is batting at various implements that he needs, okay Lisa? What flavorless bits of meat he could coax out were set aside in a bowl that she is snootily sticking her, uh, snoot at.

Ren's expression is strained at the edges, glancing somewhat helplessly at you. ]

Distraction please? She's, uh. Fixated, at the moment.

[ Or people can use this as a chance to meet one another, chat each other up, or otherwise get way too much caffeine now that tolerance levels are good and low. The world is your oyster, dear reader. ]

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This stuff? This tastes nothing like jet fuel believe me.

[How does he know that? 9S is already moving on at a breakneck pace.]

It was unpleasant at first but once you get used to it its almost like you don't taste the bitterness anymore you know alcohol is pretty bad too but you don't notice it after awhile.

[He really, really needs to ask if 9S has ever actually gotten the opportunity to eat jet fuel, but before the opportunity comes, it's gone, just like that- as he continues to ramble onward.

Ryuji's mouth hangs agape for a moment, until he reminds himself that it doesn't look very pleasing to appear that way, and closes it. This guy... shit, he's going to crash so hard.]

You know, you can mix alcohol and coffee together.

[The important things...]

[9S must now face the reality that sometimes humans look really stupid.]

What?

[That stops him in his tracks. Momentarily.]

Wouldn't they cancel each other out since one's a stimulant and the other is a depressant?

[Not most humans, honestly. Just the blond idiot in front of you. Sorry that this is the concept that you're indebted and honored to protect at all costs. Ryuji's a shining example of that, obviously.]

Yeah. I mean. I guess it's a mixed bag? Like maybe you don't wanna be hyper as shit, but you also wanna feel a buzz. It makes sense. You stay awake a little longer to party and at the same time, get a lil' shitfaced.

Dunno, haven't tried it myself. Don't plan on it. Alcohol and me don't get along well either.

[He had history with the stuff.]

[Well, at least he likes him. Ryuji's easy to talk to, and 9S appreciates that sort of relief. It can be hard to talk to your creators sometimes.]

Hmm... [9S considers the idea. It's worth testing.] I'll have to give it a try sometime it's not as if I'll suffer any long term consequences.

[There's a rare pause, and then a laugh.]

What did alcohol do to you it's not like it's sentient sooo...

[Ryuji is definitely not your creator. There's at least some intelligent design to 9S. Must've been a lot smarter, better people than him in the future, obviously. If anything, he thinks he's pretty normal, all things considered. Even if "normal" had a sort of relativity to it.]

Hah... man, yeah. If you're gonna have the true human experience, you should do everything you can while you have the opportunity to do it. That's the best way to live.

Free, y'know?

[He admittedly likes the sound of 9S laughing. It has a pleasant sound to it, and that... kind of surprises him? Not from a human-android ambassadorial experience, but just that it feels more natural to be easy in conversation like this.]

Alcohol? It's kinda addictive and that sorta stuff runs in my family, so it's probably better if I don't start, y'know?

I suppose that's how humans live but we androids don't age and as long as we aren't infected by a logic virus and keep our data backed up we can theoretically live indefinitely.

[A pause.]

Humans are free to do as they like but we androids have a duty as soldiers.

[9S could not say in confidence that he was "free", but he did have free will, and one day when the machines are eradicated he can do inconsequential things whenever he wants.]

I've heard alcohol can have negative effects but it's not a drug so how can it be addictive?

[For all intents and purposes, he's stuck on a world where machines might not even have the same implication that they do on his home world, so... what's stopping him from doing inconsequential things anyway? He's enjoying a cup of coffee, which is kind of cool. Live the live you wanna, 9S.]

Man, to be young forever~ [He elongates the sound of forever to add a sort of wistful sound to it, complete with the optimism that being a teen is usually considered the best part of a Japanese person's life. Sad.]

I think you gotta take some coffee with you into battle. That's gonna amp your game up at least 50%. Just take a cup and go, the next thing you know, you're out there chopping up baddies left and right.

[And then this conversation gains some sobriety, and Ryuji angles his head as if he's trying to find the right words.]

It's kinda like a drug. People get hooked on how they feel when they're drunk 'cause they don't wanna live in their own head. I mean, I can kinda only guess about that stuff, really. My old man was pretty much that way, but. Eh, all things in moderation.

Uhh fighting's not really my forte.

[9S brushes aside the idea, at least on the surface. He's certainly tucked it away for later, but he doesn't think it would be particularly useful when applied to him. 2B, on the other hand...

Maybe it's the sudden seriousness of their conversation that finally has 9S slowing down a bit.]

So it's a form of escapism. It's hard to imagine any human would need to go to those lengths.

[He got the sense that 9S' true strength was hacking, at least, from what 2B had briefly spoken with him about before...

Ryuji doesn't want to think about that. He just hopes wherever she is, she's doing okay.

But either way, programmers lived on coffee, right? Coding way into the wee hours of the night, so maybe it could help him speed up that sweet, sweet networking infiltration skill he has. He'd suggest that, but- he continues on a topic that hits pretty close to home for the blond, and he just smiles at him. Confident as ever, of course, despite the fact that deep down, this shit still kind of stung to talk about.]

I guess some people are just really unhappy with their lives. Like it didn't turn up the way they wanted it to, so they need something else to make up the gap. I dunno. I never really understood it that much to begin with. And I don't really ever plan on askin' my dad about it either. That is, if I ever see 'em again, and that's pretty damn unlikely.

[9S keeps his head low, his expression downcast.]

Oh... I think I understand. There are androids who desert us you know? There are even pacifist machines! I guess everyone can desire change but maybe some people don't know how to achieve it.

Hey what--

[Oh.

Oh hey, he didn't want to cause you any sort of mood crash here, honestly. He'll just... awkwardly reach out and touch your shoulder as supportive as he can be. Which. Okay, peeersonal space?]

Yeah... I mean, you're right. Without change, nothing can grow. Kinda like lobsters. You know that they get stressed out and shed their shells? They literally can't get bigger unless they get rid of the home that's stranglin' their growth.

[9S lifts his head, giving the gesture a bemused look that only grows more so as Ryuji describes some strange creature.]

What? I have nooo idea what a lobster is but it sounds pretty inconvenient.

[Oh, that's right. 2B did tell him that things were pretty much beyond the point of repair back where they came from, and it sort of settles in and makes sense that he's so far removed from humanity that he wouldn't know what a lobster is.

Ryuji covers his mouth though, to stop himself from making any sort of sound that resembles a chuckle.]

They're kinda like... these things with claws that live in the oceans that you can cook and eat. [For added effect, he pinches his fingers together and emphasizes the snipping part of the lobster stuff.]

And they look like really big bugs, kinda. But they're deeeelicious.

They look like bugs... [9S lets that simmer a moment.] You mean like a beetle fish? I've never eaten one of those before.

What the hell is a beetle fish? [Culture shock abundant, here.

But mostly, there's a fish out there that hasn't been sushified? That needs to happen.]

But yeah. They're delicious bugs. Especially their claws. Oh man, their claws are sooooo good.

It's a beetle that's taken to the sea.

[9S leaves the explanation at that.]

Really? I'd think the claws would be the least appetizing part. They sound like they'd be hard to chew even for an android.

[Wait, what?

For a second, the image of 9S chomping down on a lobster claw, shell and all, comes across his vision and he just.

Starts laughing. Ugly laughing. The type that's really well needed, and he can't help himself.]

AHh... haha, dude. You crack the claw open and suck out the insides! You don't. Man... that's a way to break your teeth if I ever heard one.

[9S tenses at the sudden laughter, his face turning just a shade redder. What's so funny?]

Oh, uh... I see! Haha... That makes more sense, doesn't it? You don't eat the bones of animals.

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open network & mingle

if this is wrong, welp, I've never drunk coffee lol

nope that's pretty much right, ryuji's just got a baby's palate

nice

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