deercountry | If I had died

"Kino Makoto, she owns a bakery and flower shop here, I plan to help out at it, actually." Because he loved his sensei, she was cool and awesome.

He pulled out the scallions and started dicing those up too, wanting everything ready before putting in the miso paste in the water. He knew most people started the water beforehand but he was still getting used to the new oven and stove top and didn't want to feel rushed.

"I was never allowed to cook back home, so when I came to Deerington, it was important I learn fast to survive on my own before Woody, Jessie, and Buzz took me in."

Edited 2022-12-12 06:44 (UTC)

"That sounds like a great idea. I'll have to drop by sometime." Partly because flowers were neat, so were pastries. And part of him is a little surprised, somehow, that someone can make a florist work, here.

He shouldn't be surprised. He really shouldn't. And yet he is.

Woody, Jessie, Buzz... Those names ring a few bells, but they don't prompt faces to come to mind. They must not have made it to Trench. So, he decides not to pry. Instead - "We can always use more hands in the kitchen. Hands who know what they're doing."

"You should, she's really nice," and one of the few adults Ritsuka will openly admit to liking and trusting. He blushed a bit, and cleared his throat, unable to stop the way his ears perked and his tail wagged.

"I've only... really started 'knowing what I'm doing' I wasn't allowed to cook all that much back home."

Or... at all, actually.

"I'll have to stop by. Maybe she can help me out with a gift idea." There's a certain anniversary coming up in February, after all. He's got a couple ideas, but he won't say no to more.

Shiro grins. "Well, you're already way ahead of me," he admits. "I burn toast. Almost exclusively."

"She's smart and talented, she absolutely can." Ritsuka doesn't have a lot of faith in 90% of adults. The ones that he does have faith in, however, can do anything and everything in his mind.

His ears bend back at that comment.

"Do... do you just not know how to make toast?"

"Thank you," he says, sincerely. "I'll definitely look her up."

He will, too. And probably half a dozen other people, but he has no way of knowing that right now.

"I uh." Wow, that's a telling silence there. "I can't... really make much of anything. To be honest."

"Well, you know a thousand ways on how NOT to make toast, by sheer virtue of probability, you'll have to get it right eventually?" Ritsuka is not the best optimist but he does try, especially for the people he likes.

"But I don't mind cooking until you DO manage something, Shiro-san."

"You would think so."

It's less optimism being the problem here, and more Shiro ... knows his own kitchen problems. There are so many of them. So very many. Even probability doesn't seem like it's going to be on his side for this one.

"I can manage things that aren't - that don't need heat. Sandwiches, cereal, that kind of thing." An embarrassed shrug. "So - absolutely. Anything you want to do in the kitchen, please do."

Ritsuka continues to nibble on his food, contemplative and quiet. He's so... genuine. He's reminded of Yuiko, the tween Yuiko, not his pokemon named after her. His ears press back and perk up. Shiro is so... genuine. Adam is too, for that matter. They are open and honest and... and kind.

It feels...

It feels nice.

It feels really, really nice.

He blushes furiously and just keeps quiet as he eats for a bit, willing his blush to go away.

"I'll um..." he has to find his voice again. "I'll try and get creative with what's available, then. Ask Makoto-sensei for more recipes."

Shiro is like a golden retriever half the time. He doesn't know how to be anything other than genuine where other people are concerned. His eyebrow arches for a second, watching Ritsuka's ears. But he doesn't comment. Maybe the kid heard something down the hall. Wouldn't surprise him in the slightest.

The blushing - he very purposefully does not comment on, and also very purposefully, igores.

"Take your time," is what he says instead. "And only if you want to. Don't feel like you have to make dinner every night or anything, okay?" Adam, himself and Keith are all pretty much adults, they can manage on Trench PB&J if nothing else. And Chloe is more than capable in the kitchen. He's... not sure about Venus, though, and makes a mental note to check.

"I don't... like eating alone," he mumbled, his ears pressing back against his head. He's done it often enough, at lunch before Yuiko butted into his life, when mom passed out from her meds, when dad refused to come home altogether. He used to always eat with Seimei and then...

He preferred not eating alone, for all his constant talk of wanting to BE alone.

"Okay," he says, easily and simply. "I don't think that's going to be a problem while you're here. There's enough of us, someone will probably almost always be in the kitchen. Or eating."

They all probably keep weird hours, to an extent. But that's not quite the point, and he smiles, gently.

"But I mean it, if you don't feel up to cooking, don't feel like you have to."

He gave a small nod as he took another bite, leaving his utensils in his mouth for a bit in thought. Learning to cook had been a means of taking control over something he had never had control in... it was also necessary because he had been living alone for some time. But he learned that he didn't... like eating all alone. Sometimes he wanted peace and quiet, but with how often as he ate with Yuiko and Yayoi, Natsuo and Youji, Soubi, his mom... then when he came to Deerington...

He was more used to eating with people than anything else.

"I'll uh... keep that in mind. Maybe in the morning..." Ritsuka was not an early bird.

"Mornings tend to be anything we can grab and coffee," he admits. A little sheepishly. He's been chided about that before. Several times. "Cereal if there's time."

So, there's no real pressure for Ritsuka to cook, is what he means.

"Except toast, obviously," he smiled, unable to help it as he bit into his food, his tail wagging with amusement.

"Oh... uh... no one is scared of ghosts here, are they?"

Shiro... sighs. "Except toast," he admits, trying to keep his face from turning red. And failing.

Yep - Ritsuka is going to fit in here just fine.

"It depends on the ghost? Why do you ask?"

"Um..." he glanced to the side. "Well..." He whistles, the sound unique in length, pitch, and tone. Withing seconds, his Mismagius appeared right in front of Shiro's face.

"Yuiko is my Omen."

"Oh-"

That's kind of a surprise. But with the warning? And, besides, that's actually kind of cute?

"Hey there, Yuiko." He lifts a hand, and gives the little ghost a wave.

"Yuiko, this is Shiro-san," the pokemon circled Shiro making a soft noise as she did so and coming back around until they were eye to eye.

"Yuiko's been with me since Deerington. She's protected me ever since."

"Then it's nice to meet you, Yuiko."

They'll get used to her, he's sure. If they can get used to the others' omens and a wolf from space, a cute ghost is perfectly fine.

"Thanks for keeping an eye on Ritsuka. I know he's got friends who definitely appreciate it."

The Mismagius trilled and her sound might cause a slight headache, that's just the nature of her voice.

At the mention of friends, Ritsuka blushed deeply and looked away.

"I um... pretty sure most of my friends are gone, actually... and... I'm pretty bad at making new ones." He's an introvert who just kept getting adopted by extroverts. "It-it's okay though, I'm more used to being alone."

Shiro's smile for the ghost turned a bit strained - ow. But it stayed. Only to soften as he looked over to Ritsuka.

"Well... you've already got a pretty good start here," he said. And it's as gentle as ever. Assuring as he can make it. "Chloe and Keith are good people. They're like my siblings. Venus - just got here, but reminds me a lot of you, actually."

Not to mention Adam, who absolutely would be happy Ritsuka was moved in.

His ears perked and he tilted his head. "Really?" his tail wagged and Yuiko snickered, becoming invisible as she went to go play with Ritsuka's tail.

At the mention of Venus being like him, his ears bent back.

"Uh... is... is that a good thing? That Venus is like me?"

"Really. And, yeah, I think it is."

He really does. They're both a little jumpy, anxious. Ritsuka has more snark and bite than Venus does, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't get along. Maybe it'd be good for Venus, having another friend who can sass.

"It means I think you'll get along."

He opens his mouth and is about to instantly refute that he's not nice, that people SHOULDN'T like him because he's... well, self-aware enough that what he says can be both rude and jerky, that he has a bad temper and is persnickety at the best of times and an outright sarcastic asshole at the worst.

He closes his mouth. He doesn't want to say that to Shiro, he can't meet the man's gaze and his ears press back. Maybe being like him will be okay, though. He, Youji, and Natsuo are all pretty similar in a lot of ways, and they DO get along.

"I... guess we'll see," is the best at optimism he can manage.

Stupid enter button

I'M SO SORRY I NEVER GOT THIS NOTIF

Curse you DW

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CW: Child neglect

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