late bloomer jokes [feb catchall - open & closed prompts]

[siriusly]

Who: Manabu & others
What: Misc hijinks
When: February
Where: Misc locations

Content Warnings: Will be marked in tls/comments as needed

February is weird. Manabu feels...weird. He's always an impatient kind of person, needing to always be moving somewhere or doing something, but this is a different kind of impatience. More and more, he's noticing the way couples interact, double-taking at public displays of affection which he'd typically fluster and look the other way at. He pines for a lot of things here in Trench: his family, his coworkers, his job... but he's not used to pining for things like...y'know, hand-holding.

So goes Manabu Yuuki's 24-year old awakening to romantic pining; it's going to be coloring a lot of the month for him! And that's weird and confusing for him, so you bet this'll be coloring the way he interacts with folks he runs into! Lots of word spaghetti, lots of hair frizzing with static, and some apple-red cheeks...at least he has the cold weather to blame for that.

...Even if he's a coldblood.

Shut up. It's nothing!!!

---

open prompts

o1. Willful Machine: Errands and Odd Jobs
[regardless of these roiling, blood-based feelings throwing him off his game, Manabu still throws himself into work of all sorts. he does errands and handiwork around the Roost for Diluc, but also picks up the occasional odd job for locals - Sleepers and natives alike. he's a jack of many trades and definitely master of none, but what he lacks in expertise he makes up with patience and determination.

perhaps you see him replacing tiles on a store's roof, or maybe he's hauling a wagon full of winter supplies, or part of a small squad lifting some heavy furniture by pulley up to a second floor, or simply carrying someone's groceries! either way, prime encounter opportunity.

also, Magnet is always there: that little mutt's noisy, but friendly, and always apt to bounding away from Manabu to sniff out a friend or potential friend...or at least some pets.]

---

o2.The Gate: Gunswordplay
[maybe it's too much to bank on, but smacking around the unsnake last month's given Manabu a boost of combat confidence (never mind the concussions)! that said, he definitely needs to get better at this gravity saber business; swords are really archaic, but seem to be quite a common thing here! and look, he wouldn't admit it, but he wants to be cool with the swords, too.

here Manabu can be found a couple hours before sundown after busy workdays, stretching and then trying to master balanced, repeated strikes on dummies with slashes or sparks of flame...boring stuff, but he knows it builds results. still, if anyone's itching to spar, he'll jump at that.]

---

o3. Gaze: Research
[if things are too slow as far as work goes, Manabu will veer off and go to the Archives - a place he actually hasn't made a point to visit much before! he's not a big studying kind of guy, but he knows the plans he has in mind require a lot more research and thought than just running on hunches and rumors.

also? he wants maps. an atlas feels like a reach, but if he can cobble together some maps...

so that's what he's up to: cringing and veering away from ickier aisles of oddities, picking at the spines of assorted books in increasingly lessening hope.

what's it take to find a map of the world around this place...!?]

Comments

[droptheious]

[Such a good montage! Such amazing music behind it! So inspiring!!!

Varian is about to say something about the whole POT GRABBING - mostly because he's a dumbass coldblood who genuinely forgets he can do that. Also, he wears thick alchemy gloves 98% of the time. The fact his bare hands are making an appearance here is a rare treat for everyone.

But hey, they manage it without setting anything on fire or cutting pieces off themselves! What a miracle!! ]

Hey, this looks pretty great! You're a good teacher, Manabu

[laminae]

[Best montage ever!!!

Fern does pretty well with the spices and greens. He's excellent at chopping, and as long as he follow Manabu's directions he doesn't completely mess up the spices. Huzzah!

He does, however, realize that grabbing the pot without a potholder is probably a bad idea, so as they start finishing up the broth he looks over.]

Yeah, it smells great. Is your hand okay?

[siriusly]

Hm? What do you--

[Manabu double-takes, gawking.]

Gih-!! Oh! Uh! [he actually takes a moment to check, but after a look-over and some hesitant poking and fist-clenching:] ...Huh...I guess so...

[...]

...Don't...don't pick up hot dishes without gloves on... [like him, an idiot.]

[droptheious]

[Varian's just casting him the flatest of looks. So flat.]

Oh gee, thanks Manabu, we never would have been aware of that important life skill before right at this moment.

[Still, that gentle roasting done, he moves to sniff at the dish.]

Regardless, we do appreciate this life skill. It looks really good, and I bet if we made a big enough batch we could feed the whole house with it.

[laminae]

[Fern meets Varian's look, and snickers a bit since Manabu doesn't look hurt or anything, just embarrassed.]

We're learning so much.

[This is what happens when you cook with teen boys.]

Yeah! No one's gonna starve here.

[siriusly]

I'll pack up the remainder of the spices and leave it with you guys, then; I think you can handle this on your own next time around, right? Just gotta trade up for some noodles down in Willful Machine.

[he'll grab one of the empty bowls, shaking out some of those aforementioned noodles out of its container.] So, you can eat this with noodles like this, or you can heat these up separate. [while pouring some of the broth into another, smaller bowl:] I like it like this, since the broth is already hot enough.

Then you grab a utensil, dunk your noodles in the broth to soak a bit, then you slurp! Easy.

[droptheious]

We can definitely handle this- and we do appreciate the lesson.

[Despite them being shitty teenage boys, he is glad for this, and he DOES pay attention as Manabu goes through the steps needed. He does follow Manabu's instructions, carefully to try and not spill any. ]

Oh wow, so it's like soup! But yeah...obviously a broth, that's great!

[laminae]

Uh huh! This was fun!

[With Manabu having shown them everything it really feels idiot proof. They've got this, they aren't complete disasters in the kitchen most of the time!

He'll do the same as Varian and follow Manabu - if he had a stomach it'd be growling by now.]

Soup, but way fancier. Kinda reminds me of the food my brother's girlfriend would make back home.

[siriusly]

[Manabu stops just so he can divvy out the seared and seasoned meat into each of their dishes.] Try it now - the noodles. The taste changes even with this much. And if we had some other greens and carrots...! [he sighs, maybe pining just a bit for some decent carrots. oh well. this is still good.]

It's called tsukemen, back where I'm from. My mom would make it from leftovers after she finished up working in her restaurant...but you'd never call it leftovers, eheh. It's just as good!

Sometimes we'd get more like...a...kitchen-sink soup. Which is: Put everything but the kitchen sink in there!

[droptheious]

Okay, can do.

[He does as told, tyring the food as Manabu explains it- given the happy little noises he's making and the fact he's just gonna...scarf it down. Varian rarely really enjoys food- just eating it as a thing needed to keep him alive more than actually enjoying it- so the fact he's clearly liking this is a pleasant change of pace. At some point, he stops chewing to look up.]

Hah, that's a good idea, bet you've never had the same dish twice doing that. [He points at his half-eaten bowl.] This is really good.

[laminae]

[Fern follows suit, happily munching away. More importantly though, he notices Varian's reaction and, well, that's pretty important. He's been trying for ages to find good Varian loves beyond oreos, so seeing him scarf the dish down feels like a breakthrough.

Thank you Manabu, for this gift. He'll look back over after a few moments of watching his boyfriend.]

Uh huh, it's great. And I can grow some carrots so we can try 'em for next time. Actually, I could grow some right now if you wanna take some home. As a thank you for this.

[siriusly]

Ehh, really?! [Manabu beams.] Jeez, Fern, you really do have some awesome powers! I thought it was just flowers!

[pointing his utensil at Varian:] See, next time you cook this up, you can add some carrots and onions - it'll be extra filling, so you'll definitely have leftovers for your friends.

[but nobody's getting at least this bowl, because once Manabu's cleaned out the consumables, he slurps the remaining broth down and lets out a loud, happy sigh.]

[droptheious]

[Varian's really enjoying the food, but he's not going to pass up the chance to talk up his boyfriend. Not for anything. He swallows his mouthful of food, nodding enthusiastically.]

Oh, yeah! Fern can grow all kinds of stuff, he's really impressive! You should try his coffee sometime, it's great.

[Maybe some people would feel weird about eating food your boyfriend has directly produced on his body (or at least seen some sort of innuendo in the whole thing) but Varian is not some people. ]

Duly noted. Carrots and onions. Can do!

[laminae]

[Oh, he did not think this through. He's blushing a little at their reactions, shrugging.]

Y - yup, any plant or mushroom or whatev, I can grow. [He gives Varian a little warm grin.] Including coffee, though I dunno if great is how I'd put it.
[Probably just good? He should really work harder on getting super high quality coffee beans grown, since they're so popular around here.

At any rate, he keeps on downing his own bowl.]

Have you ever thought about opening a restaurant? Or like, charging people for cooking classes? 'Cause I bet you'd get takers.

[siriusly]

Nahhh, [Manabu waves his hand a bit, shaking his head.] I'm not cut out for that. Knowing two or three dishes doesn't really qualify for one thing, y'know? Making food for friends versus strangers is entirely different.

[droptheious]

[Too bad, Fern, you're getting talked up!]

Well, I like it just fine.

[Not that Varian should really DRINK coffee - it's always a recipe for disaster whenever he does it. He smiles in Manabu's direction.]

Yeah, I can understand that. But hey something like a soup kitchen would really appreciate stuff like this. Do-do we have soup kitchens here? I feel like we probably have soup kitchens here.

[laminae]

[Okay yeah, being able to make good food doesn't automatically mean Manabu could run a whole restaurant. Varian's idea is a good one though, and Fern nods along at it.]

Yeah, what about a soup kitchen?

[siriusly]

Eh?

[blink blink. Manabu looks confused...because he is. because he's from a very well-off galaxy (for the most part), where the idea of soup kitchens is pretty far from his mind.]

Isn't that just a restaurant...that's only soup?

[droptheious]

[Manabu.

MANABU.

Varian kind of stares for a moment. Before letting out a slow sigh. He's trying his best. ]

No- no, buddy. It's a place where you feed people who struggle to buy food for themselves. Like...the poor or homeless? It's helping the community, it- it's not all soup. That's just the name.

[laminae]

[Fern, meanwhile, chuckles a little. For once, he doesn't feel dumb!]

Sometimes there's no soup involved at all. But it's all for free instead of for making money.

[siriusly]

[getting schooled by a couple of teens...friends or not, it is a bit emasculating, isn't it? Manabu pouts a bit, but is able to stuff his face and get over it as he listens.

his brow furrows as the notion forms more clearly in-mind.]

That sounds...like an awful lot of ongoing work. How would I be able to maintain while still doing stuff at the Roost and all the pick-up jobs around town? Not to mention the mapping I have to do... [SLURRRRP.]

[droptheious]

[Sorry, Manabu, at least it's loving teasing. That's the best sort! Varian kinda just...blinks at him for a moment.]

Wow. You- you've got a lot on your plate, huh? Maybe not then. [Then, carefully:] You are giving yourself a break in all that, right?

[laminae]

[Friends aren't friends without a little ribbing, but yeah, that definitely sounds like a lot. Varian is asking the question on Fern's mind very tactfully, and he helpfully pipes up in a less-than-tactful manner.]

Are you even sleeping with all that junk to do?

[siriusly]

[after wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.] Of course! You sleep better after having had a hard day's work, right? No tossing and turning, just lights out when you hit the pillow.

Any sleep I might miss is sleep I get trying to read up in the archives anyway. [he laughs a little, shrugging.]

But don't worry! Only worry if it turns out I'm not keeping busy, because that's the bad condition for someone like me.

[droptheious]

[Varian shoots Fern a look for going into this with all the subtle grace of a wrecking ball, before exhaling softly, turning back to Manabu.]

Okay, see, if I told you I was doing that, you'd tell me I need to get proper sleep. In a bed. Like. For eight entire hours. I get that you wanna keep busy, but you need sleep that's not technically passing out, too.