the pet store was all out of ponies [closed]

[daikonrose]

♥ Who: Kyoko, Shinji, Kaito, and Magolor if he deigns to bless them with his grand presence
♥ Where: Kaito & Shinji's house
♥ When: July 7th, early evening I guess?
♥ What: b i r t h d a y p a r t y
♥ Rating: G? PG?? I'll update as needed

Kyoko had gotten a little freer about casually stopping by Shinji and Kaito's place lately, especially when she could make up an excuse about swapping ingredients from their replicators, but today marked her first time taking advantage of Kai's unlocked door policy. It also happened to be her first time attempting to enter with stealth.

The final approach down the street to their house took a full half hour, as she ducked around corners and behind confused natives to make sure a certain blond wasn't outside, and paused to listen for faint sounds of a very quiet electric bike. When she drew near enough to fear being spotted from the windows, Kyoko took a deep breath, and called to mind the quick, silent movements she'd portrayed Momiji with--and zipped up to the door. Yesssss!

All that was left in this mission was to slip inside and get to the kitchen without being noticed by the target, and it would be a success. It was only a little harder with the cake box nestled securely in her arms.

Comments

[daikonrose]

Perking right up, Kyoko flashes a grin, and claps her hands together. "Roger!!" She can super do that! She has in fact dredged and fried an alarming percentage of her food since living in Havenwell! Now's her time to shine! "Let's see, let's see~ is there already flour and all that out, or should I get some? Do you need panko? I'll take care of it!"

[hedgehogsdilemma]

He, with all of his preparation for today, in fact already has most of that covered!

"I've got the panko here," he points out where it's been left among the rest of the ingredients, as well as another dish of, "flour's here - I haven't gotten the egg taken care of yet, though." If you would be so kind!

"Let me know when it's all set, okay?"

[daikonrose]

How organized! Such good planning! Kyoko beams, and springs into action. "Yes, boss!" And unless Shinji feels like making conversation, that's the last he'll hear out of her--aside from some soft, tuneless humming--until those cutlets are ready to go.

"And, done~! If there's nothing else, I'll just clean up over here right away!"

[hedgehogsdilemma]

Between the cake and the help she's already offering, it feels a little guilty letting her do dishes, too. She doesn't seem like the kind of person who'd be game for waiting patiently while there's still work to do, though, so...

"If you could, that would be really helpful."

He can set aside what he's working on now, putting the finishing touches on the salad can wait until the cutlets are nice and crispy! Time to get those going!!

[daikonrose]

Shinji is correct: Kyoko won't be truly happy unless you let her feel useful! And she would have been downright antsy leaving behind a mess she knew would be a snap to clean up.

The humming starts right back up as she works, only pausing for a mild remark once it sounds like everything is going smoothly with that bubbling oil. "Kaito told me you were his cooking teacher, but you really are good! Do you like this kind of thing?"

[hedgehogsdilemma]

That's a good question! He hums it over softly as he tends to the food sizzling away in that hot hot oil, like he's trying to piece it out for his own sake, too.

"I guess it was always more of a necessity thing?" He'd picked up a lot of various things growing up, of course, but the past year and some change really turbo-charged the need to hone those skills. "My last guardian was a pretty terrible cook." To kind of... clarify that point a little.

"But there is something... rewarding about putting together a meal that tastes good."

So like maybe? he likes it? it's hard to really say.

[daikonrose]

His last guardian.... So there had been more than one. Ah. Not the kind of thing to pursue right now, or maybe ever, but she could tuck that bit of information away anyway.

"Right?" she chatters instead, getting those suds going on the dishes. "Especially when you can watch it get eaten up, too. You and Kaito must pretty much always eat together now, right?"

[hedgehogsdilemma]

He vaguely remembers bringing up 'sensei' during that hectic baby adventure, so he figures it's not something that's a big secret in the first place. Not chasing the topic down is appreciated, at least, it really was more of an elaboration than anything.

"Most of the time, yeah. He takes care of some meals on some days, too, and he's really improved a lot." That's something worth being really proud of on Kai's behalf, and Shinji's expression takes a turn for the fond from it. "Getting to eat together so often really is nice."

[daikonrose]

"It must be." Kyoko's voice has a soft fondness of her own, with just a trace of a sigh. Taking her daily meals alone is probably the most regular, consistent source of homesickness--though she's plenty used to it by now, she can usually ignore the feeling, it's not a problem! But ah, she's glad for Shinji and Kaito, that they can have that homey comfort every day. Certainly they deserve it.

"Kaito appreciates it a lot too, for sure!" she picks up again, with more energy. "You know, he made really tasty tamagoyaki for me, and he gave you all the credit for it."

[hedgehogsdilemma]

"Did he?" Ahh, that leaves him feeling equal parts proud and embarrassed. It's great that she thought it was tasty! Those lessons are clearly paying off! How wonderful for Kai! On the other hand, "He should be taking the credit for his own creations. I may have showed him how to do it, but it's through his own hard work that he can make good tamagoyaki, you know?"

All of the instruction in the world won't make any difference to someone who isn't considering it seriously, after all.

[daikonrose]

Wow, he's so earnest about it! Not that Kyoko disagrees, it's just kind of endearing to see him so serious even when the mood is so light. She can't help but giggle gently as she reaches for a dishrag to start drying.

"He's that kind of person, though, you know? And besides, he really likes you."

[hedgehogsdilemma]

'He really likes you' is enough to pull a faint blush out of Shinji, a slight touch of red coming to a rest as his cheeks as the tips of his ears. Ah! Well! It's not like that's untrue! Just something about the phrasing summons up an extra dokidoki. Time to play it off as smoothly as possible, nothing to see here.

"He really is like that," he says, nice and fondly. "He works hard on his own, though, and I am really glad it's paying off. It would be nice if he could take the credit he's owed."

[daikonrose]

It's truly a shame that Kyoko's all the way over here with her head bent over these dishes, and she doesn't get to see that blush. A loss for everyone.

And Kyoko honestly hadn't meant anything special by it! It's just very evident that these two boys are quite fond of each other, and that's very sweet and wholesome, and she's happy for them. And it's not often that she gets to hear a teenage guy like Shinji talk so affectionately about a buddy! It's cute!

"Riiight? He's always avoiding praise, and he acts like he doesn't want anything. You have to work hard to spoil a guy like that, or he won't let you. As I thought, keeping this a secret was the right move~"

[hedgehogsdilemma]

So sad, his dignity will have to remain intact for now, a secret surge of feelings just between Shinji and those cutlets.

"Mhm." It really feels like it's working out nicely! Hopefully the surprise will land as well as they want it to, but it does seem like Kai's none the wiser so far. Wherever he may be right now... Hm! "He's always so thoughtful of the people around him, it really makes you want to try and do the same for him."

So, it's good that he has someone on his side to help make it a nice evening!

"Thank you, though, I might not have wanted to push him too hard to get the exact date if I didn't know you wanted to know, too."

[daikonrose]

What a thing to thank her for. Kyoko shakes her head, though that likely goes unseen.

"I'm the one who didn't have the guts to push him harder on it myself." There's a rueful smile in her voice. "Since he surely had a reason for only half-answering when I asked him about it... if I pestered him more about it, I was sure he'd resist." Hounding firey people like Moko-san was one thing, but Kaito... what if he got upset with her for real? A gentler prodding from someone closer was just safer for everyone; she couldn't imagine him ever getting fed up with Shinji.

"You were my best bet, for sure, and you really pulled it off. I'm grateful, you know?"

[hedgehogsdilemma]

Well, that makes one of them that's confident in Kaito never getting fed up with Shinji! But the gradual process of squeezing an answer to 'when the heck's your birthday, dude?' resulting not in ire, but an actual date, did help ease off some of his own recurring worries about being perceived as a pest.

"It did take a few tries, he was pretty evasive about it at first." So it's not like the half-answer was unique to Kyoko. "I can't say for sure, but he might not be used to it really being a big deal."

Just, you know, based on some things he's picked up about Kai here and there.

"I definitely wouldn't have been able to pull off a homemade cake on my own, and I'm sure having extra company around will be nice for tonight. Really, though..." going back to an earlier thought, "I'd bet both of us would enjoy it a lot if you wanted to drop by for dinner more often."

[daikonrose]

It was true, Kyoko'd also had a hunch that maybe Kai wasn't accustomed to big blowout birthday parties. There could be a lot of reasons for that, but she's hoping there isn't any trauma tied up in the date for him; hopefully his case is just a little similar to hers, and that's all.

And if it is a situation like hers, well, doesn't that make a celebration feel all the more worthwhile?

Kyoko is smiling softly to herself at the thought, as she sets the last dish in the drying rack, and starts wiping down counters. "Huh? Ah?" Suddenly an invitation though? What? How did he jump to that kind of topic so easily? "Really?" --No Kyoko, making him double down on it would just be more obnoxious! "--I mean! Of course I'd really like that!"

[hedgehogsdilemma]

It's an easy enough jump to make! Especially after that tiny hint of melancholy for the subject had been left unaddressed, and really, when he thinks about it, wouldn't a comfortable meal between three be nice sometimes? He wouldn't be surprised if tonight proves that top be the case, honestly.

"Of course," why wouldn't he mean it! "We're all friends here. As long as Kaito agrees, you'd just need to let us know when to make extra."

[daikonrose]

"Of course!! I wouldn't impose on you by showing up out of nowhere!" Yet. "And please don't feel obliged to go all out for someone like me, either! Having the company would be a treat all on its own!"

[hedgehogsdilemma]

Yet.

Yet is fair. They'll have plenty of time to get comfortable with pushing politeness limits, but Manners and Being a Good Guest can be very hard habits to shake, he understands.

"I don't know what you'd really consider going all out," something, perhaps, like what they're doing now? He gives a pointed look at the katsu sizzling away, whether or not she's paying attention, and gives a contemplative, almost playful sounding hum. "But I'm not sure how much of a promise I could make for that."

What if they're already planning on a big dinner? What if they just feel like spoiling their friend? They aren't gonna just give her something lousy to eat!!

[daikonrose]

Considering that he'd brought up the idea while they were talking about the super secret special meal they had underway right now, it had just felt like something she ought to make clear! Inviting someone like her over shouldn't merit as a special occasion, especially if he's encouraging her to choose when she drops in.

It's starting to occur to Kyoko that she's never had any friends she could just visit whenever, before. What a concept. What a frightening amount of power.

"I'm saying don't go out of your way!" Has anyone ever been this flustered over something so mundane in the history of the multiverse. "And--and don't hesitate to put me to work, either!"

[hedgehogsdilemma]

What are they gonna do, make a special Not Birthday dinner for her to celebrate her Not Birthday? Hm. Hmm.

We'll see.

Those are plans for future Kai and Shinji to hammer out, though. For now, a regular old dinner is probably going to be special enough just with the addition of one extra person in the mix. He's pretty unlikely to put a guest to work, though, even if she's showing up at her own leisure!

"Well, we'll figure it out when the time comes." No reason to get her even more worked up! "Just keep it in mind sometimes, whenever you feel like you want some company."

[daikonrose]

Ignorant to all these Dire Threats, Kyoko only heaves a small steadying sigh. Yes, that's right, she'll fight the battle to Be Helpful when the time comes for that. Right now is the time to just be happy that Shinji would even feel like extending that kind of open invitation.

"... Mm. Thank you." Gently shaking out the dish towel, she goes to hang it up again. "It sounds really nice."

[hedgehogsdilemma]

Just as long as tonight goes smoothly, there shouldn't be any reason to believe otherwise, right? A group meal with three would be kind of... familiar, but without any weird residual tensions that he might have had during his prior experiences. A good change of pace, and surely a nice enough thing to be pursuing for both her sake and Kai's as well.

"It really would be something to look forward to." Let's start pulling those cutlets out of the oil and setting them aside to drain. "Kaito and I are pretty flexible with our menu, but are there any foods that you particularly like or dislike?"

Just so he can keep that in mind!

[daikonrose]

Kyoko waves a hand in front of her face, grinning. "I don't have many things I can't eat! Besides soda, the only things I really don't like are the usual, like frog legs--anything you'd make would surely be fine!" And it's true! She was exposed to a great many interesting foods growing up, so not much is a problem now.

However-- "Aaah, that tonkatsu looks niiiiice! That golden color! It glistens so gently!" She does have a big soft spot for homey classics.