purrtagonist | [Week 4, Monday: Maya]

Akiiiiiraaaa?

[ is he finally going to murder her. ]

[maybe]

Cooooome into the kiiiitchen. . .!

Oh! Am I finally getting my curry?

[ skips over, kitchen is the magic word! ]

You get three guesses, and the first two don't count.

[but before he even finishes saying that, she is in the kitchen. and. . . voila!! there's a batch of Leblanc's famous curry recipe on the stove!]

[it smells soooooo good]

[ bouncing into the kitchen. her eyes light up. ]

Yeeeeeess! I'm starved!

Oooh, now those are words I like to hear.

[he grabs a bowl, making a showing of tossing it from one hand to the next behind his back (like a show off), before he gladly serves her up some curry with rice]

I'll expect a five-star rating after this.

[because Leblanc's curry deserves nothing but the best!!]

[ what a showoff. maya doesn't seem to mind, though, she sits down and rubs her hands together in anticipation. ]

You pulled out all the stops, did you?

For you? Of course I did. As if I'd let my Conductor down when she's been anticipating my curry for weeks now.

[he's exaggerating]

Let's not over do. [ she's scooping up some chopsticks though. ] Alright, time to dig in!

[does the chef's thing where he kisses his fingers as he slides the bowl of piping hot curry in front of her]

Bon appetit.

As they say in France.

[ what a nerd. ] Bee Avenue!

[ her french is spot on. anyway, she's stuffing her face like a hamster. ]

Mmm! Fffmmoo!

[ if he can translate that, it means "that's good." ]

Edited 2018-04-04 04:19 (UTC)

Bee Avenue.

[he repeats, tone mostly dry, but there are definitely threads of amusement in his words. especially as she stuffs her face?? christ, Maya. how much can you eat???]

[he leans forward, rests his chin in his palm, and just. watches]

[ honestly she's consuming it at an inhuman pace. was he mocking her totally legit french?? she's too busy eating, thanks. ]

Mmm! You don't disappoint, Curry Master.

[totally legit french, right. either way, the more she enjoys it, the more pleased he seems to be? making curry and coffee for friends is a bonding exercise]

I'm glad to hear it. My guardian-- Boss-- taught me this recipe.

It isn't as good as what the makes, but I try.

[ she's probably got some on her cheeks, too, with how enthusiastically she went at it. ]

I dunno, I think he'd be pretty proud of what you cooked up today. In a maid cafe kitchen, no less.

[. . . that's actually kind of cute. hands her a napkin!]

Sorry I'm not wearing the whole butler outfit. I didn't have time to change.

[ wipes her face and somehow entirely misses the curry on her cheeks. ]

Butler? Shouldn't you be a maid? We are in a maid cafe, and all.

[ you did this to yourself akira. ]

. . .

[taps his cheek to show her where she really needs to be wiping]

It's an equal opportunity maid cafe. Butlers are allowed, too.

[ tries to get it with her tongue at first, then finally wipes when she fails.... ]

Nah. Maids or bust!

[ are they ever gonna have a serious conversation at this rate. ]

[ABSOLUTELY NOT]

[huffs a laugh]

If you insist, then next time, I'll make sure to wear a skirt.

[okay I'm nudging this thread towards seriousness]

. . . hey, Maya. You know a lot about me, but when it comes down to it, I don't really know a lot about you. Do I?

That's more like it.

[ akira in a skirt: coming to u next pc. ]

Huh, I guess not. [ she's a woman of mystery!!! ] Is there something you wanna know?

You never told me how you really became Conductor.

[he wants to know!!]

Or what your life was like back when you were alive.

[ she goes quiet for a moment. ]

.... It's not a very happy story.

[ well, obviously, since she's dead, but. ]

It's okay.

[he doesn't mind. this is what he's here for]

. . . I'll listen.

Well, between being kidnapped and getting framed for murder... it was pretty eventful, I can tell you that much.

You know that first case where I was "Erased"? That's actually not too far from the kinds of things that would happen to me when I was alive. [ except she had phoenix. ] I don't think I ever told you this, but Dahlia's actually my cousin. [ that makes things a little awkward. ] She's not the only family member who's tried to kill me, either.

[ just the one that technically succeeded! ]

[holy shit. . . for a moment, there's a flicker of surprise, because her family? really? but then he remembers how weak familial ties can actually be. . . and the surprise fades]

That. . . sucks.

[that sucks a lot]

Why did your family try to kill you so much?

[and. did they succeed? since she's dead?]

[ too bad her coffee papa's kind of a huge dick and not really a papa. ]

.... It's complicated. You know how I'm a spirit medium, right? Well, it's more than just that. I was next in line to be Master of my village and the school of spirit channeling that my clan was carrying on. Not by choice, either, and not because I was the best person for the job. It was because I was the only one out of my bloodline that was still around to do it.

[ by process of elimination. ] ... The way my Clan is set up, well..... feuding over who gets to be Master...... it's been going on for a very long time.

[Maya needs a better coffee papa :/]

Ah. . . [and suddenly, it makes sense] . . . people are capable of doing pretty terrible things because of their thirst for power.

[he knows that from personal experience]

[ tell sojiro to adopt her tbh. ]

You know what the worst part is? I didn't even want it. I didn't think I was good enough. [ the way she says that implies it isn't just past tense, but, uh. ] But maybe it's better this way.

[no!! Maya! no talking that way!! he frowns]

Of course you're good enough.

[he can tell that just from their interactions as Conductor and Reaper, honestly]

Why would you think it's better this way?

[ she goes quiet for a moment, like she isn't sure how to take that. her expression turns.... almost wary, and she takes a step back as if she's anticipating something? ]

[ then it's back to that weird sad smile she was showing earlier. ]

My little cousin --- the one who's going to be Master now -- she's a prodigy! A natural at spirit channeling, and she works so hard, and she's so smart and cute. She can do anything if she puts her mind to it! So, if anyone can do it, she can.

[oh]

[he stumbled across something sensitive, didn't he? and now she's trying to cover it up. he's no stranger to these techniques. and while he believes her affection for her cousin is legitimate, he can't let her get away with deflecting]

Maya. . .?

What's wrong? Did I say something bad?

.... It's nothing. You just don't have to say stuff like that. That's all.

[ she seems to have regained her composure by now. ]

[huh]

I'm not saying it because I have to. I really do think that.

....

A-Anyway, I've, um, got other things to do, so I'll see you later.

[ yeah this binch is gonna run away bc he gave her a compliment???? ]

[what??? what????]

Maya? Wait--!

[and he reaches out to snag her sleeve??]

[ akira reaches out shoujoly and snags her sleeve --- which makes her pause. ]

I-I may not look it, but I am very busy, you know!

[SHOUJO BUBBLES EVERYWHERE]

You weren't very busy at all up until five seconds ago.

You distracted me with your..... fluffy hair!

[ what a legit excuse. ]

[uh huh. he'd joke right back at her, but this is a serious conversation!!]

Seriously, Maya. Is everything okay?

[ stop being shoujo and let her escape!!! she sighs. ]

I guess the topic gets me a little skittish. Are you really sure you want to hear all this?

Of course. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't, Maya.

[he does let go when it seems like she won't flee any longer]

Although I leave it up to you on whether you actually want to talk about it.

.... It's been a long time since anyone's asked about me, if I'm honest. It feels weird to talk about myself!

[ ha ha, how funny..... why is she laughing about this. ]

But if you really want to know, I'll tell you.

Well, I care about you, that's why.

[that's why he's asking!]

So long as you're willing to tell me, then yeah. I'd like to know.

Been a while for that, too.

[ a beat. ]

You know.... I only ever had one real friend.

[Week 4, Monday: Maya]

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