[Not looking at him weirdly, as one might if they saw the town's functional vagrant. Just treated like a customer. ...Still a bizarre reaction, but that could be for any number of reasons. Not enough yet.
...Rui realises that he's been staring, benign smile in place, for perhaps a few seconds too long; the bow gets returned, also almost out of habit, and he looks at the hibiscus instead.]
None at all. But I have a purpose in mind, and I can't say that I know enough about plants yet to figure out what'd be best for it. ...The river.
I want to plant something along the river, or in. Don't lush riverbanks and lush fields of aquatic plants just make you wistful? Something out of a painting...I want to do that. Even just a little. And if you don't sell anything like that...Perhaps a bouquet that you'd like to receive.
[Sorry Mayoi, it's time to be perceived once more. There's nothing unkind in Rui's stare, just an intense interest. As though he's a scientist examining a pinned specimen, perhaps.] Flowers bring joy to others. I want to see what brings you joy, fufu~
[No, and that is perhaps Mayoi’s greatest give. After all he can perceive the strangers in town. The seven-foot-tall squid man that floats, or the polite forest ranger with the glowing chest. Mayoi saw him and took him for another Visitor, just one he hadn’t met yet. It will be his downfall if he is called out.]
[However, he slowly raises a hand to tap his chin thoughtfully. Planting flowers by the river…? Ah, they do carry things for gardening as well. It makes them a convenient one-stop shop in town. Let’s see…]
There may be something…
[Should Rui follow his wispy florist, he will take him to a rack full of seeds and such.]
Flowers that handle direct sunlight well and are easy to grow in the wild …a-ah, have you considered laying down a bed of wild flowers…?
[Easy to grow and they come in bags, so they’re easy enough to plant, just like grass.]
[Are you telling Rui that John Balduran is not just a very tall and upstanding member of the PTA what the fuck???? Pity that he can't tell, or else The Emperor would have more than just that one guy at Fish and Wildlife to worry about.] I hadn't. That would...Attract hikers, wouldn't it? If it became a point of interest, just a little off the trails. Perhaps a way to remember how far they'd walked along the river, if there were just one patch instead of a whole multitude to confuse them...
[Of course he's followed Mayoi, gaze intent; first on his back, then at the rack of seeds, which he squats in front of, in order to get a better look at the very bottom. The most likely neglected bags, if you will.]
And something native would be infinitely preferable. It might not be what I was born with, but something to enhance the woods and not harm them would be best.
[A beat. He shoots Mayoi a sidelong look, mouth curving upwards a little.] Do you go into the woods often, by the way? I don't know if we've ever actually met properly...Were you in the year above me at school, perhaps? Fufu~
[Would it attract hikers...? He supposed if there were suddenly flowers where there were not, it might. Anything else might be more jarring ...ah, maybe he is no good at this after all.]
[He falls into his own thoughts for a moment or two, forgetting the person in front of him just as he was starting to sleep into darker thoughts. With a jolt, he snaps out of it.]
A-Ah, the woods...? No, no, I ...don't. Not very often. [Something worrisome is in there, he's sure of it.] I am wretchedly poor at attending class so ...it's possible. I-I am easy to overlook, please pay me no mind.
comes in late with opened chips and dip, but the chips and dip are really nice
...Really? Not often at all? But they're part of the charm of this town, I think...
Perhaps one day, we should go on a picnic. You're impossible to overlook, you see, so I only want to know you more. [Normal things to say to the cute boy at the florist who you suspect of being a pod person, despite the fact that you are also a fucking freshwater siren or something.
Can't find out if there's anything Wrong with this guy if he doesn't get closer, though. And if not, it'll be nice to have a friend. Very nice. He'd like that, actually. Especially someone who looks at him like he's not weird for still being vaguely damp.]
I'm Rui. This is the Ayase florist store, so I know your last name...But I'd like your first too, since we're in America~ And also just because I want to know which member of the Ayase family to go asking after, if I want to show you my future flower patch.
Edited (my disrespect knows no bounds, why am i like this) 2023-12-09 08:12 (UTC)
[Being told he's impossible to overlook does make him nervous because that is the opposite of what he is trying to accomplish here. He knows he is a pod person, but the idea of the masses finding out and coming for him... he shudders to think.]
Ah ...I have a busy schedule, so it is mostly that I haven't found a lot of time. [A small white lie. He is really busy, but also the woods definitely have monsters.] I ..um. I help out at a daycare, too, when I am not working here.
[Please believe what a normal person he is.]
Rui ...I-It's nice to meet you. You can call me Mayoi if you like. A picnic ...I am surprised you would take someone like me on such a thing when we've only just met. What if I am some unknowable creature waiting for a chance to devour you?
[Nailed it.]
we LOVE chips and dip in this household esp if they are fancy and tasty u_u
A daycare! That's wonderful~ Then forgive me asking for more of your time than you have to spare, fufu.
[He smiles, careful to hide his teeth (almost almost as fearsome as Mayoi's to pierce fish scales), and makes a grand show of looking back at the wildflower selection, umming and aahing as he plucks seed packets up and examines them.] I suppose...
Lately, I've realised that I don't know anyone in this town, not truly. And I'd like to learn more about everyone I can, if they're amenable. That we're similar ages, I think, and that you're so gentle...That makes you a fine target for me to try and get closer to.
Besides. I believe in enjoying the fruits of your labour, however you can. And it might be fun to plant them together, watch them grow together when you can spare it. Just a suggestion, and one that you're more than welcome to refuse and find ridiculous. You sound very popular as is, after all; I'd hate to be on the bad side of the town's children~
I got some dip from work that was cranberry jalapeño and cheese and that shit slapped SO HARD
[He tries not to stare, but really Rui is very interesting. Something …something is up with him, and he isn’t sure what. It feels a lot like they are playing a game here, dancing some delicate waltz but they don’t have the music.]
I…I understand that feeling. [Mayoi decides to test some waters.] I often feel like a stranger even among my family. Ah, but I am nervous around most people …s-so perhaps I am just a wretched shut-in.
[Mayoi will go and look at another seed rack to give it some consideration, before he plucks out a few packs. Nice colors that go well with the wild flowers. He will hand them over to Rui for his perusal.]
They can be quite demanding, but they are not unyielding. A garden project …t-to make some place a bit lovelier sounds fun. Perhaps I will find enough time in my schedule to slot it in.
my stomach ACTUALLY grumbled upon reading that, that sounds. so good. holy shit. mail me some pleas
[More Seed Packets! And he's genuinely curious to see what Mayoi's recommending him here, so Rui shuts up for a moment and turns the packets over in his hands, brows rising and lips twisting up and down in contemplation.]
--I'll take them all, thank you. If I can afford them. I've been saving up, so I hope I can, but if not, perhaps there are alternate arrangements we can make? [Innuendo: made, underscored by a sidelong smirk and a fluttering of the lashes.] Really, though, don't feel forced. If you'd still like to come along with me, however, then I won't say no.
I do wonder, however...How are we to stay in touch? I don't have a home PC [or a house, or a family], and the library doesn't like me outstaying my welcome. I hadn't thought that through. Would you mind if we have to simply wait until we can run into each other? Or perhaps...You could simply find your way to the river, and I'd find my way to you. I'm there quite a lot. Almost all the time, really. Hence why I want it to be more beautiful, and to bring others joy like it brings me. If people visit the river, then...Well. It can't be a bad thing.
[He smiles, wide, with all his teeth, and says in the most pleasant voice:]
If you can’t, we have a program you can sign up for. Aaaaanyone who donates their body to the post-mortem fertilizer project gets a special discount here.
[Look, he has a pamphlet and everything. It’s about green burials and using people to grow plants. How neat.]
All I have is a pager …but. If you don’t mind, perhaps I will simply come down to the river and see if fate allows us to meet. So long as you promise not to be some hungry siren come to drag me uuuunder~.
Edited 2023-12-09 09:47 (UTC)
throws u a pack of garlic n sweet soy chips back over X(!!!
[give him that goddamn pamphlet for perusal!! Though. Rui's attention dips to Mayoi's teeth instead, for at least a good second or two, before returning his smile in full. If in good company, then why not? What questions are there that need asking between them?
Now, Rui's not even sure he cares if Mayoi's a pod person. This is exciting for about a million new, different, far more fascinating reasons.]
Returning to nature was my plan all along, so this just helps me in the now~ How do you want for me to promise, though? How are you going to punish me if I lie to you about being a hungry, hungry siren?
Fu. Fufufu. It's okay, I like you alive. I really want to see you at the river, Mayoi. If you promise to come and plant these with me in the soft, soft earth...I'll promise to never drag you under. Deal?
[just normal jokes, normie shit, perfectly fine, hee hoo. Ignore the way he looks giddy, almost, flushing with dilated pupils and brilliant veins throbbing under his skin where it's thinnest.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
...Rui realises that he's been staring, benign smile in place, for perhaps a few seconds too long; the bow gets returned, also almost out of habit, and he looks at the hibiscus instead.]
None at all. But I have a purpose in mind, and I can't say that I know enough about plants yet to figure out what'd be best for it. ...The river.
I want to plant something along the river, or in. Don't lush riverbanks and lush fields of aquatic plants just make you wistful? Something out of a painting...I want to do that. Even just a little. And if you don't sell anything like that...Perhaps a bouquet that you'd like to receive.
[Sorry Mayoi, it's time to be perceived once more. There's nothing unkind in Rui's stare, just an intense interest. As though he's a scientist examining a pinned specimen, perhaps.] Flowers bring joy to others. I want to see what brings you joy, fufu~
no subject
[However, he slowly raises a hand to tap his chin thoughtfully. Planting flowers by the river…? Ah, they do carry things for gardening as well. It makes them a convenient one-stop shop in town. Let’s see…]
There may be something…
[Should Rui follow his wispy florist, he will take him to a rack full of seeds and such.]
Flowers that handle direct sunlight well and are easy to grow in the wild …a-ah, have you considered laying down a bed of wild flowers…?
[Easy to grow and they come in bags, so they’re easy enough to plant, just like grass.]
no subject
[Of course he's followed Mayoi, gaze intent; first on his back, then at the rack of seeds, which he squats in front of, in order to get a better look at the very bottom. The most likely neglected bags, if you will.]
And something native would be infinitely preferable. It might not be what I was born with, but something to enhance the woods and not harm them would be best.
[A beat. He shoots Mayoi a sidelong look, mouth curving upwards a little.] Do you go into the woods often, by the way? I don't know if we've ever actually met properly...Were you in the year above me at school, perhaps? Fufu~
no subject
[Would it attract hikers...? He supposed if there were suddenly flowers where there were not, it might. Anything else might be more jarring ...ah, maybe he is no good at this after all.]
[He falls into his own thoughts for a moment or two, forgetting the person in front of him just as he was starting to sleep into darker thoughts. With a jolt, he snaps out of it.]
A-Ah, the woods...? No, no, I ...don't. Not very often. [Something worrisome is in there, he's sure of it.] I am wretchedly poor at attending class so ...it's possible. I-I am easy to overlook, please pay me no mind.
comes in late with opened chips and dip, but the chips and dip are really nice
Perhaps one day, we should go on a picnic. You're impossible to overlook, you see, so I only want to know you more. [Normal things to say to the cute boy at the florist who you suspect of being a pod person, despite the fact that you are also a fucking freshwater siren or something.
Can't find out if there's anything Wrong with this guy if he doesn't get closer, though. And if not, it'll be nice to have a friend. Very nice. He'd like that, actually. Especially someone who looks at him like he's not weird for still being vaguely damp.]
I'm Rui. This is the Ayase florist store, so I know your last name...But I'd like your first too, since we're in America~ And also just because I want to know which member of the Ayase family to go asking after, if I want to show you my future flower patch.
fuck YES CHIPS AND DIP
Ah ...I have a busy schedule, so it is mostly that I haven't found a lot of time. [A small white lie. He is really busy, but also the woods definitely have monsters.] I ..um. I help out at a daycare, too, when I am not working here.
[Please believe what a normal person he is.]
Rui ...I-It's nice to meet you. You can call me Mayoi if you like. A picnic ...I am surprised you would take someone like me on such a thing when we've only just met. What if I am some unknowable creature waiting for a chance to devour you?
[Nailed it.]
we LOVE chips and dip in this household esp if they are fancy and tasty u_u
[He smiles, careful to hide his teeth (almost almost as fearsome as Mayoi's to pierce fish scales), and makes a grand show of looking back at the wildflower selection, umming and aahing as he plucks seed packets up and examines them.] I suppose...
Lately, I've realised that I don't know anyone in this town, not truly. And I'd like to learn more about everyone I can, if they're amenable. That we're similar ages, I think, and that you're so gentle...That makes you a fine target for me to try and get closer to.
Besides. I believe in enjoying the fruits of your labour, however you can. And it might be fun to plant them together, watch them grow together when you can spare it. Just a suggestion, and one that you're more than welcome to refuse and find ridiculous. You sound very popular as is, after all; I'd hate to be on the bad side of the town's children~
I got some dip from work that was cranberry jalapeño and cheese and that shit slapped SO HARD
[He tries not to stare, but really Rui is very interesting. Something …something is up with him, and he isn’t sure what. It feels a lot like they are playing a game here, dancing some delicate waltz but they don’t have the music.]
I…I understand that feeling. [Mayoi decides to test some waters.] I often feel like a stranger even among my family. Ah, but I am nervous around most people …s-so perhaps I am just a wretched shut-in.
[Mayoi will go and look at another seed rack to give it some consideration, before he plucks out a few packs. Nice colors that go well with the wild flowers. He will hand them over to Rui for his perusal.]
They can be quite demanding, but they are not unyielding. A garden project …t-to make some place a bit lovelier sounds fun. Perhaps I will find enough time in my schedule to slot it in.
my stomach ACTUALLY grumbled upon reading that, that sounds. so good. holy shit. mail me some pleas
[More Seed Packets! And he's genuinely curious to see what Mayoi's recommending him here, so Rui shuts up for a moment and turns the packets over in his hands, brows rising and lips twisting up and down in contemplation.]
--I'll take them all, thank you. If I can afford them. I've been saving up, so I hope I can, but if not, perhaps there are alternate arrangements we can make? [Innuendo: made, underscored by a sidelong smirk and a fluttering of the lashes.] Really, though, don't feel forced. If you'd still like to come along with me, however, then I won't say no.
I do wonder, however...How are we to stay in touch? I don't have a home PC [or a house, or a family], and the library doesn't like me outstaying my welcome. I hadn't thought that through. Would you mind if we have to simply wait until we can run into each other? Or perhaps...You could simply find your way to the river, and I'd find my way to you. I'm there quite a lot. Almost all the time, really. Hence why I want it to be more beautiful, and to bring others joy like it brings me. If people visit the river, then...Well. It can't be a bad thing.
Throws you a tub all the way over to you!!
If you can’t, we have a program you can sign up for. Aaaaanyone who donates their body to the post-mortem fertilizer project gets a special discount here.
[Look, he has a pamphlet and everything. It’s about green burials and using people to grow plants. How neat.]
All I have is a pager …but. If you don’t mind, perhaps I will simply come down to the river and see if fate allows us to meet. So long as you promise not to be some hungry siren come to drag me uuuunder~.
throws u a pack of garlic n sweet soy chips back over X(!!!
[give him that goddamn pamphlet for perusal!! Though. Rui's attention dips to Mayoi's teeth instead, for at least a good second or two, before returning his smile in full. If in good company, then why not? What questions are there that need asking between them?
Now, Rui's not even sure he cares if Mayoi's a pod person. This is exciting for about a million new, different, far more fascinating reasons.]
Returning to nature was my plan all along, so this just helps me in the now~ How do you want for me to promise, though? How are you going to punish me if I lie to you about being a hungry, hungry siren?
Fu. Fufufu. It's okay, I like you alive. I really want to see you at the river, Mayoi. If you promise to come and plant these with me in the soft, soft earth...I'll promise to never drag you under. Deal?
[just normal jokes, normie shit, perfectly fine, hee hoo. Ignore the way he looks giddy, almost, flushing with dilated pupils and brilliant veins throbbing under his skin where it's thinnest.]