paixaorpg | [Open Thread]

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[Open Thread]

Character(s): Mr. Hanekoma. Open to anyone who wants to join
Content: The Paixao branch of WildKat Coffee is open for business. Feel free to stop on by!
Setting: WildKat Coffee, corner of H5
Time: Throughout the day
Warnings: None.
Note: This will be party style, so feel free to start your own threads, and Mr. H will jump into them. Also, if you want tag other people's threads, since this can be a great chance to meet someone new!

Wiping down the counter of the newly opened Paixao branch of WildKat coffee, Hanekoma looked around to do one last check that everything was in order for a new day of customers. So far business hadn't exactly been booming, but even if he met one new customer Hanekoma was willing to call it a good day.

After all, the more people he met, the more his world expanded, and the more he understood the events that surrounded him. That in mind he moved to the door, and flipped the sign to 'Open.'

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Likewise Hanekoma could tell Yuuko was far more than she appeared, just by how she moved, what she said, and the song her vibe sung. She, like himself, was someone who had traveled far beyond the bounds of her own home, and had seen things most people could never imagine. Whatever her story, it was bound to be a very interesting one.

Hanekoma was no stranger to the mercurial personalities, and some would probably claim he had one himself, although he would maintain he was always honest about who he was, he just didn't always tell the whole story. The thing was, no matter how long someone lived, they never truly stopped growing or changing with each new experience. Every event, no matter how small, had its own influence on a person, and that meant those who had experienced centuries worth of events were complicated people indeed.

Laughing amicably he nodded to her and said, "A deal is a deal, and I don't break my deals. Doing otherwise would be very bad for business I'd say."

His smile became distinctly pleased as he watched her sip the coffee. While most men would have been drawn to the features of the woman drinking the coffee, and Hanekoma acknowledged they were lovely features indeed, he got more pleasure out of the sheer enjoyment she took from the beverage. For Hanekoma, the pleasure of creating anything, be it art, fashion, or coffee (though he would argue all three were art), was seeing the pleasure and inspiration others took from it. That was how he could do what he did, and never tire of it.

"You are correct Ms. Yuuko," he said, taking a chair from another table and spinning it around so he could sit in it backwards. "As for the conversation, well how about we ask some questions to get to know each other? Ladies first, of course."

"Neither do I. A deal is a bargain, a type of exchange, by saying you'll give someone something you expect something in return and thus balance is achieved," Yuuko replied, drumming her fingers against her chin as she rested her chin on it. She lifted her cup and sipped from it again, the coffee was bitter but there was certainly a sweet taste when it went down. She smiled, it certainly would have gone well with something of Watanuki's. "When deals are broken, problems can occur...as you said, bad for business," her smile was cryptic but said a lot, she had a feeling that this meeting would prove vital. Perhaps it was inevitable, most meetings like this were, and Yuuko had a feeling Hanekoma would prove to be a valuable person to know.

"I believe you said you were from Shibuya, Japan, correct? What can you tell me about recent events there?"

Hanekoma nodded thoughtfully, and though his usual grin never faded in the slightest his eyes showed he was taking her words very seriously. "Of course, everything has laws, be they natural, legal, or even divine. Those laws have to be respected, for even if they are broken for good reason the consequences are all too often dire."

Such were the words of a Fallen Angel, one who would face his crimes with little regret, for they were something he committed out of love. He was glad Neku had shown himself wiser than anyone knew, and he would accept the consequences of his actions, but it was not in Hanekoma's philosophy to dwell upon the past longer than it took to learn from it.

At Yuuko's question Hanekoma's expression somehow lightened without ever actually changing. It was interesting how people like them could do that. "Well, Gatito fashion has exploded recently, due to a up and coming young advertiser who used some rare popular Gatito pins and The Prince's blog to promote his new Ramen restaurant. The restaurant didn't last long, but the pins lasted a couple weeks surprisingly enough. I think things have settled down since then, though around the same time there was an outbreak of a odd disease, that made people wander around listlessly mumbling incoherently, though that seems to have run its course as well."

Hanekoma leaned back for a moment, as if thinking of what else to say. Then he snapped his fingers and said, "Ah 777 had a very successful concert, though they seemed to have dropped off the radar of late."

Yuuko watched his expressions with a sense of curiosity, it was fun to read people, and Hanekoma was one of those people that was hard to read. If she wasn't as good at it as she was she probably would have been at a loss for what he was thinking.

Nothing really spiked her interest until he got to the 'rare disease.' She tapped her chin in thought but such an event was not familiar to her, "Interesting. That certainly does seem like a strange disease. I don't think I've heard of anything like that, so I suppose that answers the question of us being from similar Japans." She shrugged, it wasn't like that was news to her, there were a LOT of different Japans out there...many she had never even been to but knew existed and probably even more than that. She sipped her coffee, "Still, there are an infinite number of worlds so I'm not very surprised by that."

"Well," Hanekoma mused, leaning his elbow in the back of the chair, "at least we know even if we aren't from the same place, we're still may have vacationed in the same spots."

While Hanekoma wasn't exactly supposed to tell, well, anyone about traveling between dimensions, the fact that Yuuko was a fellow traveler meant he felt a bit better about bending the rules. He had told the Neku from the other world, after all, and as long as he didn't describe his role as Producer he doubted telling Yuuko would be the thing his higher ups would crack down on him for. Not anymore anyway.

"So, have you been traveling long?" It was rare for Hanekoma to meet someone who could understand this aspect of his life, he was excited by the chance to get to know her better, even if it didn't really show on his always cool exterior.

"Perhaps, although with so many vacation spots OUT there even that would be some feat," Yuuko replied, knowing exactly what he was referring to.

She casually traced her finger around the rim of her mug, "I've traveled for a long time, yes. In a way you could also call me a travel agent." Her eyes moved up to look at his, "Perhaps you've heard of the Dimension Witch? That is another one of my titles." She leaned back in her chair as she took another sip, "A few have come to my shop, seeking to go to other worlds, they had to pay a price for the ability to do so, of course."

She hoped the children were doing okay, the events had really started to get out of her jurisdiction of being able to help. "Personally," she said, setting her coffee mug down again, "I haven't done much traveling...there hasn't been much need for it since my duties have been focused on one particular world and a particular boy."

"The universe is a very funny place. Lives have a way of intersecting, not matter how unlikely it seems," Hanekoma mused with a thoughtful grin.

He had heard of titles like that one a few times, perhaps even that specific title, though it must have been a long time ago. "I think I might have, though I can't recall where. Still, I've met others who perform a similar task to what you describe, keeping the dimensions connected loosely to one another. It's good that you charge a price though."

Hanekoma took off his sunglasses and cleaned them as he continued, "Dimensional travel should only be undertaken by those prepared for the sacrifices it will ask of them."

Putting his sunglasses back on Hanekoma stretched and gave Yuuko a wink. "Well, that sounds like an important job, but once it's over you really should take a chance to travel more. There's a lot out there worth seeing."

"Indeed, and whether we know it or not, whether we accept it or not, those crossing paths and meeting new people change us in some way," Yuuko muttered, very intrigued by how similar Hanekoma saw things compared to her own view of how things worked.

She nodded, her coffee cup was nearly empty now and she sipped at the rest of it, "Dimensional travel is certainly only accomplished by those with the motivation and sincerity needed to undertake it. Very few are able to adapt to the fierce change that travel to other worlds brings with it."

Yuuko smiled softly, finishing her drink and looking up at the ceiling, "My job is merely to watch after them. I can only help so much and nudge things in the right direction. The real task is left up to those children who have undertaken it." There was a little regret in her eyes but it was very well masked by her face and she quickly covered it up with a rich laugh, "Besides, they couldn't afford anything else from me."

Hanekoma smiled brightly and raised a mug of coffee he may or may not have been holding before to salute Yuuko's words, his eyes holding profound respect. "I must say, I've never heard someone sum up my life's philosophy so succinctly before. Truly you are a woman of wisdom."

Nodding Hanekoma took her empty cup, and set it on the counter for later, before leaning back and saying, "Ah, but for those few, the wonders and worlds they will see are well worth the sacrifices they must make, and the trials they must suffer."

This time Hanekoma let a hand settle over Yuuko's gently, though his expression remained relaxed. This was a challenge that he understood all too well. "I'm sure they don't understand right now, maybe they're even bitter, but I bet you every coffee bean I own, that when those kids overcome their trials on their own strength, with a little proper guidance of course, in their heart of heart's they'll thank you. After all, a child cannot grow if we old folks are always in their way. Sometimes, we have to step back."

Yuuko's laugh inspired a full laugh of his own, and leaning back Hanekoma grinned and said, "I see you're out. As a gentleman and a businessman I would be remiss if I didn't offer you a refill."

Yuuko looked lazily at the hand atop hers, well that was certainly an interesting development. A devilish grin curled her lip up and she playfully pinched his hand, "Now, now, that will cost you extra." Her expression showed she was teasing, it was all a part of having fun with this very interesting man. He was definitely someone she was going to have to look further into.

"Yay," Yuuko cheered when he offered to refill her coffee. "Of course, this means we'll have to talk more. You can't simply sit over coffee, it's a social drink."

Hanekoma laughed again when she pinched him, giving her a wink over his sunglasses. "I'd say that's a price well worth paying." His grin showed he was definitely enjoying himself.

Sliding gracefully to his feet, Hanekoma made his way behind the counter and quickly refilled Yuuko's cup with some more of his steaming hot blend. Moving back over he set it down before her and said, "That is quite possibly the wisest thing I've heard all day, and believe me, I've heard some wisdom. Now then, why don't you tell me a little about your Shibuya?"

As Hanekoma went to go refill her coffee Yuuko stretched her arms over her head, looking like a cat stirring from a nap. She made a pleased sound as her hands fell back to rest on the table and she smiled slightly when he placed the newly poured coffee in front of her. "My Shibuya? Well, it's certainly not as entertaining as yours. Although, I haven't been their lately so it's hard to say, this could be because I don't make house calls very often...if people need my services they come to me."

Yuuko had been letting her coffee cool for a little bit and since it seemed like a decent amount of time she picked it up and took a sip. It was just as good as the first cup, which said a lot about Hanekoma since sometimes staying consistent was a difficult thing to do, "It's a crowded place and very busy. Humans bustling to and fro without much concern for one another. The spirits don't seem to like the place very much because of this activity."

Grinning as he refilled her coffee, Hanekoma let his eyes dart over to her as she stretched. She was a very intriguing woman to be sure.

"Sounds like a very interesting business plan you have there. I suppose everyone has desires they didn't even know about. So much of our hearts remains a mystery even from ourselves, yet that never means we should stop trying to understand them."

Hanekoma smiled as Yuuko described her home, which sounded so much like his own in many ways, especially in the bustle of people which had stolen his heart. "I see, then we do have some differences. In my Shibuya it is that very same activity that attracts the spirits, as they gather around others, or even fight for their own survival. Though whether they do what they do for good or ill," he shrugged, "depends on the spirit I suppose."

Yuuko grinned, it was one of those 'I know something you don't grins,' (though Yuuko had a feeling Hanekoma DID know). "Yes, there are quite a number of people who have secret desires and don't realize what their true wish is. Many of the people who come to me only see the surface value of their wishes and don't realize the deeper one's that their true heart holds."

It was far too common. Humans were such strange creatures, lying to themselves like that so often. Even Watanuki hadn't realized why he had wound up at her shop until Yuuko had suggested it to him.

"Interesting," Yuuko replied, nodding her head, "It makes sense though. Each world is different and even the way spirits work can vary."

"It can be terrifying to look too deep within ones self, for fear of what you might find," Hanekoma mused. "The trick, I've found, is to accept ones self and those around you for who you and they are, even if what you find isn't what you wanted to. That way, even if you learn something you wished you hadn't, you can acknowledge it, face it, and change it. Otherwise you just become stagnant as a person, and that's not really a pleasant thing to be," he finished with a bit of a grin.

Sipping his coffee he listened to Yuuko's talk of spirits with interest. "The world beyond is a mystery no matter where you go, and each time it's got a new plot and cast."

Rolling his shoulders, he tilted his head to one side and said, "Well, we've discussed business, but I must admit I am curious what a lovely lady such as yourself does in your free time."

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