sweethymns | OPEN RP POST QUATRE

[once the island had let its prisoners go free, of course some of them would still want to keep in touch. the island's final gift to its residents was a welcome one, though not one that they always needed, they found. a majority of the former islanders, for example, came from Japan, thus negating the need to utilize the worldhopping power the island had granted them.

who knew that Shibuya and Misaki Town were just a stone's throw away from each other?

wanting to withdraw from the hustle and bustle of city life—even if he's grown out of his old antisocial habits, he feels he needs a break every now and then—Neku finds himself catching a train to the town where an old friend of his lives... though he would say he uses the term "friend" loosely should anyone ask him, he can't deny that she is indeed someone he considers to be close to him. he vividly remembers their time together on the island, but every now and then, he gets these flashes of a space station, too... he's been wanting to ask her if she felt the same.

as his train pulls into the station, he takes out his phone (still a flip phone, not having had the time to upgrade since his return) and types the following,]

hey, just got off the train. i'm still at the station. where did you want to meet?

[Arcueid hadn't been making many visits lately. There was no particular reason (okay maybe a few), but it just turned out that way. It all worked out in the end because either previous islanders visited her, or in this case they were already lucky in terms of close proximity.

The vampire liked Neku Sakuraba; always had ever since they first met. She muses over the initial possibility of the not being compatible as friends at first, but somehow they ended up getting used to each others company. Life was funny like that.

Arcueid is still lazing around in her apartment on her large bed when her device alerts her to a new message. She beams at the sender and types in her response.]

the park with the fountain!!
i like waiting there the best
especially at night
but i guess we'll play in afternoon instead right?

[Of course she's more attuned to nighttime, but she's considerate of humans, especially the ones who spend time with her.]

i don't remember agreeing on "playing"

[typical Neku, always ready with the snark. after that message goes through, though, another one follows it immediately.]

but yeah, i'll be there

[it takes him about fifteen minutes to get from the station to the park. he's not necessarily an athlete, but his experience in the Reaper's Game definitely helped keep him in shape. he'll be waiting next to the fountain, idly checking his phone as he tries to look around for the vampire.]

what else would you call it then???
See you there!

[As far as Arcueid's concerned, this is playing!!

It doesn't take long for Arcueid to appear, dressed in her usual white turtleneck and... Actually.

She looks a little different. The vampire waves excitedly to Neku.]

I made it! Hi, Neku!

[huh, that's a thing. especially since Neku looks basically the same as he always has. it takes him a bit by surprise, and he can't help but stare a little as she greets him.]

You look... different.

[His comment makes her beam and she spreads out her arms to give herself a once over.]

Thank you! [Sure, she'll take that as a compliment, she's that kind of person.]

It's just a small change of pace. I might just go back to my usual clothing, but I look like I blend in better don't I?

[Besides the red eyes, foreign looks, and overall a good looking girl... Yeah, totally normal.]

You look healthy as ever Neku!

You'd fit right in back in Shibuya. No one would bat an eye.

(Red contacts are all the rage these days, after all.)

[he shrugs; his perception of normal has been warped a little over the years.]

If by healthy, you mean "alive," then yeah, I am.

[... though it could just be chalked up to his usual sarcasm talking, there's a hidden layer under that statement. once he'd returned from the island, he got to live out the rest of his time in the UG and return to life. none of the others seemed to have remembered the island, though, so he usually kept hush about the whole thing... it might be why he's so relaxed talking to Arc right now.]

[And then she...

Reaches out to poke his cheek with one finger.

Several times in fact.]

... Yup! Definitely alive!

[though he's gotten used to Arc getting in his personal space at this point (what was with all the girls he knows not knowing boundaries?), he can't help but flinch when she pokes him.]

—What was that for?

I was just checking! You sounded so grim when you replied to me, I felt the need to do that.

[Well, can't fault her for being honest.]

Anyways, do you have a plan Neku?? Are we gonna watch a movie? Shopping? Eat?? I haven't eaten human food in a while!

[Look there's no one else around she can say it like that]

("Grim," says the vampire casually talking about "human food.")

[he manages to shrug it off, both to the poking and the question she asks.]

Didn't really have much of an itinerary, to be honest. [he pauses for a second or two, then says,] Know of any good ramen places around here?

[for someone who's supposed to be expanding his horizons, he sure still has a one-track mind sometimes.]

Hm... Ramen...

Oh! [She snaps her fingers.]

There's a ramen cart that frequents the area that Shiki brings me to sometimes! [Her Shiki of course, Shiki Tohno.]

The man who runs it is quite pleasant! Very generous with eggs too.

[Neku blinks a couple of times before remembering...]

(Oh... yeah. That guy has the same name as her.)

[... not all that weird in the long run, admittedly, but still enough to make him do a bit of a double take. he recovers pretty quickly, though, reverting to a casual manner.]

Sounds good. Guess we can head that way?

Sure thing. I'll lead the way so you won't get lost!

[She sounds so confident and happy. And so the vampire gestures at Neku to follower her.]

Thanks for spending time with me by the way. I usually don't have much to do during the day.

[and a-following he will be doing! he idly checks out the area as they make their way down to the area, noting how different the city is from the hustle and bustle of Shibuya... it's kind of relaxing, almost.]

What, because of the vampire thing?

(To think I can say that and mean it 100% honestly...)

[Misaki City was busy, but it's busyness was different from Shibuya's. The latter was a city of coming and going trends, of modernity, and a new sight to see at every corner.]

Well, it's not so much that. I don't have that much company besides Shiki and he's usually in school... He'll skip for me sometimes, but he's becoming adamant about decreasing that lately.

[Is that a pout, it's a pout.]

Boo. I suppose it's not a bad thing for him to be diligent in his studies though.

[Neku blinks a couple of times; half at the pouting, and half at the subject matter.]

Oh, right. School.

[talk about something he hasn't thought about recently, if at all in the last... what, five years? however long he'd spent on the island and being dead.]

[Five years is probably nothing to her, but in a strange way, those years felt incredibly long, perhaps because it was the longest Arcuied had been awake. She wasn't supposed to be, other than for hunting her marks.

But here she is, hanging out with a human, idly and cheerfully.]

Have you gone back to school yet Neku? Or are you going to be a truant for life?

[gosh, does Neku feel lucky, then.

it's weird to think about going back to normal life, though. even just the idea is something that seems so foreign to him now. he's gotten so used to "bizarre" that the very definition of "normal" has changed. he actually finds it kind of weird when he wakes up in his own bed and doesn't find himself handcuffed to a stranger, or when he looks down at his hand and doesn't see the ominous timer counting down in the center of his palm.

for now, he just rubs the back of his neck, gaze drifting off to the side as they continue walking.]

I mean... I guess I will at some point. I'm still adjusting to being back.

[he waves his hand vaguely and doesn't elaborate, at least not now.]

At some point? Ha, does that mean you're somewhat of a delinquent?

[Says the careless delinquent herself. Her face lights up when she sees the ramen cart, going ahead of Neku before waving him over.]

Over here, over here! Here's the ramen!

[he's about to respond to her quip when his attention is instead drawn toward the food. yes. he has such a one-track mind sometimes, it's not even funny.]

Looks promising. Got any recommendations?

Hm...

[Gonna think deeply about this, but it seems like the ramen chef is already getting bowls prepared, as if used to Arcueid spending time making her choice.]

Well, do you like meat? You can probably go for the tonkotsu and ask for extra pork.

And apparently, the noodles are good when they absorb the soup with a crushed egg mixed with it. Like, ramen carbonara!

[as much as he's improved in interacting with other people, he can't help but roll his eyes a little at the latter part of Arc's suggestion.]

You make it sound like I've never had ramen before.

[it was in good nature, on both ends!]

Never hurts to go with the basics, though.

And I'm no ramen expert, so there's that to consider.

[Since the owner seems to know Arc well enough, he silently serves her a bowl w/ a light shoyu broth and minimal toppings. She's not a heavy eater, but that isn't surprising.]

I heard that ramen types can get pretty creative! Like, there can be bowls that have cheese, are super spicy, or have pineapple in them. People sure do have weird taste!

[She's using "people" instead of "humans" since they're in public. At least she's got some sense of discernment.]

[the change in wording does surprise him a little, though he says nothing out loud, because he gets the context. he'll still give her an eyebrow raise, though.]

I'll pass. I stick to what I know.

[translation: "I don't like trying new things."]

OPEN RP POST QUATRE

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