luke

[bakaomi]

Comments

week 5, monday

[bakaomi]

[ takaomi is exploring inaba on monday. he's never been here before, but he's from japan and the things like the shrine and shops are still a familiar sight to him without having seen these specific ones before. it's weird.

when he spots luke, he pauses, before walking over. ]

[dupelicate]

[he's outside the bookstore, in front of a cart of discount light novels, holding a book up, turning it this way and that.

he might be trying to read it. since it's written in Japanese, it's clearly not going well.]

[bakaomi]

[ he watches this for a few minutes

and he realizes what the problem is. ]

Don't know Japanese?

honestly the gif is mesmerising me

[dupelicate]

[he jolts, then glances at Takaomi, smiling.]

Is that what this is? Yeah, not at all.

[he snaps the book shut, turning it over in his hands.]

Just wondering if maybe there was a... pattern, or some special way you're supposed to read it in, maybe.

i love that crab

[bakaomi]

... not really, you just need to learn the language.

[ he really hopes he doesn't have to explain kanji again while here ]

crab for plasma endgame

[dupelicate]

Makes sense.

[sliding the book back into the rack, he gives Taka an appraising look]

So, can you? Read it, I mean.

[bakaomi]

Yeah, I'm from Japan.

... not this specific part of it.

[dupelicate]

Cool! [just like Taka in general. but that does answer his second question]

So, it's not your hometown or anything. Do you recognize it?

[bakaomi]

Never been. But it definitely looks like somewhere that would be out in the country.

[ taka is a city boy ]

[dupelicate]

So this is like... rural Japan? Huh. [huh!! it's pretty fancy!!]

I wonder how many people in the game are from Japan. [he glances at Taka.] Any idea?

[bakaomi]

A couple of us are, although I think there's more who aren't.

... although we're not really from the same version of Japan, I think.

[dupelicate]

Not from the same version? [he repeats the words, as if repetition will bring some new meaning.]

What do you mean?

[bakaomi]

Well... where I'm from, it's pretty normal? We don't have monsters or magic or anything like that.

But there are other people from Japan here who have that.

week 5, sunday

[bakaomi]

[ taka decides to go look for luke the day following trial, since he figures everyone and their mom will be around him.

when he spots him, he just... hovers awkwardly for a second. hi. ]

HELP I FORGOT ABOUT TAKA

[dupelicate]

[The door is open just a little—enough to see that it's Luke inside. Laying on the futon on his front, he's completely absorbed in something. A closer look will reveal that he's sketching: looking from a book, back to his paper.

He taps the pencil on the paper, and carefully draws another line.

It takes a handful of moments before he's aware of another presence, outside the room, hovering near the door—and when he does notice Taka, he freezes, as if caught in some super-embarrassing act, and starts trying to slooooowly slide the books and paper away.

There goes the book.

It's a volume of DRAGON BALL Z's manga.

Zoop now it's under a pillow.]

Uh.

You can come in, if you want. [beat;] Sorry I didn't see you sooner.

he's used to it

[bakaomi]

[ ah... is he sketching goku.....

taka just shakes his head slightly before going inside. he closes the door behind him. ]

You were busy.

[ drawing goku ]

[dupelicate]

[it is. one hundred percent. a goku sketch. there are some badly-drawn dragonballs around the page.]

Not really. More like... trying to calm down, I guess. Or relax.

[bakaomi]

[ ah...

he glances around the room ]

Is drawing working?

[dupelicate]

No, I suck!

[He throws up his hands in disgust, sighing.]

Can you draw, Takaomi?

[bakaomi]

[ he shakes his head ]

One of my [ there's a pause ] friends from back home is a manga artist though.

[dupelicate]

I was never really good at art tutoring. [READ: HE SKIPPED THEM] But I guess I thought I'd give it a try...

...It's hard. Way harder than I thought. [hOW HARD CAN PICTURES BE REALLY?] Your friend must be pretty incredible.

[bakaomi]

He's really talented, yeah.

[ see taka: who can compliment his friends when they aren't here to hear it, but is too tsun to do it in front of them for the most part ]

You just have to practice.

[dupelicate]

Practice... yeah.

[He wiggles the pencil in his fingers for a moment, loses control of it, and tries to grab it before it spins across the floor. Welp,]

...I guess you're not just here to talk to me about manga, though.

[A lot of people had come through. If Taka had questions, he deserved them answered, too.]

[bakaomi]

Only if you're okay with talking about something else.

[ he's not going to like

force him to talk. ]

[dupelicate]

I'm okay with it. I think... I'm a lot calmer now than I was yesterday.

[clearly]

...And I already talked to a lot of people, so don't worry about me.