INBOX

[gracile]

Inbox

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Haru Okumura ⬤ Persona 5
residential district ⬤ TBD
moonblessing ⬤ IRIS

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Comments

[gracile]

I can't say I've ever been on stage like you have, so I can only imagine that it's a unique experience... but I do know the feeling you're describing, I think.

[She holds the cup of coffee in her hands, letting it warm her, rather than drinking.] Whenever I would go to a social event with my father, or a company event, I was always very aware that anything I did would reflect on him, for good or for ill. So I think I understand what you mean-- you feel like you can't let your guard down, right?

[Her thoughtful expression turns into a smile, if perhaps a slightly bashful one.] And it isn't because I think I owe you anything! I just... thought it'd be some nice, um, give and take?

I've never done this before, so...

[piercedyourheart]

Right, exactly! Just makes the people in your life who let you be yourself that much more special.

[ oh, no, that's cute. concerns eased, she smiles back and gives the request a moment of consideration. she could always ask about the phantom thieves or more about her dad. those were safe topics.

ha, like yukari ever picked the safe option. ]

Well, you mentioned something about an arranged marriage and that'd you'd explain when we weren't talking over text a while back. Now seems like the perfect time.

[gracile]

[There's a slight hitch in Haru's expression when Yukari brings up her arranged marriage. It's a sore spot, after all.

But she had told Yukari she'd tell her about it. The girl seems trustworthy.

She just sips her coffee again first.] ...yes, I suppose now is as good a time as any.

Um, Yukari-chan, can you remind me what I've told you thus far about my father? What he did, and who he was?

[piercedyourheart]

You mentioned your dad was the head of your company and he was the one who set up the marriage. He was a...complicated guy. [ that's the understatement of the century, yukari supposes. ]

That's about all you've told me, I think.

[gracile]

[Haru nods in response-- she remembers those conversations.] I suppose there's no harm in starting at the beginning, then.

My grandfather owned a cafe. It was small, but he loved it-- he believed in good homemade food and coffee, good service, community bonds, and all of that. [She inhales the fragrance of the coffee at the mention of it.] But as a businessman, he... was perhaps not the most successful. My father grew up in a rather poor household, saddled with his father's debts.

When he inherited the small company my grandfather had created, he was a much more successful businessman. He grew it to national prominence, and founded a very popular fast food chain-- I'm not sure if you've ever heard of Big Bang Burger?

[There's a pause, and Haru's expression as she looks down at her coffee is a smile, but it's a wistful one.] ...when I was young, I truly looked up to him. He was sometimes awkward, and sometimes too involved in his work, but he was a kind man.

I believe that initially, one of the things he cared most about in the world was ensuring that I would have the kind of luxurious childhood that he never got to have himself.

[Here, she trails off. Because there's an unspoken part that comes next.]

[piercedyourheart]

[ she leans in as haru shares her story. she can't help it; the cafe sounds so charming and idyllic that she can see why the heiress would want to open her own, and the description of her father reminds yukari of her father, who was (at first) always excited to talk about his research but could barely strike up a conversation with a stranger.

which begs the question: ]

So what happened to make him change?

[gracile]

[A brief shake of her head; her curly hair bounces softly.] I'm not sure there was ever one specific thing that did that. But... he became successful, and wanted to be more so. Whatever success he'd had was no longer enough; he wanted more.

[It's presented as simple fact, but the tone of her voice is regretful if not quite sad.] Everything in his life became an asset he could use. His employees, his company... and me, as well. He wanted to go into politics, which meant he needed to forge some connections with proment political families.

[She shrugs, slightly, her expression turning awkward, because there's really no good way to talk about this.] Having a daughter of marriageable age was one way he could accomplish that.

[piercedyourheart]

[ there's stunned silence after that last tidbit of information. just the words "arranged marriage" set her teeth on edge, but to find out a person's whole future was just a part of some political scheme?

voice shaky with anger and louder than intended, she asks, ]

What?! How is that fair to you at all? You're not some tool, you're his daughter! And--

[ she clenches her jaw in an effort to reign in her anger. this was clearly a sensitive topic for a lot of complicated reasons. yukari didn't need to dig into any of them, period. she exhales deeply through her nose and continues, ]

Sorry. I don't mean to criticize, just.... You're your own person. Nobody has the right to say who you should date, much less marry.

[gracile]

[Haru tries to not reflexively look around the cafe to see if Yukari's little raise of voice drew any attention to them, her cheeks turning a little warm.

The support is welcome, of course-- it's always nice to hear someone else say those things.] No, it's perfectly fair to criticize him for these things. In recent years, he had become twisted. [It's why she'd wanted the Thieves to stop him.] To him, I was as much an asset as anything in his bank account.

He found a young man... a few years older than us, I believe, who was the heir to a very prominent family in Tokyo politics. His name was Sugimura. [And the way she says his name betrays that she has no love for the man.

Though, after a moment, there's a soft chuckle.] I'd been about to say that I think, on some level, he convinced himself that it would be good for me, too, marrying into a wealthy, prestigious, powerful family.

...I still want to defend him or excuse him, even after all of this.

[piercedyourheart]

That's understandable. Honestly, It would be more strange if you didn't want to stick up for him at all. Mistakes or not, your dad is still your dad. You'll always want to think the best of him.

But Sugimura...ugh. Even his name feels gross to say. [ yukari takes a long sip of her coffee as if to wash away the feel of his name on her tongue. ] I'm guessing he's who you meant when you said you didn't have good experiences with boys.

[gracile]

Yukari-chan, that's not nice. I'm sure there are many nice people named Sugimura. [It's a bit of a lame, half-hearted joke given the subject matter.]

...he, however, was not one of them. [She nods in response to Yukari's supposition.] He made it very clear that as his wife, I would be little more than his property. And as his fiancee, I was still his to do with as he saw fit.

[In every way.

Haru quickly adds:] --he didn't, though. But he made it very clear that he wanted to.

[piercedyourheart]

[ there's no small amount of relief on her face when haru mentions sugimura is out of the picture. he sounded positively vile. just the idea of someone hassling a friend of hers like that makes her feel sick to her stomach. ]

I hope you let him have it when you told him to get lost. Not that you should have ever had to deal with that, ever, but still....

[ yukari looks unsure for a brief moment before steeling her resolve and lightly placing a hand on haru's. ]

I'm sorry. Nobody deserves to be treated like they're a thing. And--sure, you offered, but you didn't have to answer my question. That means a lot so.... Thanks, Haru-chan.

[gracile]

[Her cheeks turn a little warm when Yukari's hand rests on hers; she slowly turns it so that they're palm on palm.]

Thank you, Yukari-chan. It's... nice to talk about it, to be honest. [She glances away.] I'm not sure if I told you or not, but growing up, I didn't have many friends. I was used to thinking that anyone who might approach me for friendship could be using me to try to influence my father. So I didn't have anyone I could truly confide in about... well, about any of it.

[She smiles up at her.] However, now I have lots of friends! And I know what it means to be supported.

[piercedyourheart]

[ it's amazing how that simple gesture transforms yukari from 'calm, collected young woman' to 'blushing nerd' in the blink of an eye. incredible. ]

I-I didn't have a lot of friends until I joined up with SEES, either. Guess that's one of the trade-offs of getting our power, right? You go through so much with your team that you know there's always people who'll support you. Plus, there's so many of us here that we can't help but stick together.

[ a beat before she slightly ducks her head, an embarrassed smile on her face. ] But I've--definitely always got your back.

[gracile]

Yes, that's very true. How can you not trust those who've gone through such things with you? I'd trust the others with my life.

[A soft squeeze of Yukari's hand in hers.] But thank you for saying that. And I should very much like to return the sentiment.

[Then they had a cute coffee date, and went back to Haru's apartment?]

[piercedyourheart]

[ it was very cute and yukari even worked up the nerve to hold haru's hand for the last two blocks of the walk back to her place. all in all, she'd call this a rousing success. ]

Guess this is it. [ she turns to face the other girl, unable to wipe the silly grin off her face. ] So what's the verdict? How was your very first romantic date, Haru-chan? Be honest! I promise can take it.

[gracile]

[Holding hands, how scandalous!

Not really. But it does make Haru blush the entire last stretch of the walk home, and as she walks into her apartment, closing the door behind the two of them, her cheeks are a little pink.] Well... I can certainly say that it was better than being engaged!

[She holds a semi-straight face for a few heartbeats and then can't anymore, her expression shifting into a shy smile.] I had a wonderful time, Yukari-chan. Thank you so much. You're very easy to talk to.

Would you like some... oh, we just had coffee, I probably shouldn't offer you any more. [There goes her first plan.] ...would you like tea?

[piercedyourheart]

[ yukari isn't in much better shape, the entirety of her face flushed deep red. she's never been much of a dating person so hearing haru say she had a fun time makes her feel like she's won the prismatica equivalent of the lottery. ]

I should be thanking you since you're the one who agreed to this. Still, I'm glad you had fun.... And that it was just a little bit better than Sugimura. [ she grins. kidding! ] But, really, you can always talk to me about whatever you like.

[ she feels warm all over and is fairly certain that if she has another hot drink she'll overheat, but if haru is offering then how can she say no? ]

Tea sounds great! Do you need me to help out? I wouldn't mind.

[gracile]

[Haru turns around, places her hands gently on Yukari's shoulders.

And daintily pushes her back until the backs of her legs collide with the soft fabric of the living room couch.] You are my guest, Yukari-chan, and I don't mind making it myself!

[Haru says, her tone at first a little serious... until she giggles.] I'm sorry, is that too much? I just never really got to host anyone much back home, so it's nice to do this myself.

I won't be long, I promise!

[And it's not like Yukari can't see into the kitchen from where she is anyway, as Haru puts a tea kettle on.]

[piercedyourheart]

[ when haru takes her by the shoulders, all of the breath in her body leaves her in a sudden rush. it would be a lie to say that time in greatmoon groves hadn't been on her mind since then, but she hadn't thought they'd act on it again so soon. not that she's complaining. yukari tilts her head up on instinct as she's pushed back onto the couch, body already thrumming with anticipation and--

stares after haru while she happily walks away to begin preparing tea, frozen in place. seconds crawl by before yukari lets out the breath she's been holding. she had hoped--well, really, she had assumed that--

she figures this what she gets as she slumps further into the couch cushions. maybe she'd need that tea, after all. ]

Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere....

[gracile]

[To be honest, as soon as her hands were on Yukari's shoulders, she couldn't help but think of it herself, either. It was a good thing that she was able to turn around and walk to the kitchen before the ruddiness in her cheeks became apparent.

Haru busies herself with setting the kettle on, pulling out some mugs and some bags of some flowery tea that's not too caffineated, since they've just had coffee, humming happily to herself; the date has put her in a rather chipper mood.

It's not long before the kettle whistles and she returns, carrying two mugs of steaming tea and sets them on coasters on the coffee table in front of Yukari, sitting next to her.

Pretty close to her.] I hope you like jasmine. I'm sorry, I realized I hadn't asked before I made it!

[piercedyourheart]

[ super close. right in the middle of the personal bubble, even.

yukari is doing her best not to stare directly at haru. she is failing, but by god, she's trying. she waves away the apology and says with a smile, ]

Jasmine's totally fine. You're already a better host than most people I know. [ she glances around the apartment in hopes that it'll distract her from the increasing awareness that their knees are practically touching. ] Your place is pretty cozy.... Is it just you here or do you have a roommate?

[gracile]

[Their knees brush against each other's, but just for a moment before Haru realizes and angles away.

She sips her tea, trying not to act like her heart is suddenly all fluttery.

But it totally is.] Haha, it's just me. I'd never really lived on my own before, even if my father wasn't around much, since we always had live-in help... I thought I might want to try it.

[The implication that they're alone, of course, hangs in the air.]

[piercedyourheart]

[ so they're completely... ah. the implication hangs so heavy that yukari can't help but shift in her seat a little. ]

Nice! Fair warning, it's kinda hard to go back to living someone once you've gotten a taste of living on your own. I've been doing it since I was 13 and don't think I could give up all the freedom. You can invite anybody over, stay up as late as you want, make as much noise as you like--

[ wait, that sounds a lot like a suggestion. which it is not supposed to be, at all.

oh, god, how is yukari blowing this so badly. ]

It's...it's nice, [ she mutters before taking a very large sip of tea. maybe this can be salvaged if she just stops talking. ]

[gracile]

Oh, I can certainly imagine. It's very peaceful like this. [She blows some steam from her tea and then takes a sip.] I think I'd like living with people again, though. It's more lively... I'm not used to complete quiet.

[What Yukari's said, though, lingers in her mind. Ther knees bump.

She coughs. And sets her tea down. Her ears are burning.

There's awkward silence in the room, because they've both stopped talking, until Haru ventures:] Is there any chance, perhaps, that.

...you might like to, um, kiss again?