heritrix | Recolle

I apologize.
Usually I don't mind making a few jokes here or there.

In person would be best.

That's fine.

[She has so much work to catch up on, though, and homework too... Rin rubs at her eyes, schedule flashing through her head. There's still a few days until her big economics project is due. Depending on how long this takes, I can get a few study hours before bed tonight. If not, there's tomorrow morning before classes, if I wake up early.]

My shift's not up for a few hours, but I can meet you afterwards.

Understood.

[ Kei thinks only for a second about giving the news over text. It would allow Rin to be able to process the information and not feel like she has to give him an immediate response. But he also feels that is something he should callously give over so suddenly -- in respect to her father that he knows in this world. ]

Let's meet somewhere other than the shop. I'm starting to feel I only give you bad news there, and it will end up becoming a place you'll subconsciously avoid.

I hate to break it to you, but I already do. You need to lay off the heavy spices. But very well. How about the coffee shop across from the library? I have to stop by there later, so I can kill two birds with one stone.

Everyone seems concerned with what I make at my restaurant. I'm starting to get hurt feelings. [ He thought for a moment in remaining serious but decides, no. She has hours left of her shift and needs something light to hope for. ]

Very well. I'll await you there. Would you like a drink waiting for you, too, perhaps?

[—IF HE'S BUYING, ABSOLUTELY SHE DOES. Brand coffee is so expensive.]

!!! If they still have those unicorn drinks, I'd love one of those! I never got to try one when they were big. If not, a chai tea latte would hit the spot.

I'll ask if they have any of them remaining, then. And thank you for giving me a second option in case the first does not work.

If I didn't have it, I would have bought you black coffee with me.

Oof. No one wants something that strong in the afternoon.

[But a fuckton of sugar, that checks out.]

I did not realize I was no one. :(

[ He nods a little. This should make her shift easier. ]

[...pfft, seeing a grown adult man type a sad face emoji is enough to get her to snicker, if just a little bit. But that's when her manager calls her over; break's up, got a spill at Table 7.]

I'm off at 7

[From there though it's a big rush, so she has no time to text back; barely had time to get off that short reply, even. She'll be at the coffee shop around 7:30 though, as promised.]

[ The restaurant is closed a little early, but he can't imagine there will be too much upset about it. Kei makes it to the coffee shop early enough, and orders their drinks. He wonders if unicorn drink is the name of it, but settles on the featured drink that has some Cinderella-Snowfall name to it. Is this unicorn enough?

He chooses a spot by the windows. It is both to be able to see Rin when she arrives -- and also allow Rin to be able to have something to look at other than himself. Somehow, it feels like I'm telling her of Tohsaka-senpai's death here. It's an odd feeling to be certain. But what is it that I'm feeling? His eyes close as he decides that he will focus instead on something else. Anything else.

Like how bad he is going to burn his mouth by drinking his coffee without letting it cool at all. ]

[Hoo boy, her hair could use a touch up. It's frizzed somewhat from work, so after pulling into the parking lot Rin takes a moment to comb through it lightly with her fingers and smooth it out, appraising her appearance in the rear view mirror. Coming off a weekend shift, it can be expected she'd look tired, but sloppy is never acceptable. Not in public, in front of actual humans.

Deciding that looks good enough, Rin slings her bag over her shoulder and strides in, spotting Kei easily with the seat he's picked out. And as she approaches:]

Huh, that's a lot less sparkly than I was expecting. [Less pink too...] Drat. They were out, huh?

I suppose?

[ He opens his mouth to let out a slightly pained sigh. The coffee did its job of burning his tongue and mouth quite bad, but he feels to be more or less himself. Thoughts about what he's feeling faded to the background as he muses over if he actually ordered the wrong drink instead. ]

I'm afraid now you have me second-guessing if I ordered right or not. [ Kei pauses to stare at the drink, uncertain. But he breathes out a little laugh. ] Oh, well, it is a drink on someone else's dime so please enjoy it all the same. [ A slight pause. He curls his fingers around the plastic cup still half-full of coffee. ]

If you'll allow for the usual pleasantries, [ Like they weren't already in them. ] how was work? [ A slight pause. ] Nevermind. I have put this on hold for long enough, and it seems like if I keep doing so... [ Kei trails off like he isn't certain what the ending would be. Rin continuing to wonder what it is, or growing tired and just letting it sit in the back of her thoughts? His lips press together in a thin line. ]

The memory I received. The one that I couldn't tell you about until now. It was that your father from the other world had died. I don't know how, just that we were at his funeral.

Edited (actually adding and changing 'cause eh) 2018-04-01 00:10 (UTC)

[Sitting down, Rin picks up her cup appraisingly. She didn't order the drink, so she can't say what is is—a new fad maybe? At Kei's admittance of second guessing himself, she sighs a bit and waves her hand dismissively, opening her mouth to tell him not to mind it—

Ah, he cuts her off.

Well, reluctantly she has to agree with him after all. Even if he didn't order either of the two options she gave him, it's still an expensive treat on someone else's dime, so she'll happily accept it, rolling over to the small talk. Wearing a thin smile when he asks about work, she shrugs her shoulders pleasantly.]

Oh. It—

[Barely two words in, he cuts her off again. Okay, now she's just getting annoyed.

Having nothing else to do with her open mouth, the bright green straw of her drink goes in and she closes her lips around it. Seen here: the sulkiest of straw sucking.]

[Her irritated expression starts to fade slowly, of course, as he goes on. Whatever he's called me over for must be severely troubling him, she realizes. He keeps changing topics, like a snake uncomfortable in its skin.

...

...She tenses just slightly when he finally says it, with the grace of someone ripping off a bandaid. Her fingertips scratch the surface of her cup from the way her grip reflexively, marginally tightened.

It loosens up a moment later, in that pregnant pause, and her expression is smooth when she pulls the straw from her mouth to answer him.]

...Yeah. I guessed something like that took place.

You guessed something like that took place?

[ Kei repeats the words carefully, slowly. Indeed, he does not quite feel like himself in having to discuss such a matter with Rin. In his heart, he feels something coiling around it. His eyes widen a little as he realizes that he's disappointed. His posture immediately straightens as he understands the source of his disappointment. It makes his mouth run dry. I'm disappointed she's not more upset?

Yes, he felt something warming over her annoyance at how he cut her off each time to start another point. But he figured that it was only due to his anxiety about having to tell her the news. His fingers tremble a little around the cup, actually feeling nervous. Not about this topic, no. About what it is I'm feeling. The cup is lifted to take a small drink. Don't worry about it. Don't wonder about it.

He swallows but his throat still feels dry. ]

You received some sort of memory, then?

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