View source for 2986/The Not Quite Solo Walk Of Not Quite Shame

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2017/11/01
|Location=Mitakihara/Pikarigaoka - King Penguin Park
|Synopsis=Kukai Souma is walking home from Lacrima's Halloween party. The one where he dressed up as Lacrima. Being out alone through King Penguin Park is nothing he wants to deal with right now, but thankfully he finds a friend in Makio Ryu who's willing to walk him home.
|Cast of Characters=141,213
|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There are a lot of strange and interesting sights in Tokyo on Halloween. One of those sights this Halloween is the picture of someone with dark blackish-purple hair and a matching gothic dress with slightly lifted shoes trying to keep their head down and walk through the crowds without being noticed. Little harder than it seems with so many people walking around but the figure seems to be managing. The few mahou in the town though would probably recognize the figure as Lacrima, only not - it's a Lacrima who's much taller and less grumpy or obviously magical. Anyone who gets close may recognize the face as not Lacrima, but Kukai Souma, made up to look like her.

:'''{{#var:213|Makio Ryu| (213)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Making his own way through is...someone that looks like some sort of fictional vampire character with long, white hair and black clothing. Hey, look it's a sort of match! Thinking he sees Lacrima, said 'vampire' wanders over. "Oh hey, sorry I--" Makio's voice starts before he pauses. No, no...too tall...somewhat less gloomy...other stuff seems off for this to be Lacrima too. His head tilts untill it seems to dawn on him. "Oh! Hey dude! Man, tell me you were at the party with that!"

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai starts, staring at the figure in front of him. He blinks a few times, eyelashes fluttering in confusion, and then lets out an oh as he starts to recognize the other person underneath the costume. A few seconds later his heart sinks a little as he does recognize who it is - great, just what he wanted, someone else to laugh at him. But then Makio mentions the party and Kukai nods. "Ah. Yeah, actually, I was super late and didn't have a costume, but Nadeshiko saw the dress and thought I should dress up like Lacrima, so... And then I arrived and Lacrima and Rashmi and a couple others all thought it was the funniest thing ever, so..." <br /><br /> Kukai scuffs the toe of his shoe for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain all this, but then nods after a moment. "Look... I dunno where Nadeshiko went, and I hate trying to walk all the way home without her help, not to mention how I'm gonna explain this to my brothers. Do you think you'd help me get at least part of the way home with as few people bothering me as possible?"

:'''{{#var:213|Makio Ryu| (213)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Ahhh, Nadeshiko's idea! That somehow makes a lot more sense even though I haven't known either of you much," Makio replies, "Yeah, I didn't get to make the party at all, stuff came up with work." He blinks a little at Kukai's further information.<br /><br />Huh? He must be being way too care free if Kukai's that concerned about walking home alone. Eh, he hasn't gotten attacked yet. In responce to the question he can't help smirking a little and offering an arm in a guesture as if he was a gentleman about to escort a lady.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai nods. "Yeah. I mean, I agreed to it and went along, but... And well, I try to be more..." Kukai searches for the word. "I dunno. Less this, more me." He motions at himself. "But there was a thing at one point - it included a magical card and body swapping and for a bit I actually WAS in Lacrima's body, and she was in mine. So I thought this would be a funny costume. So... The thing is, I don't tend to dress like this. Not that there's anything wrong with dressing like this, but... oh, I don't know. It's all so confusing. You know I only started dating at all about a year ago, and that was Na-chan, and she's been my only girlfriend since then? So I don't know what I'm talking about." <br /><br /> Kukai isn't really worried about being attacked nearly as much as he is being recognized. He'd never live it down. The picture on Lacrima's phone hasn't exactly been realized as a point of embarrassment yet either. He eyes that arm Makio's offering as if he'd dipped it in poison, then lets out an exasperated groan and turns, heading through the park. "Ugh. Never mind, this was a dumb idea..."

:'''{{#var:213|Makio Ryu| (213)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Ah come on, I was just kidding with you," Makio insists, "I didn't really expect you to. Besides I've got a bunch of candy to get rid of!" He rushes after Kukai, but keeps a comfortable distance after that poisoned glare his arm got.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai eyes Makio for a moment, then nods, grinning. "Well. If you say so. Thanks. But yeah, if anybody says anything, just hop in front of them for a bit and let me get clear." He rubs his chin, thinking. "But you don't know where my house is, though. Do you know where the apartment buildings are to the south? That's where I live. Hopefully we won't get separated, though." He walks along, the little shoes clicking annoyingly under him, as he walks with Makio. "So... candy? How much?"

:'''{{#var:213|Makio Ryu| (213)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Makio Ryu nods in agreement. "No problem," he states, "It's not a big deal." As Kukai says where he lives Makio gives a nod. "Yeah, I'm fine walking you there," he replies. Nevermind his own home is right in this area but, he'd rather be a /little/ rebelious and stay out later instead of go right home to his parents...OR his grandparents opposite extreme sort of antics.<br /><br />"Well I've promised some to Naru and Kyouko, so....after that...I can probably give you and Nadeshiko a shoping bag's worth too. My parents are big into halloween and always give me way more candy than I can manage... There's always some of it that eventually ends up in the trash."

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai smiles and pats Makio's shoulder, walking down the street and turning to head further south. "Oh, wow, thank you. That sounds awesome. I appreciate your helping me. So where do you live, anyway?" <br /><br /> He winces, color rising in his cheeks under the makeup involuntarily. "Oh man. That sounds like a ton of candy. I try not to eat ''too'' much candy but I do love it. I worry about getting round." He grins weakly, stepping around a batch of trick or treaters running through the street. "I exercise too much to be too chubby, though, I think. But Nadeshiko and I would both love it."

:'''{{#var:213|Makio Ryu| (213)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Makio Ryu chuckles a little at Kukai's concern. "I can give you less than that if you prefer. It's mainly American stuff too, that or the flavors we have here of American candies. Lot's of different flavors of kit kat, for one. My parents are just kind of wierd, I guess. I can't tell sometimes if they're stuck up rich people who'd rather throw money in my direction than have anything to do with me....or if they still think I'm a little kid that they're trying to spoil with lots of sugar. Seriously, between the sodas, cereals, and candies, if you ever need sugar, you've got a dealer..."<br /><br />"And I live right here in Pikarigoka," he replies, "But I'm not in a rush to get back or anything. Since I missed the party, I'd rather hang out a little first."

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai grins. "Well I imagine we'll eat it eventually, so however much you want to let us have is fine. And really? Do they like American stuff a lot? That's pretty cool. I don't see a whole lot of that." He scratches the back of his head, then nods at Makio. "I'm sure your parents love you. It may be hard for them to tell you that though. Do they have trouble telling one another how they feel? That might help." <br /><br /> Kukai winces, then nods. "I gotcha. Well, I'll try to hurry home and give you a chance to come back and party some. That sound good?"

:'''{{#var:213|Makio Ryu| (213)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Makio Ryu looks thoughtful. "I can't even remember for sure, actually," he admits, "I see them when they're here in Japan, but even then they're pretty busy and usually leave me to my grandparents. Who seem to like reminding me how my parents are ruining me with thier money."<br /><br />He shrugs a little. "Well, whatever the situation actually is, I'll work things out one way or another," he states, "Don't worry, no rush. Unless you'd rather NOT spend your time with the vampire hero keeping you free of the annoyance of some unrulely trick or treaters."

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai laughs and shakes his head. "Wow, really? Your grandparents were poor like mine when they were young, then." He walks along, the crowd around them mostly forgotten. "My grandfather on my mom's side is a priest. He lives up on one of the mountains near a ski lodge and takes care of a temple up there. He moved up there when my grandmother died before I was born. What's funny is that we sent him a smartphone last year and he learned how to use it just fine to stay in touch with us. So... it may just be them." <br /><br /> Kukai reaches over, patting Makio's shoulder and giving him a brotherly hug. "If you need any help your friends are here to help you. We'll stick with you." The vampire hero comment makes Kukai's powdered nose wriggle, though. "I'm going to decide to not respond to that one, because having you here makes me feel more comfortable. So I guess I have to say yes."

:'''{{#var:213|Makio Ryu| (213)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Maybe they WERE poor back then, might explain why they're so strict about things now, even when my parents are loaded and bought them a BIG house. They still insisting on working their butts off day in and day out. My granpa's just another low end office man, in the cubical more than he isn't, and my grandma works at an old flowershop a friend of her's family has owned for forever. I get the feeling they'd actually be proud of me if I ever let them on to working at the cafe... I just don't feel like my parents would be happy about it at all. They're my mom's parents, I actually haven't met my dad's parents. Mom's a lawyer, but she feels like the opposite of what a lawyer feels like they should be... Dad's an architecht and worked on a lot of famous or important properties over the years. Every time he has to go somewhere else for a job, mom goes with him."<br /><br />Makio, for the shortest of moments looks surprized at Kukai hugging him and giving him that statement. Quickly after, however, he's basically bear hugging Kukai. "Awww, thanks dude," he replies with a large grin. ...before seeming to realise what he was doing, and carefully letting go of Kukai. He even dusts him off a tiny bit. "Sorry, I'm still- well, believe it or not, I didn't really have any friends before the whole mahou thing. I was- I kind of still /am/ having trouble accepting that people would like /me/, so I was just making a show of being friendly without really connecting to anyone...but now you're my third friend!"

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai nods, listening to Makio. "Yeah. My parents are working overseas right now, paying for my brothers and I to have an apartment while they save up money. It's kinda rough, but it's ok. And why wouldn't your parents be glad you had some kinda job? I can't think of a parent anywhere who wouldn't like that for their kid." Kukai reaches up to scratch under the wig at the back of his head, pulling it back down into place after a second. <br /><br /> Kukai looks back at Makio and then awks, hugged up tight and almost leaning against him, the dress made out of some cheap cotton material, even if it looks nice. He finally coughs as he's let go and then grins back at him. "Jeez you're strong! That's sort of scary, in a way. But... what, really? No friends at all? That's horrible! So yeah, you are my friend, I promise. Anybody who'd walk me home like this is definitely a friend." He grins and pats Makio on the back again.

:'''{{#var:213|Makio Ryu| (213)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Makio Ryu grins back and shakes his head. "Not joking at all, just officially got permision to call Naru my friend this morning. Nyan-tan and me became friends back on grand opening night..." Yeah, he asked /permission/. He really IS actually very awkward under all that extroverted friendliness he puts out. "I just don't want to jump to conclusions and be that annoying dude that everyone looks down on, and when I say I'm their friend, they're just thinking 'Oh my god, that's totally gross'."<br /><br />At Kukai being lost about the bit with his parents, he points out, "I'm still in highschool, they paid to put me in that highschool, they pay away all the 'blemishes' on my school record. I just can't imagine they'd want me to be working as a butler-esque waiter. Either because of how high class they seem to be shooting to make me academically, oooooor how that means time I could be spending on school that I am not."

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai smiles and nods, walking along with Makio. "Oh ok, that's cool. I understand - and yeah, Naru's awesome. She's a sweetheart. I'm surprised she and Kyouko are a thing though - they seem so different." He grins and nods. "Most people will be your friend without needing to ask permission, though. And seriously, anybody who'd think you were gross would be gross themselves. It's ok." He grins, still walking along. <br /><br /> Kukai hmms, then nods, listening. "Well, yeah, and... they pay for your 'blemishes'?" Kukai's eyebrows arch. "Like, you get a bad grade, and they pay for it to not matter? I..." He looks away for a moment, thinking. "I dunno if I think that's really good, Makio. As for the rest of it, I dunno, but you have to be responsible for your mistakes. How else are you gonna learn when not to make them?" Kukai hmphs, walking along, getting ahead of Makio a bit before looking up and letting out a little oh. "Crap, that's my building back there! I was talking to you and walked right past it!" He turns around, moving towards the apartment block again."

:'''{{#var:213|Makio Ryu| (213)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Makio Ryu nods in agreement. "Yeah, that's part of my problem...I've been noticing I don't really know much of anything about having a hard time. There's plenty of people out there that are doing horribly, and here I am...why lift a finger? Everything's done for me. I'm basically useless unless I can throw money, swim, or do anything else related to marine life. I've been debating trying SOMETHING about it. I just don't know what."<br /><br />He blinks as Kukai notices they passed his place. "Oops, sorry," he replies, "And seriously, thanks again dude...." He squeezes on Kukai's shoulder. "Remember to let me know if I can do anything for you either...I mean, if nothing else, you were there to help when I first became that other guy..."

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai wrinkles his mouth a little, thinking, but then nods. "Yeah. At least you know enough to want to change that, so you can deal with things if it gets really bad. But we'll help you, if you need it." He rolls his shoulders, getting the dress arranged back straight, then grins at Makio. "No, thank you. I appreciate getting here without somebody noticing who it was in the dress and wig. And sure. I'll get in touch with you at some point. Thank you again. And if I can help with that, I will. You have my phone number, right?"

:'''{{#var:213|Makio Ryu| (213)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Makio Ryu nods in reply and offers a little wave. "Yep, it's right here," he replies as he holds his phone up. "I've been getting a lot of numbers lately...but I just figure that's normal when people find out you're part of the whole...thing." "Well, sleep well tonight," he says before holding out a bag. "Almost forgot...here's the candy!"

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai grins and gives Makio another pat on the back and a hug as he nods. "Yeah. My phone is full of people I don't know. It's crazy. And oh, yeah, thanks!" He takes the extra bag from Makio and then grins. "Go find some more friends to hang out with tonight!" He pulls his phone from his pocket as he enters the apartment building. "Hey, Shusui? Knew you'd be up. Is anyone else awake... I gotta get to the bathroom without being seen..."
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