mothematics
How wide is the concept of "you"?
- Location
- the bottom of a coffee cup
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Has Its Price
- Thread starter mothematics
- Start date
Aaaaand vote is called!
EtchedSteel
*mumble mumble*
- Location
- Lima. Peru
aaaa forgot to vote.
[x] Take a deep breath to suppress your annoyance at the boy's clumsiness. They are apologizing and seem sincerely sorry, as they should be.
[x] Gracious nod. Apology accepted; please watch where you're going in the future. Good day. Make to leave.
[x] Take a deep breath to suppress your annoyance at the boy's clumsiness. They are apologizing and seem sincerely sorry, as they should be.
[x] Gracious nod. Apology accepted; please watch where you're going in the future. Good day. Make to leave.
mothematics
How wide is the concept of "you"?
- Location
- the bottom of a coffee cup
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Update tonight, most likely.
mothematics
How wide is the concept of "you"?
- Location
- the bottom of a coffee cup
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Or tonight instead that's an option too 
(for real this time. blasted time zones)
(for real this time. blasted time zones)
Just Like The Pictures 1:5
mothematics
How wide is the concept of "you"?
- Location
- the bottom of a coffee cup
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[x] Take a deep breath to suppress your annoyance at the boy's clumsiness. They are apologizing and seem sincerely sorry, as they should be.
[x] Gracious nod. Apology accepted; please watch where you're going in the future. Good day. Make to leave.
You suck in a deep breath and exhale slowly, eyeing the boy again, before turning to regard the girl. You dust yourself off again, more to buy yourself a moment than for anything else. They're apologizing, and they seem sincerely sorry. As they should be for besmirching your noble visage, and for being so imperceptive.
You nod, a gracious, fractional tilt of your head. "Apology accepted, Miss Ikyo, Mister Ikyo" you intone. "Please do watch where your feet lead you in the future. Goo-"
A sudden, gurgling noise cuts through the momentary silence.
You flush, eyes sliding to the side for someone, something to blame. "Uh."
There! Your salvation lies in a ramen bar, not a hundred meters from where you stand. Perfect.
Kozue puts a hand to her mouth, covering what's obviously an amused smirk from the way her eyes crinkle. You redden further.
"Oh, let me buy you lunch as an apology," the girl says.
...you are hungry. Not that you'd ever let a random stranger you'd met bare minutes ago do such a thing, though. Sheer madness. The idea is simply preposterous. Such a thing could never happen. To entertain such a thought is to court madness.
You find a reflexive denial rising to your lips, but Kozue seems to catch it, and continues in a cajoling tone. "I'd sincerely like to apologize for my brother's clumsiness, please let me do this?"
"I'm hungry too," Akio adds.
You give in with a sigh. "I pay for myself," you state firmly, pivoting on your heel.
The brother-sister duo follow you to the ramen bar, where you settle on chairs in front of the, well, bar. The savoury scent of ramen broth permeates the cozy, low ceilinged room, and the warmth is a welcome relief from the cold. There's a few other customers here, eating their own lunches from the bar top. The counter is clean and polished, with holders of chopsticks and bowls of hard boiled eggs laid out neatly. "So, what will you have?" Kozue asks. "I'm paying, by the way."
"No," you refute absently as you consider the selection on offer. "Tsukemen."
"Yes," she counters.
A rustle of cloth draws your eye to Akio shedding his jacket in the relative warmth of the bar. His muscles flex, rippling under his skin as he roots about his pocket for his wallet. You can't help but stare - he has abs, the kind that comes from serious working out. The kind you could grind meat on. He places a few notes on the table, adding, "I'll pay. It was my mistake."
"I, uh, no I'll pay," you manage.
"I don't think you will," he answers softly.
Kozue eyes you speculatively for a moment as she flags down the chef. "I'll have a small tonkatsu ramen."
"Large tonkatsu," Akio says, sliding the bills over to the chef.
"And you, Miss?" the chef asks you.
You sputter for a moment as your brain attempts to reboot. "I, um, I'll have a large tsukemen," you say.
The chef's eyebrows rise for a moment, before he nods in acquiescence. "Alright," he says, turning to head back to the bubbling pots.
You sit there for a moment, simply kicking your feet as they hang in the air. What to say? Think, Miyuki!
"Um," you offer, the picture of eloquence. Casting about for something to say, your eyes end up at the door. "There is snow."
Kozue pauses in the midst of peeling a hardboiled egg, before leveling a look at you, head tilted down and eyebrows raised. "Yes. Yes, there is."
You lapse back into silence for a moment, fighting the urge to make yourself smaller. You take a breath to collect yourself, and open your mouth to speak.
"Tsukemen," the chef states flatly as he places the tray, bearing two large bowls down in front of you - one containing the noodles, and the other containing the thick broth.
You blanch at the sheer quantity of food before you.
… you maaaaaay have made a slight misjudgement.
You force yourself not to react. This meal-- no, this banquet of noodle is yours. You can eat it. You will eat it.
You hope.
"That looks like a lot," Kozue says, a hint of a smile on her face.
You can't help but duck your head. "I can eat it all," you bluster. "Watch."
Akio nods sagely. As the chef leaves his order in front of him, you can't help but notice a tattoo on the chef's neck, one of a burning coal in stark crimsons and blacks.
"Thank you for the food," you mutter, splitting a pair of chopsticks apart and grabbing some of the noodles, inspecting it critically. Handmade, by the looks of it, with excellent elasticity. You nod, satisfied, dipping it in the broth before daintily tucking the morsel into your mouth.
"How is it?" Kozue asks curiously.
"The broth could use more dashi," you note. The chef stiffens for a moment, pausing to give you a withering glare as he serves another customer. "Excellent noodles, admittedly," you concede to his back.
You think you can hear him snort faintly.
Kozue chuckles. "I don't think he likes you," she says.
"Constructive criticism is constructive criticism," you say imperturbably.
"Tonkatsu's good," Akio says, his chopsticks and spoon busy.
There's… froth in his bowl.
There's froth in his bowl.
There's froth in his bowl.
Your reaction is instantaneous. Leaning forward, you tap the butt of one of your chopsticks onto the intolerable blight upon dishware, halting Akio's own descending chopsticks. "You have a…"
He blinks down at you, expression puzzled.
"...bit of soap scum," you finish quietly, leaning back over onto your stool. Resisting the urge to spontaneously combust, you sit straight and dignified in a fine display of willpower.
Kozue laughs outright, actually snorting into her ramen.
"It wasn't clean," you mutter defensively, raising your head to meet her eyes.
She smiles gently, setting her own chopsticks down as she finishes.
The meal passes quickly, and eventually you slide the last strand of noodle into your mouth, forcing yourself to chew and swallow. That done, you lay the chopsticks down on the table with a triumphant clink.
Kozue raises her eyebrows in surprise, looking at the emptied bowls. "You really did eat all of it," she remarks.
You grumble to yourself, sliding off the barstool with an entirely-too-stuffed moan. "I'll do it again next time, too, and I'll pay for myself."
"...Next time?" Kozue blinks, eyes wide. "That… would be nice. I'll look forward to it."
An internal groan to yourself. You trapped yourself neatly there, didn't you? But if you're honest with yourself… you will concede that you don't dislike the idea. Though it's not like you were looking for friends!
...You wouldn't know what to do with them anyway.
Footfalls behind you would be the Ikyo siblings following you. Heading towards the door, you roll your head on your neck, feeling your vertebrae crack. Your eyes catch sight of an odd sigil, embossed into the low roof of the ramen bar. Blood red, and wax like in the shape of a… winking eye? What on Earth?
"Miss Shitaro? Would you... like to hang out a bit? It's about noon, and… maybe we could walk around town," Kozue softly interrupts your contemplation of the ceiling.
[] Go with the Ikyo siblings. Get a better feel for Ashikawa.
[] Point out the sigil to them.
[] Let them walk you home.
[] Do something else.
- [] Write-in
[x] Gracious nod. Apology accepted; please watch where you're going in the future. Good day. Make to leave.
You suck in a deep breath and exhale slowly, eyeing the boy again, before turning to regard the girl. You dust yourself off again, more to buy yourself a moment than for anything else. They're apologizing, and they seem sincerely sorry. As they should be for besmirching your noble visage, and for being so imperceptive.
You nod, a gracious, fractional tilt of your head. "Apology accepted, Miss Ikyo, Mister Ikyo" you intone. "Please do watch where your feet lead you in the future. Goo-"
A sudden, gurgling noise cuts through the momentary silence.
You flush, eyes sliding to the side for someone, something to blame. "Uh."
There! Your salvation lies in a ramen bar, not a hundred meters from where you stand. Perfect.
Kozue puts a hand to her mouth, covering what's obviously an amused smirk from the way her eyes crinkle. You redden further.
"Oh, let me buy you lunch as an apology," the girl says.
...you are hungry. Not that you'd ever let a random stranger you'd met bare minutes ago do such a thing, though. Sheer madness. The idea is simply preposterous. Such a thing could never happen. To entertain such a thought is to court madness.
You find a reflexive denial rising to your lips, but Kozue seems to catch it, and continues in a cajoling tone. "I'd sincerely like to apologize for my brother's clumsiness, please let me do this?"
"I'm hungry too," Akio adds.
You give in with a sigh. "I pay for myself," you state firmly, pivoting on your heel.
The brother-sister duo follow you to the ramen bar, where you settle on chairs in front of the, well, bar. The savoury scent of ramen broth permeates the cozy, low ceilinged room, and the warmth is a welcome relief from the cold. There's a few other customers here, eating their own lunches from the bar top. The counter is clean and polished, with holders of chopsticks and bowls of hard boiled eggs laid out neatly. "So, what will you have?" Kozue asks. "I'm paying, by the way."
"No," you refute absently as you consider the selection on offer. "Tsukemen."
"Yes," she counters.
A rustle of cloth draws your eye to Akio shedding his jacket in the relative warmth of the bar. His muscles flex, rippling under his skin as he roots about his pocket for his wallet. You can't help but stare - he has abs, the kind that comes from serious working out. The kind you could grind meat on. He places a few notes on the table, adding, "I'll pay. It was my mistake."
"I, uh, no I'll pay," you manage.
"I don't think you will," he answers softly.
Kozue eyes you speculatively for a moment as she flags down the chef. "I'll have a small tonkatsu ramen."
"Large tonkatsu," Akio says, sliding the bills over to the chef.
"And you, Miss?" the chef asks you.
You sputter for a moment as your brain attempts to reboot. "I, um, I'll have a large tsukemen," you say.
The chef's eyebrows rise for a moment, before he nods in acquiescence. "Alright," he says, turning to head back to the bubbling pots.
You sit there for a moment, simply kicking your feet as they hang in the air. What to say? Think, Miyuki!
"Um," you offer, the picture of eloquence. Casting about for something to say, your eyes end up at the door. "There is snow."
Kozue pauses in the midst of peeling a hardboiled egg, before leveling a look at you, head tilted down and eyebrows raised. "Yes. Yes, there is."
You lapse back into silence for a moment, fighting the urge to make yourself smaller. You take a breath to collect yourself, and open your mouth to speak.
"Tsukemen," the chef states flatly as he places the tray, bearing two large bowls down in front of you - one containing the noodles, and the other containing the thick broth.
You blanch at the sheer quantity of food before you.
… you maaaaaay have made a slight misjudgement.
You force yourself not to react. This meal-- no, this banquet of noodle is yours. You can eat it. You will eat it.
You hope.
"That looks like a lot," Kozue says, a hint of a smile on her face.
You can't help but duck your head. "I can eat it all," you bluster. "Watch."
Akio nods sagely. As the chef leaves his order in front of him, you can't help but notice a tattoo on the chef's neck, one of a burning coal in stark crimsons and blacks.
"Thank you for the food," you mutter, splitting a pair of chopsticks apart and grabbing some of the noodles, inspecting it critically. Handmade, by the looks of it, with excellent elasticity. You nod, satisfied, dipping it in the broth before daintily tucking the morsel into your mouth.
"How is it?" Kozue asks curiously.
"The broth could use more dashi," you note. The chef stiffens for a moment, pausing to give you a withering glare as he serves another customer. "Excellent noodles, admittedly," you concede to his back.
You think you can hear him snort faintly.
Kozue chuckles. "I don't think he likes you," she says.
"Constructive criticism is constructive criticism," you say imperturbably.
"Tonkatsu's good," Akio says, his chopsticks and spoon busy.
There's… froth in his bowl.
There's froth in his bowl.
There's froth in his bowl.
Your reaction is instantaneous. Leaning forward, you tap the butt of one of your chopsticks onto the intolerable blight upon dishware, halting Akio's own descending chopsticks. "You have a…"
He blinks down at you, expression puzzled.
"...bit of soap scum," you finish quietly, leaning back over onto your stool. Resisting the urge to spontaneously combust, you sit straight and dignified in a fine display of willpower.
Kozue laughs outright, actually snorting into her ramen.
"It wasn't clean," you mutter defensively, raising your head to meet her eyes.
She smiles gently, setting her own chopsticks down as she finishes.
The meal passes quickly, and eventually you slide the last strand of noodle into your mouth, forcing yourself to chew and swallow. That done, you lay the chopsticks down on the table with a triumphant clink.
Kozue raises her eyebrows in surprise, looking at the emptied bowls. "You really did eat all of it," she remarks.
You grumble to yourself, sliding off the barstool with an entirely-too-stuffed moan. "I'll do it again next time, too, and I'll pay for myself."
"...Next time?" Kozue blinks, eyes wide. "That… would be nice. I'll look forward to it."
An internal groan to yourself. You trapped yourself neatly there, didn't you? But if you're honest with yourself… you will concede that you don't dislike the idea. Though it's not like you were looking for friends!
...You wouldn't know what to do with them anyway.
Footfalls behind you would be the Ikyo siblings following you. Heading towards the door, you roll your head on your neck, feeling your vertebrae crack. Your eyes catch sight of an odd sigil, embossed into the low roof of the ramen bar. Blood red, and wax like in the shape of a… winking eye? What on Earth?
"Miss Shitaro? Would you... like to hang out a bit? It's about noon, and… maybe we could walk around town," Kozue softly interrupts your contemplation of the ceiling.
[] Go with the Ikyo siblings. Get a better feel for Ashikawa.
[] Point out the sigil to them.
[] Let them walk you home.
[] Do something else.
- [] Write-in
Last edited:
Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
- Location
-
[X] Go with the Ikyo siblings. Get a better feel for Ashikawa.
Sightedjt
Everlasting Flames
Don't forget the tsun in there as well
- Location
- Third planet from the star named Sol
- Pronouns
- He/They
[X] Go with the Ikyo siblings. Get a better feel for Ashikawa.
mothematics
How wide is the concept of "you"?
- Location
- the bottom of a coffee cup
- Pronouns
- She/Her
What makes you think I'm telling you what it is this coming update?
Gadjo
Doka
Well, point, but even them not knowing or being unwilling to say what it is counts as information.What makes you think I'm telling you what it is this coming update?
Choo Choo
THE GRIEF TRAIN HAS NO BRAKES
- Location
- Sweden -> California
- Pronouns
- She/her
mothematics
How wide is the concept of "you"?
- Location
- the bottom of a coffee cup
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Shush Miyuki.
Winged Knight
Still just a crazy man with a wolf on his head
- Location
- Texas
[x] Point out the sigil to them.
[x] Go with the Ikyo siblings. Get a better feel for Ashikawa.
[x] Go with the Ikyo siblings. Get a better feel for Ashikawa.