1044/Sweet Meetings

Sweet Meetings
Date of Scene:	26 January 2024
Location:	Nounamu Sweets
Synopsis:	Newly back from the USA, Ren stops by Nounamu Sweets and runs into Chiyo and Makoto. Introductions are offered, candies are had, and plans for future meetings made.
Cast of Characters:	Chiyo Sakai, Ren Morimoto, Makoto Kino

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Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Since the re-opening of the shop recently, business had picked up significantly. Only to slow down to more normal levels again as the regulars began to realize there really wasn't any indication it was going to go away any time soon. It had just been the owner being ill, and a small kerfluffle with a broken window (no one's really sure how that happened, maybe a bird flew into it too hard.) The slightly slower business allows Chiyo time to properly tend to the cafe tables and tidy them up.

She's wearing her slacks and shirt with the candy-colored apron that was the closest thing to a 'uniform' this shop had, while the old man behind the counter was diligently working on some mochi to press and decorate into the little delicate candies that they were famous for. He was also listening to an old radio today that was rattling off news about the upcoming baseball pre-season games, speculations, and practices going on currently.

Chiyo was currently at the tea carafes having refilled them and she's wiping up a bit of spilt tea.

Ren Morimoto has posed:
    There's no reason a doorway should feel as insurmountable as this. It's not as if he and Chiyo had time to become friends, before he'd left for his semester abroad; after all, he hadn't done much more than try (and fail) to recruit her into the baseball club, and looking back, that doesn't feel like a very strong overture of friendship. Not with the implication of Ren having ulterior motives for getting close to her.

    So, right. All he has to do is go inside, say hello, and Not Talk About Baseball. That should be easy, right? Maybe she doesn't even remember him, and they can start fresh! It's with this hope that he pushes open the front door and steps inside, immediately unzipping the the front of his coat. Underneath he has a pair of jeans on, and a t-shirt that has some English written across the front, from some kind of foreign running event. He spots Chiyo immediately and falters, though his hesitancy only lasts a moment before he scoots further inside and goes to look at the candies on display.

    Eventually his brain catches up enough with what's going on inside the shop to realize what's playing over the radio, and he silently recommits to his plan. No more baseball talk.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Did Makoto really need more wagashi so soon after her last visit? Not really, but nonetheless, Makoto steps into the shop from outside only a little behind Ren. She pauses a couple of steps in to give a polite bow and a "Good afternoon, Sakai-san," to Chiyo's Ojisan, before she lifts her head to look for Chiyo.

When she spots her, she heads over to join her by the tea station, with her bag tucked under her arm and her cell phone in hand. "Hi, Chiyo-chan! How's it going?"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai hears the door open when Ren steps inside, and her back remains momentarily turned as her hands are full. "Be right with you. Have a look at what you'd like," comes her greeting. One final swipe of cloth over the tea table tidies it up, and she tucks the cleaning cloth back into the pocket of her apron.

Turning around she spots Ren only to pause as she does indeed recognize him. It had been awhile, but you tend not to forget someone who spent an entire lunch period trying to convince you to join the baseball team. A quick smile is flashed toward him. "Hello again." What was his name again? She should remember but... So much had happened over the holidays.

Makoto's entrance earns a wider smile as well as she easily recognizes the taller girl. "Makoto-chan, hello! I'm doing well, so is Ojiisan," she assures while her grandfather looks over to give a small grunt of greeting and a simple, "Welcome back."

Looking momentarily awkward she glances between Ren and Makoto only to remark, "Have you two met before? If you want anything from the case I can get it together real quick," she assures.

Ren Morimoto has posed:
    The initial greeting soothes Ren's nerves, somewhat. It's not actually evidence to support his theory about Chiyo not remembering him, given that she's facing away from him, but it's not the rational part of his brain doing the thinking right now. It's a little silly, how scared he is about reconnecting. So when she turns and says hello, he jumps a little, because all he is is a bundle of nerves.

    But he flashes a hesitant smile her way, and lifts a hand to wave, though it doesn't venture much higher than his waist. Judging by the way he takes in a breath and steps backwards as Makoto's entrance is noted and responded to by Chiyo, he's probably grateful for the reprieve.

    Why is he so scared? This is just a normal thing. People talking. So he takes in a deep breath and holds it in his chest for a couple of seconds, before releasing.

    "I don't think so," he hedges, uncertainty in his voice. But then he does a little shrug, and smiles again. "But it's nice to meet you. I'm Ren, I go to Radiant Heart Academy."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto glances over curiously to Ren, tilting her head to the side for a moment. "I don't think we've met before, either, but I go to Radiant Heart too. Makoto Kino - I'm in the ninth grade. Nice to meet you, Ren-kun."

A beat, before she looks between Ren and Chiyo. "Oh, you can go ahead of me if you want. I mostly came to catch up with Chiyo-chan on some stuff, so..."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai flashes a smile as the two exchange greetings. "Ren-kun was trying to get me to join the baseball club last year," she remarks with a little chuckle as she recalls the few attempts. It was an interaction she had never expected.

She pauses to look between the two with a grin. "Ah, I can get you what you might want or if you have questions about anything, I can help too," she offers to Ren with a little gesture toward the case of sweets. Even as she offers though a curious glance is flashed toward Mako.

"What's up?"

Ren Morimoto has posed:
    "Oh, I don't know what I want yet," is Ren's quick answer, his eyes darting over towards the display case. He chews on his lower lip for a moment before he takes a few shuffling steps closer to where the sweets are on display. Maybe he means to give Chiyo and Makoto time to talk amongst themselves, though it's hard for him to be all that far away inside the shop.

    He rubs the back of his neck at mention of the baseball club, and he half-turns, looking back at them. "I'm sorry for all of that, Chiyo-san, it was pretty obnoxious of me. I promise not to bring it back up," he says, and his voice is solemn. When Chiyo brings his attention back to the candies, he nods and averts his eyes.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto glances between Chiyo and Ren with renewed curiosity at this information, visibly seeming to consider a couple of questions before she settles on a fairly neutral, "Is that so? I've had some people try to scout me for sports clubs before, myself... but the Cooking and Gardening clubs are more my speed." She flashes Chiyo a brief smile of understanding.

"Anyway, it wasn't anything too important," she adds after a moment, returning to an earlier topic. "You wanted me to let you know what happened with those seeds, didn't you, Chiyo-chan?"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai flashes a reassuring smile at Ren when he says he isn't sure. "Take your time. We carry a lot of things, and some seasonal items too, like the chestnut prailine we have at the moment." Which really was tasty and sold well as a filling, or by itself. The apology for the scouting does earn a softer smile though. "Thank you. I'm not really into it... I appreciate it."

Makoto gets a quick nod as she steps closer so they can speak without raising their voices. Which was good, Chiyo always was a bit soft spoken while in the shop. "Yes, I did! Are they all right?" It would be great if they were but she wasn't entirely sure. After what they'd been through with the plants it was worrisome.

Ren Morimoto has posed:
    For a second or two it looks like Ren might say something else, after Chiyo seems to accept his apology. But then he blanches a little and only manages a tiny little nod before he turns back to the case. And for a while, there he stands. The chestnut prailine does capture his attention, and he bends down to look at it, hands on his knees.

    And in his defense, he's trying really hard not to eavesdrop. Even humming a song (inside his head) can't block out Chiyo and Makoto's conversation, so maybe he glances over his shoulder once or twice in interest. Admittedly, it's not like he's a big fan of gardening, so he really should keep his nose out of it. And that thought makes him turn back to the display case, spine rigid. He's trying his best!

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto nods in reply to Chiyo's question, seeming relaxed and unconcerned. "They've started to sprout. It's still too soon to tell how they'll grow, but I'm keeping a close eye on them and everything seems fine so far."

There's a bit of a pause, and a concerned glance towards poor Ren, which turns into a questioning look when her eyes track back to Chiyo. "It's not much of an update," she admits ruefully. "Um... could I get a yuzu one? Just one, this time," she adds with a little hitch of a laugh. "If you're still making up your mind, Ren-kun, I had one of the chestnut pralines last time and they're delicious."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai is just a little tense a Makoto explains the current state of the flowers. A breath is let out slowly whiel flashing a quick grin. "I hope they grow up good, then," she offers with a little chuckle. "Thank you for letting me know. If there's any trouble with them of course, I'll be happy to help out as well. Even if you probably can handle it on your own," she adds grinning broadly. Ah, the dangers of gardening.

"Of course! One yuzu, coming up." Chiyo steps back behind the counter to get the requested yuzu wakizashi for Makoto. As she further endorses the candy her gaze flits up to the pair again. "Chestnuts are one of our more popular ones this time of year. You can't go wrong with it. Though I may be a bit biased."

The little packaged up treat is offered over the counter toward Makoto. "Here, it's on me today. Thank you for the update, Makoto-chan."

Ren Morimoto has posed:
    It's none of his business becomes the new chant in Ren's head, and it does eventually work. A little too good, so he only clues in that Makoto is talking to him halfway through what she's saying, but at least he catches the important bit. About the candy.

    "Then I'll take one chestnut prailine, please," he decides, straightening up with a nod. "Thanks for the recommendation." Then he starts patting his pockets, looking for his wallet. With his bulky winter jacket on, he has a *lot* of pockets to search through.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto shakes her head easily. "Hey," she says, "it never hurts to have a helping hand on call, right? You're welcome." Her eyes widen and her head lifts in surprise when Chiyo offers her the wagashi on the house. "Oh, but - you don't need to do that, really!" she protests in mild fluster. "I'm the one who came and bothered you at work!"

She does scoot a bit to the side, though, shifting the packed-up treat to make room for Ren to pay for and collect his own order.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai smiles broadly in turn at Makoto with a small shake of her own head. "You helped me out, too. I don't mind when a friend stops by for a bit. We haven't really had much chance to tal lately as it is. I hope that can change soon though." Once things slowed down. Holidays were always a thing.

A quick nod is offered, and she steps to the side to take out the prailine one for Ren as well. "If you really don't like it, let me know, Ren-kun. I know not every flavor is for everyone." Still she packages it up for now, and offers it out. "Or if you have any particular favorite flavors I can always make recommendations, too."

Ren Morimoto has posed:
    Inside coat pocket is apparently where past-Ren decided his wallet and coin purse should go. Unfortunately that is the very last pocket out of all his pockets that present-Ren looks, so he's flustered by then, a little flushed in the cheeks. "I, uh, I'm sure I'll like it!" he says, once he's able to count out a few coins and pass them over.

    "I tried a lot of different sweets when I visited America. Have you ever tried their chocolate?" His nose wrinkles, over the bridge. "Most of it's pretty terrible, but I brought some home from San Francisco that's really good. I like their raspberry fillings the most, so maybe I'm kind of a fruit filling person?" Though he does offer a one-shouldered shrug at that, looking a bit uncertain judging by the downward turn of his eyebrows. "But this will be good too, I'm sure."

    He takes a step back so that he can look between both Chiyo and Makoto, which makes it easier to include both of them in the conversation. "Are you looking forward to school starting up?" he asks.

Makoto Kino has posed:
"I'd like that, too," Makoto tells Chiyo earnestly, as she gives in and collects her neatly-wrapped yuzu sweet. "I'm sure the holidays and everything else have kept you extra busy."

Ren gets an interested, bright-eyed look. "I've never been out of Japan! That must've been interesting... except for the bad chocolate, I guess." She makes a very wry face at the question about school starting back up. "I'm looking forward to more people being back in the dorms... it's been kind of quiet lately."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai slides the treat over toward Ren while her other hand takes the proffered coins to deposit in the till. If there's any change that's offered over, too, with a little polite dip of her head. "Thank you! Enjoy!" Of course, that's more habit really.

The talk of American chocolate does earn her interest. "Really? That must be interesting. We're starting to prep our chocolates for Valentine's Day in advance, since they sell so well. Though there's still a lot who enjoy making their own I imagine." It was one of those things after all. "Raspberry filling though. That... I could see that going well with a darker chocolate." She's already plotting things.

The talk of school earns a faint shake of her head. "Yes and no. It'll be good to be back in a routine again, but I don't really have any favorite clases or anything." A quick look is tossed toward Makoto with a grin. "Ah we should catch up with Meiou-sensei about her cooking request soon." It was okay to say that much, right? Right.

Ren Morimoto has posed:
    All at once Ren's expression seems to brighten, and as he tucks his purchased sweet into one of his pockets -- no doubt to forget which one soon enough -- he nods his head eagerly. "It was great. Um, yeah, the name is Italian but it's an American company. I have some at home still if you'd like to sample it for, um, inspiration!" Then he shrugs at Chiyo, his smile turning into a faint sort of grimace. "I hope that's not offensive... offering chocolate to someone who makes sweets," he adds, before he looks at Makoto. "And I'd be happy to share with you too!"

    His change also ends up in a different pocket than where his coin pouch and wallet went. Just another surprise for future-Ren to find. "I'm looking forward to it. It's been really quiet since I got back, so it'll be nice to have people to talk to again."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Definitely," is Makoto's reply when Chiyo mentions Meiou-sensei's request, accompanied by an enthusiastic nod. "I'm looking forward to it!"

Ren's offer gets a bright, pleased smile as Mako steps back away from the counter. "I certainly won't turn down a chance to try out American chocolate. For right now, though, I'd better get going. It was nice meeting you, Ren-kun - see you around school!" She pauses briefly to offer a little bow to Chiyo and her Ojisan. "Thanks again!"

With that, she's on her way out, the yuzu wagashi in its tidy packaging cradled between both hands like a valuable treasure.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai waves goodbye to Makoto when she leaves before her attention turns back to Ren. Still grinning she can only shake her head a bit at the offer. "Not at all! Inspiration comes from many places, and trying new things is a great way to do that. I'd love to try some if it's not a bother. Maybe we can up our game on chocolates this year," she adds with a little laugh.

"I can understand the 'quiet' part of school being out. I text way more often than I used to, but it's still nice to actually get to chat with people face to face."

Ren Morimoto has posed:
    Ren bounces on the balls on his feet, feeling all of a sudden that he's full of hyper energy. "Okay, great! I can stop by later this week, or maybe we could hang out sometime," he says, and once again the frantic patting of pockets begins. This time, though, it's his phone that he's looking for, and he finds it in a back pocket of his jeans. Which is where it usually is, probably, because he finds it quite quickly. "I think I have your number..." is what he says next, thumb scrolling as he frowns down at his phone screen.

    Then Chiyo's phone beeps, or plays a ringtone, or vibrates, or... you know, maybe just has a silent notification, whatever it does when someone texts. Because Ren just texted her, though it's actually a picture of a ginger cat tucked up underneath a blanket, like a person, with a few cute stickers on the pic as decoration. "I only ever talk to my sister and she's always so busy. She's volunteering at the aquarium, because right now she thinks she wants to be a vet. Though only last month she wanted to be an archaeologist."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai reaches back to pull her own cellphone out when it chimes giving her an alert to the text message notification. The fact that it's a picture of a cat earns a grin. "Aw, he looks a bit like Bonito. Except Bonito's also got white spots," she remarks with a chuckle. There's a little Bao charm dangling from her phone as she has her phone out that seems to bounce a bit much from the motion.

"Sure, we can set up some time this week. I'm not *always* working," she assures with a chuckle, and a nod. "I'll let you know what days I'm free later."

Ren Morimoto has posed:
    "Okay, sounds good!" Ren tucks his phone away (unfortunately NOT in his back pocket, so it'll be a while before he finds it again) and then lifts his hand to wave. "I have some errands to run before I head home, but it was nice seeing you! We can catch up more later."

    He heads for the door, but as he hits the threshold, Ren spins around on his heel. For a second or two his mouth is open, like he means to ask something, but then it snaps shut and he breaths out through his nose. Finally, he just offers a quick, "Bye, Chiyo-san!" and then he's gone.