A Thousand Sugar Stars, Oh Put Them in a Jar (October Catch-All)

[ricebird]

Characters: Kotori Iida [Sweet Porridge Girl], Della Duck [Icarus], Master Crane [Crane (Tsuru no Ongaeshi)], Disciple [Jekyll and Hyde], and YOU!
Campaign: Break
Format: Starting with brackets, but will match
One Open, Two Closed
Summary: Kotori comes back from a brief trip home, makes lots of tasty food with people, and wakes up at an ungodly early hour to train. (Oh, also, Hyde happens.)


A. I Looked at the World Through Apple Eyes (Closed to Della Duck and Master Crane)

[Wild and unpredictable as restoring The Little Mermaid had been, Kotori is very, VERY glad the ending turned out happy, with not a speck of mermaid-derived seafoam in sight. Coming back to the Index and seeing the city dressed in autumn colors, though… is it already close to a year since the Storyteller first brought them here? Close to a year since she last saw home… She should fix that.

So after telling a few of her closer friends and asking them to watch her place and let any other Aspects who ask know so no one panics ROXAS, she asks the Storyteller to send her home, just for a little while. By Index time, she’s only gone a few days; in Japan, it’d only been a few weeks. It was… weird being back in a completely normal world after spending a year here. Going through school, cooking more with Inuzuka-sensei and Tsumugi-chan, her mom working hard again. Shinobu had even been visiting her during lunch break lately, even if it felt a bit awkward not telling her about cooking with the Inuzukas… or this place, for that matter. The remembered it vividly for a few days, but… then started writing it off as a dream. Huh. The whole business is weird, really, like the time differences, and her feelings for…

But she can think about all that later. The Storyteller brought her back in late at night it seems, and she’s already really tired. One good thing about all her schooling being left at home is that she can sleep in as late as she wants tomorrow. …… Which, if her memories of the Index had been a little fresher, she’d remember as having scheduled a certain meeting with a certain duck. This should be interesting.]


B. And Cut Myself a Slice of Sunshine Pie (Open)

[Between this new routine of cooking sessions with the Inuzukas, her pot’s new shapeshifting ability, the pub’s brand new kitchen, and actually having a recipe collection to work with, and creating the massive feast during the ball, Kotori’s not only started getting used to cooking with other people, she’s actually starting to crave it even more than she had been. So whether she asks you herself, or you ask to come over to practice a recipe (especially for a date coming up~), from late morning to a little bit into the evening, Kotori’s available to make just about anything.

Or maybe you smelled good food inside and decided to invite yourself into this strangely cauldron-shaped pub. (Especially if it involves daikon GOBO.) Those in this category might be confused to see that the space is clean and well-kept, if rustic, there doesn't seem to be much of a crowd. In fact, the only person here is a teenage girl, in the middle of cleaning the kitchen in the back, sweeping and polishing the floors and counters up front, or sitting down at the bar for a meal for one, depending on what time of day you catch her.

Still, yes, Kotori’s door is open, so come on in, cook, and eat!]


C. I Danced with the Peanut Butterflies (Closed to Disciple)

[Of course, even with how fun these cooking lessons are, a little quite time in between is always nice. (Not to mention kitchens don’t clean themselves…) So after doing some sweeping and mopping for the day, Kotori’s sitting at the bar counter with a nice, simple dinner with a steaming bowl of nyuumen and a cup of hot green tea. Perfect for a cool, peaceful autumn day like this… ……. Okay but maybe a miniature apple charlotte after this would be nice. After seconds, of course.]


D. Till Time Went and Told Me to Say Hello but Wave Goodbye (Wildcard)

[[Got something in find other than the prompts listed here? Feel free to hit me up on Plurk or Discord so we can plot!]]

Comments

[ricebird]

A-aha, instincts... right... [Like "go back inside for more food and sleep?"] Maybe uh... maybe a starting point would be nice, please. This is... kind of new to me.

[Seriously, even Field Days back home don't feel THIS intense.]

[noimpulsecontrol]

Alright, that works, too - let's get you started with some balance practice. You just have to hop across those flower pots!

[ricebird]

Okay...

[That shouldn't be too hard, right? The flower pots aren't that tall, even if they are set a little far apart. Kotori grabs her skirt and stands on one pot for a few seconds before stretching her legs and going to the next pot. Probably WAY too slow and careful for the exercise, but it's... something?]

[kawkaw]

[It’s about this time that Crane happens by; mostly he was just wandering by, but the sight of what looks like an obstacle course catches his attention. Curious, he finds himself drawing closer to observe what is going on.]

[noimpulsecontrol]

[Della waves at Crane briefly - then with a bit more enthusiasm once she recognizes him - before turning her attention back to Kotori. She sighs a little.]

Not exactly what I had in mind, kiddo! Oh, but you're off to a good start!

[ricebird]

Eh?

[She looks up now, but was too busy concentrating to see or hear Crane's approach or the waves. Ah, did she mean to go faster? Okay... She tries to make the hops between pots a little faster, but she's still hesitant to sacrifice too much accuracy yet. The last thing she wants is a sprained ankle, and really, from a training standpoint it'd be worse to risk injuring yourself in the first few minutes and then being unable to get away.

Alright, the ropes. Thankfully, she's seen a few "boot camp" scenes in movies to know she's supposed to go under... and maybe flattens herself TOO low to the ground to crawl. That and the long loose skirt make it a bit of a struggle, but at least she's keeping a steady pace to start.]

[kawkaw]

[His frown deepens as he watches, worried about the girl as she jumps from the pots. The pots themselves don't look too study, and he's glad they don't tip over when she jumps onto the next one.

When she starts crawling under the ropes, though, he decides to speak up.]

You need to be off the ground a bit more. Too much weight on the ground makes it harder to move, and you'll meet more resistance that way.

[noimpulsecontrol]

[Della... Hadn't expected him to still be there, honestly. But her method of training is much more buddy-buddy, and centered positive reinforcement, than his seems to be.]

Hey, uh... Don't worry, we've got this.

[ricebird]

[Kotori tries to look up at the new voice- did Della invite someone over?- but she can't get a good look from this angle. Still, the advice does make some sense, and with a quiet nod, she tries to lift herself a little more. Well, it makes it a little easier, now it's more of a moderate pace, but Kotori is definitely the slow and steady type and ugh, this is so awkward and is her limbs burn WHY.

Once she's made it through the other end of the short course, she all but flops onto the ground before pushing herself up into a sitting position.]

That was a good workout... [Then she looks to the stranger.] Um... thank you for the tip, that really helped, sir.

[Who is this, Della?]

[kawkaw]

[With a small smile, he nods.]

You're welcome.

[That is totally not a smug look Della's way, of course not why would you say that.]

[noimpulsecontrol]

[...Everything's fine. She wanted Kotori to learn confidence first and anything technical later, but sure, this is fine.]

Heh, way to go, kiddo... This is Jien, he's pretty new here.

[ricebird]

[Porqué no los dos?

A bit unsteadily, Kotori rises to her feet to give "Jien" a medium-light bow, although Jien might notice how her hands are clasped low in front of her instead of one fist against a hand.]

It's nice to meet you, Jien-san. Did Della-san invite you to help teach?

[kawkaw]

[While the honorifics are unfamiliar, the gesture is not. The position of her hands tells him she's a civilian, so he returns the bow with one of his own, his hands at his side.]

It's nice to meet you too. I just happened to be in the area, actually.

[noimpulsecontrol]

[Della gives a little sigh, but keeps her smile in place.]

Well, it was good to see you, but Kotori needs to get back to training.

[kawkaw]

Really? What, uh...kind of training are you guys doing?

[He might've been a bit starved for a sparring partner.]

[noimpulsecontrol]

Oh, just enough for Kotori here to protect herself! She's not a fighter, you know? Well- Not yet! But she'll get there!

[She laughs, elbowing Kotori.]

Right, kiddo?

[ricebird]

[Kotori flinches just a bit at the elbowing (it only hurts a little, but she's not very physically affectionate like Della is), and when she responds, it's with a slightly nervous and embarrassed chuckle.]

Eheheh... that's right. Della-san was kind enough to volunteer to train me...

[Such eager, very enthusiasm, wow.]

[kawkaw]

[He can't help frowning a bit, a few things already sounding a bit off to him.]

Yeah, that's uh...nice of you. But...you mind if I ask what experience you have with training and teaching someone else?

[noimpulsecontrol]

[Yes, yes she does mind.]

Okay, so I may not have exactly done this before, but it's important that Kotori learns this stuff.

[ricebird]

[Uh. Well... this is kind of awkward. She's... not sure if she should really say anything so she'll just... stand there. While they argue. In her yard. About her.]

[kawkaw]

[See that expression? That’s disapproval.]

Well, I agree that it’s important for someone to learn to defend themselves. [He glances at Kotori with a small smile.] And it’s good that you want and are willing to learn.

[Turning back to Della, his expression shifts back to that deep frown.] But trying to teach someone without the experience to do so is, frankly, irresponsible.

[noimpulsecontrol]

[Della scowls, arms folded over her chest.]

No, irresponsible would be letting her keep helping while being completely helpless!

[Oh, shoot, wait. She glances to Kotori with a sheepish smile and an awkward laugh.]

Not that you're completely helpless, I mean, you're... You're fine!

1/2

[ricebird]

[Okay, NOW this guy is being way too arrogant. She's quiet for a few moments, trying to think of a way to say that he's overstepping without being too rude herself--]

2/3 (I lied)

[ricebird]

[But then Della... Oh... That is a HELL of a slap to the face. She suspected that Della didn't really respect her, with the "kiddo" and never really ASKING her if she wanted this. But "helpless?" Useless? That's... she's angry, but even more than that it HURTS, because Kotori knows it's true.]

3/3

[ricebird]

[For a few seconds Kotori just... stands there, recoiling to hold in all that hurt and a VERY cold anger, even if it's already obvious in her face.]

I'm going for a walk. If you two are going to keep fighting over me, at least take it somewhere else. Sorry for being a waste of time.

[And that's all they'll get before marching past them towards one of the gates to the yard.]