Hamuko Arisato (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wipingallout) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
personavelvetroomdr2025-04-11 07:47 pm
wipingallout) wrote in personavelvetroomdr2025-04-11 07:47 pm
Entry tags:
Cherry Blossom Evening Party
Throughout the week, Hamuko has messaged the vast majority of people she's met so far - and eagerly invited them to come meet at Inokashira Park starting at 5pm.
⋆🌸₊˚⊹♡❀˖°🌸⋆
You're invited to an evening sushi-party-turned-hanami-picnic-party! I've organized a bunch of cognitive chefs and performers to come to that park on the listed date/time.
I've sent this to you because you were part of one of the three teams that helped with fighting Fatalis or rescuing Falcon and Wolf (or are Falcon and Wolf themselves!!) - we've all busted our butts a lot lately, so I think we deserve to have something nice together too!
Of course, the party is open if you have any +1s or more. But before spring turns into summer, let's celebrate what we've all accomplished together!
.🌸˚𑁍.ೃ࿔*:･
The Venue...
Inokashira Park has a lovely river and trail and a phenomenal collection of cherry blossom trees. They're in the tail end of their season, filling the air with petals like snowfall.
In a large open area, Hamuko's arranged a ton of picnic blankets for people to claim and sit down on, though each blanket is HUGE to accommodate people sitting with as many people as they can handle! There are cozy pillows for sitting on too, stacked neatly to be borrowed.
There's a truly humongous row of tables laid out with an impressive amount of sushi presented. With a few trucks nearby, it seems there's a few sushi chefs making fresh platters of it to lay out through the night.
Similarly, there are food carts along the trails if you're not in the mood for sushi and would rather have some more traditional fare like dango, taiyaki, matcha, takoyaki... it's got the place lively and smelling fantastic! There's sake for the adults, and some cherry-blossomed themed mocktails for minors.
🌸𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖🎐
Activities
There's a few set out activities besides just chowing down and socializing or walking along the lantern-lit trails under the cherry blossoms! Inoshikara Park has always had cute little swan pedal boats or regular rowboats for 'rental' (not that money matters here).
The area is SO pretty, perfect for taking pictures to have as keepsakes. There's even a booth to claim a yukata and privately change into it, if you want to go the extra mile!
Finally, in lieu of a traditional band or modern concert, Hamuko has picked out a large set of speakers connected to a small karaoke stage and screen - menace the party with your sing-along! Get a little boost to your Guts!!
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Then, more softly—but still with that low, grumbly affection only a middle-aged man with too many worries and too few good memories knows how to deliver:
"Party’s not gonna fall apart if you stop to breathe. You did good. So let yourself enjoy it."
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Playfully, she tugged on his sleeve with her free hand.
"It's no fun sitting and eating alone, though. Help me out?"
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The tug on the sleeve did wonders to his grumpy expression, given how much his lips twitch from trying to contain his smile or how much his gaze eased up.
"Alright, fine fine I will 'help you out.' Persistent as always..."
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Considering the cognitive chefs are regularly emerging with fresh platters to replace the empty ones, it's all dazzling and tempting.
"I am definitely gonna take a 'party organizer' tax by taking anything left over once everyone goes home and keeping it myself. I finally got the mini-fridge in my dorm room working again!"
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God, there was a good spread out tonight, wasn’t there?
Tuna, salmon, sea bream, unagi, tamago, even the fancy pressed stuff with pickled mackerel—someone really went all out on this spread. He caught sight of the gleam off a lacquered serving tray and swore he could hear angels. Not real angels—probably cognitive ones—but still.
He cleared his throat, very pointedly not reacting.
"...Sushi's fine, I guess," he muttered, already halfway turned in that direction. “Not like I was thinking about it or anything.”
By the time she said "go nuts," he was already shifting his weight forward, that twitch in his lip returning like a traitor.
But then Hamuko said something about a party organizer tax—about leftovers—and Zenkichi glanced back at her, mock-serious, eyes gleaming behind the visor.
"Tax, huh? Well, you better file your claim now, ‘cause I’m about to audit this entire platter straight into the void.”
He paused. Smirked.
“Y’know. Before the sushi vanishes due to... mysterious write-offs.” He made little air quotes, then nudged his thumb toward the trays. “Can’t risk you charging me with tax evasion later, after I demolish every last one of those yellowtail rolls.”
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She'll just go get herself some food!! Gotta get the classics, but she also gets herself some yakisoba... it's a festival, after all! And of course she's gotten a ton of taiyaki. Some for her, some for Akane!!
By the time she makes it back to the picnic area, she's balancing three plates and a boba tea with her arms and somehow, incredibly, manages not to spill or drop a single thing as she finds herself a little seat to lay her spread out.
She could pig out a little...!! She's been really physically active lately. And she can always work it back off if she's feeling a little too sluggish and greasy from overdoing it by tomorrow.
Prioritizing the soba first, Hamuko chowed down while she waited for Zenkichi to join her again.
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She probably doesn't even remember how it tastes, does it?
Well.
That went awfully.
Even if he had his fill of sushi and managed to snag some fatty tuna and straight up stole the yellowtail sushi from that drunk...maniacal witch. Ugh. Ichinose Kuon. How do you manage to make his day worse by your very presence?
He borrowed some of the packaging from the vendors to save what he could for Hamuko and Akane.
His expression had soured again by the time he joined Hamuko, the package concealed within his gigantic sleeves as he settled next to Hamuko, putting down the package for her fatty tuna and sighed a heavy sigh.
"I am too old for this shit," he murmurs quietly to himself, words warbled as he rubs his face in frustration.
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"Don’t talk with your mouth full, jeez," he muttered first, rolling his eyes with the dramatic flair of a man whose soul was aging in dog years.
He tilted his head back like he was asking the sky for strength, then looked back down at her, deadpan.
"...Ichinose happened."
He let it sit there. Like it was a weather event. Or a diagnosis.
Then, more muttered under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear:
"I swear she’s genetically engineered to make my blood pressure spike. She starts saying words and my lifespan shortens."
But even with the griping, he reached over and nudged the fatty tuna box closer to her plate—still mindful, still fussing.
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Taking her time to chew her food, she reached over with a free hand and gave his arm a pat.
"Did she taunt you?" Hamuko asked, scooping up the container and sneaking a piece out to eat.
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He glanced down at her hand, then away again, muttering under his breath like someone embarrassed to admit that the comfort worked on him.
Why is he getting pacified like a grumpy toddler with a juice box?
With a dismissive snort, he answered her question without really answering it.
"She didn’t taunt me. Not like that. Just—doesn’t matter. Not something you need to be tangled up in." His brow twitched slightly. "Especially not with Maruki trying to play nice and hang around, acting like everything’s fine. They’re friends, y’know. Or... whatever passes for friends with people like that."
Zenkichi rolled his neck, let out a breath, then gestured vaguely at her plate.
“Anyway. No big deal. I stole all the sushi from her. They don't refill those plates, do they?"
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"That is so petty. Iconic, I love it."
She'll conveniently not answer that yes, the chefs will probably put new platters out. Hamuko took a few napkins and wrapped up two of the pink taiyaki, passing them to Zenkichi to give to Akane later.
"Personally, I'm glad she's having some kind of fun, that'll distract her out of causing any trouble. I'll try and drag them out of the Palace now and then so they don't get too rooted in there and build something stupid."
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And why did it make him hesitate?
>> No matter how human she looks, she’s the reason Akane will never smile the same anymore.
That's what he told himself. Countless times. Nothing matters beyond that.
"Everyone talks about Maruki's palace like its EMMA's tower," he says as he accepts the two packaged taiyaki. "Thanks but- it just doesn't make sense to me." He's still hung up on that. "You know what a Palace signifies, doesn't it? While we didn't have those because the metanav wasn't a thing in our world- now its clear what they mean. You would think two sharp pscientists would put two and two together and consider trying to reject that. I have seen the tracker's position, she rarely leaves that place."
"Are you sure you know what you are doing with those two?"
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You know what a Palace signifies?
She'd learned by now, yeah... she'd even seen little glimpses of something... off, with Maruki. Not malicious, not like Ikutsuki, which had her head spinning. He was... different, in a strange way.
"A connection to someone else... it can be empowering and grounding. Especially if that other person is grounded, already. Good influences can make a lot of difference, especially over time... and since I'm one of the few people he never personally hurt, I have a much easier time connecting. Consider me the bollard for his mooring line, I guess."
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"You know a bollard collapses if the pressure’s too much, right?" he muttered, tone clipped but not unkind. "Steel or no steel—if the current’s strong enough, if the mooring line’s strained too hard, it snaps. Or worse—yanks the damn thing clean off the dock."
He didn’t meet her eyes at first. Just stared down at the taiyaki like it might give him some sort of answer if he stared hard enough. Then his gaze flicked up—sharp, tired, and carrying the weight of someone who’d seen too many plans backfire in ways that left real scars.
"I get it, okay? I get why you’re trying. You want to believe the best in people. You want to believe they can change, that they’re worth it. Hell, I envy you for still being able to hold onto that. Or maybe that is Igor's grand goal...by trapping us all here for an indefinite time. I could age ten times over here and I still might not put a dent on Ichinose's plans.”
There was a pause. A beat where his voice nearly cracked, but didn’t. Zenkichi was always too practiced at swallowing those moments before they could rise.
"She still believes in her cause," he closed his eyes as he rested the hand on the taiyaki held on his lap. "It's why she's sticking around Maruki. Their ideals align, me interfering just...skipped a few more steps of pretend."
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Because she believes wholeheartedly, just like Zenkichi said. She lived by it, and she died for it. Even if she desperately misses her friends and the life she gave up, Hamuko knows she would make the same choice every time.
"On the other hand... if they get close, but Maruki eventually gets pulled away from the ledge, maybe he can help bring her with him, too? That's what I'm hoping for," she said softly. "And... if I have support from friends that are looking out for me, then I won't be ripped off the dock any time soon."
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"Support’s not the word I’d use," he muttered, half under his breath. “It’s more like a net.”
He didn’t look at her when he said it, just kept fiddling with the wrapper of his taiyaki like it might spare him from saying more than he meant to.
"If you fall, someone oughta be there. That’s all."
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It was always obvious. She called him 'wolf-pop' for a reason - he was a doting type of man.
"A cranky old nice man. Who likes sushi and having fun."
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"-I am not old or cranky," he mutters in annoyance. "Am I? Nah- no, I am as...hip as the rest of you kids."
"I am normal about sushi too. Everyone likes sushi."
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She won't argue about everyone liking sushi. It's good!! He should enjoy it while he can!
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"Well excuse me if your selfless heroics does spark an obvious level of concern in me. I am not apathetic," he closed his eyes and shook his head. "I was just letting you know that I will come to clean up the mess which is my job. I swear, being around you kids already makes me age faster than I did back when the actual apocalypse was happening."
He gestures behind at the buffet and the food trucks- "I suppose I owe you because of the sushi platter anyway. And keeping Akane company," he adds just to let her know how being a decent human being makes him a softie. He doesn't notice a bespectacled man in a green yukata, one of the two infamous pscientis walking around in the distance, trying to find a certain someone.
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Weeeeell, since he didn't have Ichinose with him just then, and he seemed to be looking around... was he looking to talk to Zenkichi?
Abruptly, she raised her hand and waved towards Maruki until he caught sight of them.
"And you'll help me with my plan to help pull Maruki off the ledge!"
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"...Brat," he muttered fondly under his breath. The way she grinned at him, always poking at the cracks he didn’t think were there anymore—it was frustrating in that way only people you liked too much could get away with. He huffed, just shy of a chuckle, and picked at the edge of the pastry.
And then he heard her call out:
"And you'll help me with my plan to help pull Maruki off the ledge!"
Zenkichi froze.
Maruki?
His head jerked toward her like she’d just shouted the word "tax audit" in a crowd. And sure enough—his gaze landed on him. That green yukata, those glasses, that calm, polite confusion as Maruki turned in their direction at the sound of her voice.
Panic didn’t come often anymore. But when it did, it came loud.
"Are you serious right now—Arisato!"
In a single, fluid motion that definitely spoke to years of shadow weapon survival instincts, Zenkichi reached for the picnic blanket with both arms, and—cybernetics or not—bundled the entire thing up in one ridiculous swoop and threw it over his own head. Like some kind of adult child trying to play dead.
He peeked out from underneath the edge of the fabric, eyes wide and burning holes into Hamuko as if to scream, What are you doing?! without saying a word.
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"It's a good plan! And I think he wants to stay friendly with you, give him a chance!" she encouraged softly, nibbling on the taiyaki she'd gotten for herself. "Ish g'nna be fiiiine."
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