A moment in time...[closed]

[wildlinks]

who:Yu Narukami and Willa Monday
what:Online friends finally meet!
when:End of February
where:In front of Willa's workplace
warnings:None? None.

Yu's life here had turned into a routine. Even his work became something he could predict the outcome of. Not that he actually wants to actively search for trouble but it would be nice to put his skills to a better use.

When he has nothing planned for the day, Yu likes to take a stroll through the town. He is already familiar with the place, knows all the shortcuts and stores. There was a nice park in the vicinity of a bar he walks past every day when he goes back to the communal building. And while it's still cold outside, it's nice to take a walk around and unwind.

Only, today, a familiar face is standing in front of the bar, making Yu pause.

"Willa?"

...or maybe it's just someone looking extremely familiar to her. After all, he saw the girl only in her FriendR picture.

Comments

I dunno if you're okay with P4 spoilers so I kept it vague :D

[wildlinks]

"Yes, fortunately. He is currently paying for his crimes now so everyone back home can relax." He won't be attempting anything anymore, Yu and his friends, along with his uncle made sure of that.

Yu's eyes go wide: "Really? You didn't think of moving or changing jobs?" That sounds extremely dangerous. She's... a really tough girl to go through all of that. Yu hopes she wasn't all by herself.

After paying for their food, he returns her smile with one of his own. It looks seems she's really enjoying the small snack.

"I'm glad you like them! Usually, roasted chestnuts or hazelnuts are used for baking pastries, but they are very tasty by themselves too."

I'm good with spoilers! I know a mess already

[likeacoupon]

"That wasn't really an option."

Willa was pretty sure her probation officer would take issue with her leaving town or trying to change jobs. She had to have full time employment in order to keep that woman off her back, of course, Willa eventually left anyway. It was the only way for her to get out of the Uncle Shadrack's influence.

"What kind of pastries? Like cinnamon buns?" America wasn't as creative with its pastries as Japan or France was. She tried to think of pastries with nuts but all she could think of was different nut breads.

"Whatever, it's good." Willa popped a few more into her mouth, this time taking a collection between the two nuts instead of picking through the box.

[wildlinks]

"Really?" That's weird a bit, but not entirely impossible. She doesn't seem really bothered by that fact though so she probably got used to it. Or learned new stuff on how to handle such dangerous situations. She sure is a lot stronger than she lets on that's for sure.

Yu laughs, "Sure. There are all kinds of pastries that can use hazelnuts in either filling or the dough. And they are all tasty too. But nut bread is not too far off- and not bad either, especially if you make it yourself, not buy it.

He hums, eating some of the nuts himself, loving the way the crunch.

[likeacoupon]

Willa was fearless and, at times, reckless. She wanted to prove her worth to herself and those around her and sometimes got carried away in the process. When it came to death and the things she didn't know, she was curious more than she was afraid. Leo had told her to stay back but Willa had continued onward anyway.

"Mm." She hummed as she popped a few more nuts into her mouth. The more she ate, the more she didn't want to stop. They were really good. "I don't really know how to bake." She could follow the directions in a cookbook but it wasn't something that she spent a lot of time doing.

"Does that mean you do?"

[wildlinks]

Following the directions of the cookbook is the first step. There are people he knows that can't even do that and end up adding mackerel or yogurt to curry. Be proud of yourself Willa!

Yu crunches through snacks he just placed in his mouth and then answers.

"Yeah, I know how to cook. I, uh," his fingers pick at the treats idly, "my parents and I moved a lot and I remained by myself a lot. Because of work. So I taught myself how to cook. It was confusing in the beginning," he chuckles.

"I mean, when you first start and you're introduced to five types of flour at once, you get confused!" He tries to keep the conversation cheerful and not focus too much on the relationship with parents.

[likeacoupon]

Willa took a seat near the fountain as they talked. The water rippled pleasantly behind them making it feel a little less like winter and more akin to spring. She looked over at Yu and gestured for him to join her before placing a nut between her teeth.

"There are four types of flour?" She did not know that.

"You'll have to cook for me sometime or teach me." It wasn't like she didn't have the time to learn herself but the idea of him cooking was a lot more appealing than cooking herself. "What's your favorite thing to make or eat?" She wondered if they were different. Cooking didn't seem difficult, Leo did it at the bar, but it didn't seem fun either.

[wildlinks]

Yu gladly took a place next to her. This part of the park was always nice but the winter prevented him from hanging around too much. Also, it's not so fun when you come over by yourself.

"Oh, there are way more types than four, but people use three or four the most," Yu chuckled, popping several treats into his mouth.

He grinned:"I am down for both! Perhaps I should cook for you first so you to prove that I can cook." Cooking is always more fun when you cook with someone or for someone.

"It depends, but I love curry a lot. Also, one of my friends got me really into croquettes back home. I am still practicing to make those. But- I make mean potato salad and curry," he declares confidently.

[likeacoupon]

There was something pleasant about going to the park with someone else though Willa couldn't help but spot the people that would be easy to con as they sat on the edge of the fountain. Just by looking at someone she can tell what they're annual salary was or if they carried a lot of cash on them.

Somethings didn't change from world to world. People were still people with the same ticks that gave them away.

"That sounds like a lot." Of flour. Willa hadn't put that much thought into baking but it made her wonder how difficult it would be to learn. She took to skills fairly easily, so maybe it just seems harder than it was.

"That sounds like a good idea." She liked the idea of being critical while he cooked. "I don't think I've had either of those. What are croquettes?" It was an interesting name to say the least.

[wildlinks]

It really is pleasant- although Yu doesn't have the same skills as Willa does. For him, people walking around are just that- people, with their own thoughts, wants and wishes. And while there are some traits that make people seem all the same, it couldn't be far from the truth. And Yu knows that very well.

"It does, but it's not that complicated," Yu shrugs. There will always be some trials and errors until you get it right, but once you do, there won't be any problems. And you will be proud that you managed to do it.

"Croquettes? It is usually a mix of potatoes, meat and some spices, shaped into oval balls then rolled into breadcrumbs and fried. They are very delicious, especially when you have a nice dip with them! If you want, I could prepare those for you to try them."

[likeacoupon]

Willa wished she could share his thoughts but she'd seen too many people. After awhile, everyone starts to blend together. Some people are different but for as many different people out there, there were also duplicates. Same feelings, different reasons or different feelings, same reasons.

It was like god ran out of individuals and started using cookie cutters.

"Sounds good." She spoke as she popped a few more nuts in her mouth. They were good and probably a snack she'd have again in the near future. "I'd like to try them." Meat and potatoes sounded like it couldn't be bad.

[wildlinks]

Yu would definitively argue that thought. Maybe God started using a cookie cutter for people, but he ended up making all kinds of different cookies, sprinkled with all kinds of different toppings.

But then again, people did say he was overly optimistic and rather naive when it came to people.

"Then it is settled. Just tell me when you are free and we can plan everything out." It's been a while since he cooked something and for someone so he's looking forward to this small outing. She's... really fun to hang out with. Talking with her keeps all the cloudy thoughts about his friends back home at bay.

[likeacoupon]

Willa paused and licked her fingers as she mentally sorted out her schedule. "I mostly work evenings and nights." As expected of a bartender. "But I don't work on Tuesdays or Thursdays. So those are probably the best time if you're busy during the day." She got off of work around midnight and usually stayed up for a bit, wandering around the city, but she didn't peg Yu as the kind of person who would be interested in meeting up in the middle of the night.

"What time works best for you?" She asked as she began to eat some of the nuts again. They were almost gone but they were so addicting that any time Willa planned to stop eating, she just continued again.

Willa had nothing back home that she thought about but she was happy to be a distraction for Yu. She knew, in theory, what it was like to miss friends. Only Willa tried to convince herself again and again that she didn't have any friends.

[wildlinks]

It's not that he didn't go out in the night, he did some late hospital work as a janitor and tutoring, but it was always very strict. His uncle didn't let them wander around too late because of the murders.

"I see. Then perhaps you can drop by for dinner? I get off the work at 5PM every day. I have free days for the weekend." Standard working schedule. "I don't mind cooking for you on any day." He truly doesn't mind. If he can prepare dinner for himself, he can make it for one more person. And Felix, of course.

[likeacoupon]

"I usually grab something from work so any day I'm not working would be awesome." It wasn't that Willa couldn't cook but it wasn't something that she did all that often. She was a bartender and a waitress and a master at making oatmeal.

She flashed him a bit of a smile. "So, what's your deal? I mean, you said that you had an uncle that was a detective. Is that what you want to do?" She looked over at him curiously, a little more interested in Yu than she had been through the first part of their walk.

Turned out he was an interesting guy.

[wildlinks]

"Then Thursday it is." It was something to look forward to now. The last time he got to cook for someone was back in Inaba... it feels so long ago now.

"Oh? Hm," Yu smiles, with something sad flashing behind that smile. "Yes, he is a detective but... I am not sure I want to be a detective." He leans back on the bench staring at his hands and an empty box where the treats were a few minutes ago.

"Until I moved to Inaba last year, I thought I would end up being just like everyone else- some average office employee, working for an average paycheck in some small apartment and with no friends."

"But after spending a year in Inaba, I came to realize that things aren't black and white, that there are good people out there that can support you and that all decisions you make impact someone." He turns his head to look at Willa and smiles, "I also saw just how much someone's words can impact another person. To us, it might not seem much, but for the other, it could mean everything."

"So, I don't think I will be a detective, but maybe, some kind of job where I work with people? Like psychologist or something similar?" He chuckles, "I still haven't decided."

[likeacoupon]

"Thursday." Willa finished her roasted treat and then devoured the small crumbs at the bottom of the box while Yu spoke. She noticed the way his expression faltered, the subtle change to his voice and while she didn't know the cause, she hoped that she'd be given a clue without having to ask Yu what was up.

"I can't imagine a life that boring." Of course, Willa's path had always been very different from the average person. Maybe that was why her and Walter got along as well as they did.

"A psychologist?" Her eyebrow rose in a curious arc. "That sounds awful. I don't think I could spend that much time listening to someone complain about things that aren't really a problem."

Maybe it was just her rough upbringing, but she thought that most people were wimps about stuff. On the plus side, good people were easily manipulate.