riverviewlogs | how to win friends and influence NEETs [CLOSED]

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how to win friends and influence NEETs [CLOSED]

who: Ichimatsu Matsuno and Aoba Seragaki
what: Aoba runs into a familiar face with an unfamiliar demeanor. In other words, he runs into Ichimatsu.
when: Sometime in September...
where: Petting zoo!
warnings: None anticipated, will update in subject lines if necessary!

[ It's getting cooler, day by day.

Foliage is already beginning to change color. At least those that Aoba can recognize. One such plant he didn't recognize had started transforming from a gold color to a vibrant green in patches. He supposes it's native to this world or brought in from another. Whatever the cause, the seasons were changing again and he's happy to throw on more layers compared to the sticky, sultry heat of summer.

He has some time off work and little else to do with his day, and craving the comfort he had with Ren, Aoba decides to get his fix from the petting zoo. There are all manner of animals foreign and familiar that he can touch, hoping to distance himself from missing his Allmate. It never really does the trick, but it serves as a wonderfully cute distraction.

After purchasing a ticket, he moves alone through the light crowd of people in pairs or small groups. Picking his way through the exhibits to listen to explanations of the origins of a particular species or to watch their young be fed via bottle or by hand.

It's then that he sees a familiar face and heads towards it. It occurs to him that this might... be Osomatsu? Surely not Karamatsu, given the lack of obvious cosmetic use. ]

Um... excuse me? [ Don't mind the light tug on your sleeve, Ichimatsu. Or mind, and he'll have to explain himself. ]

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[Ichimatsu never cared much about seasons, but he certainly did prefer the cooler ones. He was a surprisingly fashionable person for as sluggish and apathetic as he typically behaved, and warmer clothes were always easier to layer and accessorize subtly without looking like he was trying. He'd discovered he very much liked turtle-necked sweaters, in particular, and had accumulated several in a few colors, all similar enough to not bring enough variety to his life to be terribly noticeable to anyone who might taunt or bother him about it.]

[He did, however, still wear everything at least one size bigger than was really fit him, so Aoba's tugging on his sleeve goes temporarily unnoticed. He'd grown used to being around animals, and the people that worked with him tended to leave him well enough alone, having realized that he didn't talk much and didn't seek to have any real relationships with any of his coworkers. So he assumed, for a long moment, that his sleeve was being pulled by a wayward critter, and reached sidelong to push it away without looking.]

[He stilled and blinked, turning toward the grasp when he sets his hand over someone else's hand, instead, and jolts when he finds himself looking up at Aoba. Holy blue mullet twinks, Batman. His lidded eyes open almost entirely, and he makes a quiet sound of startle, not quite drawing away from the grip on his sleeve but moving aside regardless.]

[His voice, Aoba will notice, is also noticeably different from Karamatsu and Osomatsu, adding to the much more pronounced physical uniqueness to him of his messy hair, lidded eyes and terrible posture. He speaks at a mumble in a lower register than even Karamatsu, though it sounds more like his actual voice than the thrown way Karamatsu speaks.]

Ah-- um, sorry, did you need... something? [He'd gotten a little better, maybe, at dealing with people, but he usually didn't have many people approach him regardless.]

[ Aoba can tell by looking at him that something was off, but it's when he hears that low, muted tone he speaks with - it's like the polar opposite of the brightness of Osomatsu or the flourish of Karamatsu was all drained away. It had this smooth quality that made him... kinda sleepy, if he's honest. Aoba blinks his hazel eyes at the hand on his and flinches back instantly, suddenly embarrassed at the unexpected skin on skin contact.

It's not like he's purposefully touch-adverse but... he's cautious. He pulls his hand away, snapping the sleeve in the process. Color floods his cheeks when he realizes just how foolish a move that is - he started it, after all. He hadn't a clue how to introduce himself and yet he tugged on his sleeve anyway. Now he's put himself under a spotlight. ]

You don't know me but...

[ How do you put this without it being awkward? If you've already heard of someone, it's going to be weird anyway. Aoba bores a hole through the floor before his feet for a moment before he lifts them, hesitantly. ]

You're Ichimatsu, right? I've -- [ Not heard anything terrible? Not heard anything very good either. Just what should he say? ]

...Met your brothers, Karamatsu and Osomatsu!

[ NAILED IT ] My name is Seragaki Aoba.

[You're lucky in that regard, Aoba-- Ichimatsu is pretty used to people knowing who he is because they've met one of his more social brothers. They're all more social than he is, it only made sense. He glances at the sleeve of his shirt as the other jerks away, and... Well, his expression doesn't change in the least, so it's hard to tell if there was any form of reaction at all to being known before he was met. He blinks and nods, shrugging his shoulders gently.]

I'm a little disappointing if you've met them first, I guess. [...ah, immediately self-deprecating. Yep, you've probably heard that about him.]

[ Aoba finds himself the only one smiling for a long time, long enough for the smile to grow stale as he waits for some kind of reaction. After having met the two of them, Ichimatsu's quiet to extremes, and suddenly the mood feels really... depressing. Aoba starts to feel a little uncomfortable.

Ah, he's noticing a trend. That quiet unease he feels - doesn't he get that for one reason or another when it comes to the others? Osomatsu and Karamatsu are both their own unique brands of weird, after all. ]

Disappointing? What makes you say that?

[ His brothers didn't really say much about him, actually. ]

Osomatsu fancies himself a big charismatic legend and Karamatsu loves the sound of his own voice.

[His tone is flat, and so is his expression. Seems a lot of things about him are flat. He slides his hands into his pockets and hunches his shoulders, this time in less of a shrug and more of just a hunch.]

...Seragaki, you said? [At least he's polite.]

[ Ouch, that was harsh. But also... not... untrue. Awkward. ]

...Ah, Aoba's fine.

[ Aoba feels like his reply is so slow after that kind of greeting. He's reminded a little of Mink, only without the sense of danger that he carried around him like too much cologne. Also more formal. ]

Besides, I can't be that much older than you. There's no need to get so formal, right?

[That's probably the first time someone has actually assumed he's an adult instead of thinking he was a kid. He shrugs one shoulder neatly and nods, ducking his head in a vague sort of bow.]

Aoba...-san, then. [He didn't feel right using any other suffix.]

[ Ah, it's because Aoba has seen some very mature looking guys that were actually younger than him. And he acts like he's younger than his age. These things happen. ]

A-a-ah... [ Aoba seems to inwardly scramble to return the favor, only it gets awkward because he's slow to respond. He bobs his head in kind, his voice wavering. ] So, you... work here?

[ He immediately feels stupid for asking. Here Ichimatsu is, quite clearly performing the duties required of an animal caretaker, in uniform. ]

How is it? I've only been to the petting zoo.

[Something about Aoba's awkwardness is soothing, given how awkward Ichimatsu usually is himself. He shrugs, fidgeting with aforementioned uniform.]

Ah, yeah. It's sort of weird to work, in general, but it's not bad.

[ You know when you're trying hard not to fidget, but then someone else starts fidgeting, so you end up doing it too? Yeah, Aoba realizes that's starting to happen so he just... tucks his hands into his pockets. ]

Did you do something else back in your reality?

Ah, mm.... Nothing, actually.

[He doesn't look at him-- really, he hasn't been looking at him for most of this exchange, his eyes cast just about anywhere but at Aoba.]

A-aa. Is that so.

[ Nothing? Unemployed? That leads to questions that are kinda depressing - was he fired or was he unable to find a job, for instance, these are things that'd kinda bring an already low mood down so it's... probably best to avoid it altogether.

Aoba pulls a hand out of his pocket and rubs at his other elbow, that awkward feeling just seems to grow and grow. Should he leave him alone? Should he change the subject? ]

So you're just not used to working in general. I guess that makes sense.

...

[ Aoba glances over to what Ichimatsu is looking at. Is he staring at nothing? ]

[He's good at staring at nothing, really. Though more specifically he's probably making a point of keeping tabs on the animals milling about-- it's his job, and it's an easy task when he's low-key anxious. He shrugs his shoulders gently at the not-question, glancing briefly at the blue-haired man and then back out.]

...we all are, we just. Don't do anything.

[ Is this really true? He'd got the impression that Karamatsu did a lot but... was it all because he - Aoba - was so preoccupied with trying to stop him from doing something embarrassing that it looked like he constantly had something going on? What an effective smokescreen! ]

..Weren't your brothers trying to offer themselves up for compensated dating recently?

[ Escort service or whatever they were going for isn't exactly a job for layabouts. ]

[He slides his eyes to Aoba without moving his head, raising one stumpy little eyebrow toward his messy fringe.]

...would you call that working?

[ Aoba stares back at him. Of course it's work! You have to pretend to be really interested and confident and entertaining to complete strangers! He can't imagine getting into that line of work, the anxiety would kill him and besides! He's spoken for! Sorta. ]

Yeah, I guess? I mean, what if you had to date someone who was really boring? Or had an annoying laugh? Or wanted to do weird stuff?

It just sounds like a lot of hassle for a quick buck.

[ Because surely they're not doing it for the dates, no one is that desperate. ]

[He's with you on that, minus the being spoken for in any way ~~that he knows of~~. He chuckles faintly, almost but not quite rolling his eyes.]

We're NEETs, Aoba-san. We don't do anything. I wouldn't have participated unless they paid me more than either of them could, but we're all unholy levels of desperately thirsty.

[He... is so blase about this.]

[ Aoba cants his head to a quizzical angle, he doesn't understand. ]

Neat? I don't get it.

[ He's never heard of this term before, not once. But there's something else that he can't come to grips with either, and that part makes him unfold his arms and lean forward in alarm. Just what level of thirsty makes someone go through that much effort just to score a date?! ]

Heeh? Wouldn't it have been easier to just simply ask someone out on a date?

[He snorts in laughter, shaking his head.]

Nono-- NEET. It's an acronym. [He brings up both hands, counting off on a finger with each point.] No Education, Employment, or Training.

[He recoils when Aoba leans forward, hunching his shoulders and taking a very specific step backward.]

Probably, but I didn't participate in their scheme so I don't know what was going through their heads.

[ Aoba blinks, hazel eyes dropping to see as each digit on one hand is ticked. Then a lightbulb visibly goes off, judging from the way his face lights up. ]

Aa, NEET. [ He gets it now! ]

...Wait, you -- None of you have any of those things?

That's crazy! How do you not have anything like this? I grew up in a slum and even I had education, training... a job!

Granted, I didn't most of mine for long but this last one I was doing well in! Junkshop Mediocrity!

[ That name sounds really disappointing, though... ]

[A dull expression.]

We just don't. And really, "Junkshop Mediocrity" doesn't sound like something to be proud of.

[ Aoba puffs his cheeks and pouts. He pushes his hands into his pockets, slouches and mumbles sullenly as he speaks. It's real mature. ]

At least it was something. And I had a really good boss. [ He supposes he won't see them again, and that makes him a little sad but he's more annoyed that a NEET is judging his career choices! But then Aoba realizes something. ]

...Hey, so can you even call yourself a NEET anymore?

[Wow, what... an Osomatsu-like response. He's a little startled by the similarity of that sulk, actually, and it's evident in the way he blinks and actually opens his eyes for a moment. Then he processes the question, and splutters in confusion.]

W-well, maybe not, but we were. You asked about how desperate they were for a date, not my job status.

[ He points! This is a ridiculous thing to get hung up over, but Aoba's not always the most chill guy. ]

You said you were NEETs. You don't do anything, right?

But you're working like a normal person. [ That's a bit of a stretch, also, this is the most pointless thing to get into a disagreement over. But there Aoba is, looking with a distantly challenging stare that is a bit too slow to realizing that. He lowers his hand. ]

...Sorry, what I mean is - good job... you know, not being a NEET. And not going along with that crazy idea.

There's some weird guys around that might mess with them. Like that guy who tried to get Karamatsu to be a guinea pig for some drug.

[He recoils from the pointing almost immediately-- Aoba don't you know that's rude? and actually goes as far as to take a small pair of steps backward, slowly. Why is this guy arguing about his state of uselessness? He was garbage, and that was really about all there was to it. His shoulders hunch stiffly in response to the assuage of complaints, and it looks like he's just going to roll with it quietly without much of a reaction, up until that last bit.]

[One of his eyes twitches almost closed and he snarls slightly, hunching his shoulders farther and making an exaggerated gag of a gesture.]

Fuck that guy. He's a pointless self-important shitheel.

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I can't wait for Aoba to find out what a NEET is

welcome to the world of knowledge, aobakun

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God I hate finding typos after the fact lmao

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