Lazy Days

[seiyayamada]

It had been a few days since Seiya had been released from the hospital. Sitting outside Yamada Mart, she flipped through the images Greg had shown her a week prior. Mirror Mirror, huh? If there had been doubts about the connections between the crime and the paranormal world, this erased them. Unfortunately, they couldn't just run to a police station and spill their story. As it was, Seiya doubted her friends would even believe her, had they not seen it with their own eyes. Normally on her break she would venture out for some air. Today, however, Seiya remained on the bench outside her father's store, wrapped up in the mystery surrounding her life. Setting the gruesome images aside, she propped her feet up on the empty side of the seat, watching people come and go. A lazy day indeed. (Let's say this is before the current Shadow Kota battle. c: )

Comments

[americandiplomacy]

"Oooh, traditional! Greg, you'll have to tell me how it is if you ever visit." Mister Harman had finished his first bowl, and scooted his chair back with a smile. "I'm going to get a second helping! Thank you for helping my son spice up his room, by the way." He nodded and then stepped (or more like skipped) back into the kitchen.

"He's a little nosy, uh, sorry." Greg looked to Seiya a little apologetically. He twirled his spoon in one hand, looking a bit more relaxed at the moment, and tilted his head just a bit. "He's not usually home much, so if you do come by you can, uh... Pretty safely assume he won't be here." He apparently considered that a positive, based on his tone of voice.

[seiyayamada]

Watching Greg's dad skip away, she felt her muscles ease up. The pressure to be a good kid lifted, and she slouched a bit. "He seems really nice, just..." Seiya glanced towards the kitchen to be sure she wasn't heard. "... wow I'm terrified I'll say something stupid." Laughing at herself, she slid her now almost empty bowl away, wiping her mouth with her napkin.

[americandiplomacy]

"Oh, heh. He's not gonna flip or anything if you do, really. Still, uh... I think I know what you mean, yeah." Greg had a final spoonful of the stew-slash-slop and then pushed his own bowl away with a content sigh. "I guess that was pretty good. Better than usual, actually. We can probably, uh... Flee to my room when he comes back, if you want." He really wouldn't judge her poorly for it, either!

[seiyayamada]

"I am very much up for that." She gave a solemn nod, a strange question popping up in her head. "Hey, does your dad know about...?" Seiya gestured wildly at the air, "The whole mirror thing?"

[americandiplomacy]

Greg gave her an odd look, like that should've had a really obvious answer, and then shook his head quickly. "No, uh, of course not..! I don't think he'd really understand, uh..." Granted, of the parents he'd seen (Seiya's, Miho's), his dad would probably the one to react the most reasonably. Of course, Mister Harman would also be far too busy to do anything to help, even if he did believe his son.

[seiyayamada]

"Ah... I didn't think so! I just didn't want to accidentally say something, you know?" Seiya took a mental note, rubbing her neck like she wasn't really sure if she had wanted to even bring it up. "My dad doesn't know either. Not like that's surprising."

[americandiplomacy]

Hmmm. Yeah, he didn't think anyone would be telling their parents about this... A little weird that no one outside of their school or even older than them knew anything about this. Or maybe someone did, and they just hadn't met them yet! A lot to think about, and a lot Greg didn't want to consider right now. "Heh, yeah. Well, uh, I think it's probably gonna stay between us--"

Dad was back! He stepped in with a smile, setting his once again full bowl on the table and then pulling up a seat. "Keep what between you two, huh?" He looked between the two of them, a moment of incredibly awkwardness, and then just laughed. "I'm only kidding, of course. Kids don't tell their parents everything, heh, that's just how it is! No worries."

[seiyayamada]

When Greg's dad re-entered, Seiya quickly shut up about any and all things related to the mirror world. Nudging Greg's leg with her own, she hoped it passed a signal of ixnay on the irrormay, though she probably didn't have to warn him at all. "E-Eheh!" A nervous chuckle was all she could manage before standing. "Thank you very much for dinner, Harman-san. I think we have a few more posters to put up, though!" Anything to get out of the room.

[americandiplomacy]

"Of course!" The man's smile only got wider at the thank you. "Feel free to come around any time you'd like. And good luck with your, posters, there! Just pretend I'm not here. I was a kid once too, you know!" He nodded and dug back into his meal, leaving the two kids to do what they would.

... What he thought they were doing was a little unclear. That last bit had Greg staring a little awkwardly at his father, though after a moment he just shook his head and stood up. The boy beckoned Seiya to follow him and retreated back to his room with one hand over his face. "So, that's my dad. And, uh, and his cooking."

[seiyayamada]

Following her friend back to his room, she began scooping her things back into her patriotic bag. Zipping it up, Seiya sat with it in her lap. "Not as unpleasant as you'd think." A smile followed, though her eyes narrowed. "I think he'll be really surprised when he realizes 'putting up posters' isn't japanese for anything scandalous, though..."

[americandiplomacy]

Greg dropped into a seat on his bed, looking at the door for a moment before just shaking his head again. Man, dad! "The first time I went to a school dance, uh... I was thirteen, and he gave me... Y'know, 'the talk'. Stuff I already knew, for goodness' sake." He snorted and leaned back a bit; it wasn't really worth it to get upset over something like that. "He tries really hard, uh, that's the best way I can put it."

[seiyayamada]

Seiya laughed, shaking her head, "My dad gave me the talk via text the day I got home from coming here for the first time. I'm nineteen years old, Guregori." She rolled her eyes with a smile, "Your dad's really awesome, I think. In his own ways."

[americandiplomacy]

A shrug was his only response for a moment or two. Figuring he'd change the subject away from dads, Greg took a look around the room and then ran a hand through his hair with a quiet 'hmm'. "I dunno about you, but uh... I haven't really had a friend over in probably years." Given her father, he really wouldn't be surprised if Seiya was the same. "I don't even know what people do when they have friends over, heh."

[seiyayamada]

"Me either." she admitted, playing absently with her ponytail. It at least kept her hands busy! "Miho-chan hasn't even seen my house, haha." The laugh was a nervous one. "She's never asked, so I guess I just never offered."

[americandiplomacy]

"She's got a crazy nice house, huh? I was really surprised." Greg casually flipped the TV on, figuring that was better than nothing, and it was already on some sort of game show network. "Oh, uh... You guys have really nice, like... Uh, competitive shows. A lot of Americans really like them, actually." A lot of Americans on the internet, anyway.

[seiyayamada]

"Really? I like your game shows." Seiya turned her attention to the TV, leaning back and getting comfortable. It was nice, just chilling out. "You just tell me when you're sick of me, mmkay?"

[americandiplomacy]

"You like ours? What's so cool about them? Just a bunch of, uh, questions and answers." Greg snorted, then gestured to the screen... There was a poor skinny Japanese man in a spandex suit trying desperately to climb a very slippery staircase and getting nowhere. "This is more like, uh... Y'know, physical challenges. ... Sorta the impossible kind, I guess." He shrugged, getting comfortable in the same way, and even took off his tie finally. "Stay as long as you want though, uh, really. You're fun to hang out with, so..."

[seiyayamada]

"But they help me learn my English, as well as facts." Seiya nodded, though it was apparent they weren't that great at teaching her. Watching the man slide down the staircase, she couldn't help but giggle. When he replied by saying she was fun, her whole face brightened. "Really?! You're fun too!!"

[americandiplomacy]

They certainly were good for trivia, he couldn't deny that. Jeopardy was all right, he guessed, but that was mostly for Alex Trebek. That guy was pretty awesome. "Heh, uh... Thanks." Greg's turn for a hot pair of cheeks, and he shifted in his seat a little bit with slightly furrowed eyebrows. "You think he'll reach the top? Seems like there's rarely, uh... Any kind of timer. I was pretty surprised when I found out the water at the bottom is always, like... Either really hot or really cold, heh. Seems kinda like torture."

[seiyayamada]

"You're welcome." That sounded weird. Maybe she should've just left it on the table. Oh well, too late now! Keeping her focus on the television, she flashed a bemused grin as the man toppled around. It was almost sad! "I doubt it. He doesn't have a strategy, and I think he just hit his head..."

[americandiplomacy]

"Mmm. He is kinda bum-rushing the thing, uh, isn't he?" Then again, Greg couldn't really think of a strategy for 'climb the buttered stairs'. Going slow sounded bad, because the chance to slip was too great... If you went too quick you'd probably hurt yourself, too-- On that note, the guy slid right into that pool of terrible water and clambered out while the audience cheered and laughed. With a shrill whistle, apparently his turn was over! It was time for commercials, so Greg turned to look at Seiya instead. "What American game shows do you watch?"

[seiyayamada]

Awww what a shame. That guy could've used that prize money for his 5 kids! Either way, Seiya was entertained well enough. Clapping her hands, she paused when he asked her a question. "I really like Family Feud and The Price Is Right!"

[americandiplomacy]

"Heh, Family Feud?" Really old, a little hokey and lame in Greg's opinion... Then again, Seiya seemed to like that good ol' American stuff quite a lot so it made sense. "The Price is Right is always good, though. It's, uh... What I used to watch if I stayed home sick from school, actually. That or play video games, but dad did the, uh... 'If you can play games you can go to school' thing." The boy shrugged, turning back to the TV in time to see a commercial for some big chain grocery store, and then rubbed his chin. "Well, I like your, uh... Takeshi's Castle show. It's all re-runs, but they're pretty good... Looks like people get really hurt sometimes, though."

[seiyayamada]

Seiya raised both eyebrows in surprise. She'd never be allowed to stay home like that! American's had it MADE. Resting her chin in her palms, she rolled her eyes at the commercial. Best prices in town? I think not. "People getting hurt is what makes it great!" Was she kidding...?

[americandiplomacy]

Yeah, he'd spent more than a few days home 'sick' when he really wasn't... School was fun and all, it was the people there that really made Greg not want to go. That was back in America, though, and he hadn't had any incidents here as of yet. "Heh, uh, that is sort of true. I'm sure they have paramedics there and stuff, too, so... It's not like anyone's getting, uh, permanently injured." He agreed, whether or not she was joking, and turned back just in time for the show to start back up!

This time they had a massive treadmill set up, and it looked like people had to run to the end while it steadily got faster and faster. Of course, behind them the whole way, was a pool of water. "This looks... Interesting."