[nope's peak - day 7 - unofficial date with tatsuya #2]

[artisticliberty]

[when tatsuya comes by the cafeteria, yusuke will have just finished making dinner--what looks like a large plate of gyoza, a nice salad, tea, and fruit for dessert. what's interesting is that yusuke's packed it all up like he's going on a picnic]

--Ah, you're just in time. Will you help me carry this?

Comments

[motorcycle_noises]

—Huh? Sure, I can do that.

[ Where are they even going??? But he offers his arms to help carry things nonetheless. ]

[artisticliberty]

[yusuke's heading up to his room! he has a small table set out that they can sit at, and his cd player + mp3 player nearby]

I thought we might enjoy a private dinner with some music. I was listening through the mp3 player you gave me and I found some artists that I wanted to share with you. Of course, we can also start with Gas Chamber.

[motorcycle_noises]

We can save them for later. I'm curious what else you've got on there.

[artisticliberty]

Have a seat. I'll prepare it.

[yusuke arranges the food out nicely, and then goes to hook up his mp3 player to the stereo. he has selected a jrock album]

[motorcycle_noises]

—You can hook it up to a stereo?

[ TECHNOLOGY SURE IS AMAZING. ]

[artisticliberty]

Yes, if you have blu-ray or the appropriate cable. A lot has happened, technologically, since 1999.

[he takes a seat and starts to dole out the food for them; notably, he's making tatsuya's portions normal, and his own very meager]

[motorcycle_noises]

Hey— aren't you going to eat more than that?

[artisticliberty]

Hm?

[yusuke blinks at him]

What do you mean?

[motorcycle_noises]

[ Tatsuya gestures at the food portions. ]

You're giving me a lot more than yourself. You're rail thin as it is— shouldn't you be eating more?

[artisticliberty]

[yusuke looks down at the food on the table, and slowly lowers his utensils. he doesn't say anything, but he looks concerned]

[motorcycle_noises]

....Are you okay?

[artisticliberty]

[shakes his head abruptly, and adds some more to his portions]

I'm fine.

[but he's looking down at his hands, somewhat pointedly]

[motorcycle_noises]

[ Tatsuya definitely can't shake the feeling that he said something wrong. But he sits down and offers Yusuke a smile. ]

Thanks for the meal.

[artisticliberty]

You're welcome. Please, enjoy.

[he starts in on the food himself, eating in silence for a few moments]

I actually rather enjoy cooking, when I can. Even a simple meal can be fun to prepare, and there are many ways one can be creative with food. Nowadays, it's rare that I have that opportunity, so I have been taking advantage of the food supplies here.

[motorcycle_noises]

I don't really know how to cook that much. Guess I should probably figure out how.

[ Tatsuya takes a bite of the food. ]

...You're pretty good.

[artisticliberty]

Thank you. I mostly know how to make traditional Japanese dishes, and a few Western dishes that Sensei preferred. I began learning when I was... six, I think. Just the basics: ingredients, portions, how to use the rice maker. By the time I was ten, I was doing all of the cooking for the atelier. I still spent most of my days painting and drawing, but preparing meals was my primary chore--though I never came to dislike it.