Dreambucks Dating Sim(?!): Limited Edition

[recreator]

Who: Emet-Selch, Mei Lee, and a Bevy of Beautiful Boys (maybe)
Which: OPEN to friends and acquaintances (and innocent bystanders should you prefer it!)
Where: Dreambucks, five days later at high noon (backdated to ~August 10th or thereabouts)
What: In a half-hearted effort to help Mei overcome her unusual "ailment", Emet-Selch has agreed to take tea with her at Dreambucks and to invite a few of his more objectively attractive acquaintances. (Worry not, he's only here as a chaperone.)
Warnings: Cringe, regret, and secondhand embarrassment.


[The day is young; the wind is high. A small change of plans to begin what is certain to be a rather... unique experience, all told, has ushered Emet-Selch and his party indoors. Emet-Selch sits at a cafe table not terribly far from the entrance, positively bored as he pores over preliminary scheduling notes for his grand talent scouting venture whilst waiting for their guest of honor. The shadows beneath his eyes are more prominent than ever today, and he seems considerably older than his "forty-two" years. In other words, he's managing to look his age for once.]

[How this all came about, he still isn't completely certain. Perhaps at the time he was exceedingly exhausted and low on sleep (such as now), searching for anything at all to keep him focused and awake. Or perhaps in a lapse of judgment he saw this endeavor as a source of inspiration for an upcoming production - something whimsical about the struggles of life; a sentimental comedy. Or... perhaps a small, very small perfectionist-driven part of himself wished to help put an end to a young girl's peculiar affliction once and for all. "Stage fright" in the presence of others, broken focus, a tripped tongue. To have one's mind clouded is a tragedy, particularly when it would prevent one from reaching their full potential. And as it happens, Emet-Selch knows well how important it is to be able to make oneself understood when in the company of others - yet this is hardly the time for an origin story.]

[Emet-Selch lets out an exaggerated sigh and his hard gaze pins itself to the first person who is unfortunate enough to make eye contact.]

I do hope the child does not overdress for the occasion. This is a common social gathering, not a wedding reception. I reiterated the fact several times, yet I'd be foolish to think she heard a word of it. She was too busy shouting about her "first grand step into the exciting world of adulthood".

[A sideways glance at the doorway.]

Comments

[itsgunnabe_mei]

[ ... Um. Ummm. Ummmm?!?! Mei can feel herself shrinking from that sudden rampage, hands clasped together so tightly her nails almost dig into her skin. She swallows thickly, not sure what to do or say. She was just trying to be polite! Why did that set him off?

As Akehi storms off, she slowly glances over at Emet, her voice down to a whisper. ]

... Did... did I say something wrong...?

[recreator]

[Well, how about that? It seems that this girl is far more sensible and mature than he initially gave her credit for. Although he isn't precisely impressed (an extremely tall order, that) it's enough for Emet-Selch to take her words seriously and at face value.]

[Unfortunately... It would seem that something she said has struck a nerve with his more volatile charge, enough so that Akechi sees fit to snap and growl at them and then wander off to find another bone to chew on. Hmn.]

Weeeell, that was certainly an interesting reaction, now, wasn't it?

[He glances over at Meilin, as unperturbed as if nothing at all just happened - although a certain sly glint suggests he witnessed the same thing she did.]

Nay. The problem doesn't lie with you, but within Akechi himself. He's a sensitive sort, you see. Still struggling to get along well with others. And from the sound of it, he doesn't much like being underestimated by people who are older than him.

As for you, you'd be more than welcome if you should like to assist the stage crew - or even simply perform for fun. Although I see the right of what you've said, there are also many adults who would be happy to cultivate the budding talents of the youth around them.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

[ Mei nods silently, still trying to look at Akechi. Right now, she couldn't care less about the talent show - she wants to make it up to Akechi, even if she's still not sure what she did. But it's clearly her fault! Even if she didn't mean for it to happen, it still happened, and she feels awful for it. ]

... What should I do about him, though? This was supposed to be a good time for everyone... I-Is there some kind of, like, drink or snack here I can buy him? Or something he likes about himself I can compliment a whole lot? Or some favor I can do for him?

[recreator]

[All right, all right. He'll try to take this at least somewhat seriously. Although Akechi himself practically bribed him to reveal nothing of what he's shared with him about his own internal struggles, that doesn't necessarily stop Emet-Selch from sharing his own opinion. Right?]

An excellent question, and one which even I cannot provide an answer. If you want my own take on the matter, however, I suspect the problem is that he doesn't much like anything about himself - or anyone else for that matter. As a result, he angers easily and struggles to find connection and purpose.

The best you can do is tolerate his outbursts and encourage him when he does well.

[Emet-Selch, Akechi isn't a dog...]

[itsgunnabe_mei]

[ Yiiikes. Sounds like Akechi has more inner demons than the actual demons here! It's gunna be a real challenge to befriend him!

AND MEI LEE HAS NEVER BACKED DOWN FROM A CHALLENGE. ]

All right! Then that's what I'll do! When he does well, I'll become his own personal cheerleader! 2-4-6-8, who do we appreciate? AKECHI, AKECHI, AKECHI!

[ way to go, emet-selch. ]

[recreator]

Meilin, my dear. Perhaps you might practice your motivational speeches in private? If you cheer too loudly you may very well frighten poor Akechi into not returning at all.

[Welp.]

[herewardbound]

... And this was what he returned to, holding another latte and wearing a scowl, so his face had actually brightened considerably. "I did say I'd be back; I've never been the giving up type. Also, why."

[itsgunnabe_mei]

[ Oops. Mei blushes, embarrassed, and tightens up a bit, trying to restrain any Panda Parts from Poofing. ]

We were... just discussing... how cool you are, Akechi! And how lucky I am to meet someone as smart as you are!

[ Did that work. Did that sell. ]

[recreator]

[Well so much for that. Emet-Selch allows a mild roll of his shoulders as he offers an explanation which hopefully sounds a little less weak, even if a disappointed sigh precedes it.]

Meilin here was concerned when you left us so abruptly.

[herewardbound]

"I see." Dammit. He was going to have to explain that, wasn't he. "It's... nothing that you, personally, did. My social circle is full of people who've had... strained relationships with the adults in their lives. I won't get into details because they aren't mine to share, but where I come from, and perhaps you as well, there's a cultural notion that age is somehow inherently worthy of being treated as more valuable than youth, and that children are only worth how good they can make their parents look. So the topic... touched a nerve."

Akechi took a seat, setting his cup down. "I meant what I said, however. If you want to be a flautist, don't let the notion that older people might be better at it discourage you; more than likely, if you have enough passion for it and put the time in, you'll end up better than most of them in a few years anyway."

[itsgunnabe_mei]

[ Hm! Well... respecting her elders is a pretty huge part of Mei's culture and way of life. But she's also aware it's not the norm for everyone. She looks back and forth between the two of the men before settling on Akechi. ]

... Well... I think you're valuable just the way you are, no matter who your parents are. I came here wanting to know you. I'd really like us all to be friends! I still have some time before I have to know what I really want to be when I grow up... so I need all the awesome influences I can get.

[recreator]

[Oh, well won't you look at this? How heartwarming.]

[Emet-Selch observes this exchange without interruption, entirely willing to let the two youngsters settle things between themselves without one of his usually affected interjections. Yet, how is he supposed to interpret all of this, Akechi? If you despise the views of adults so much, then why is it you agreed to become his newest project in the first place? He is, after all, the most adult adult out of all of the dreamwalkers - at least in terms of age and condescension.]

[herewardbound]

Goro Akechi, a good influence.

It was almost funny. "Friends. And here I was thinking you were just pining after every vaguely-attractive male in a hundred mile radius."

The answer to that question, Emet-Selch, was 'it's complicated'. It probably helped that their relationship thus far was, at least on paper, on relatively equal footing and Akechi had never actually felt demeaned or condescended to.

Or at least not condescended to in a way that didn't invite a return volley.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

[ Listen, she's already BFFs with demons, including cannibals and prostitutes, she's already screwed in the Good Role Model department.

She then flashed a playful grin to Akechi's assessment. ]

Who says I can't have both? Having a good-looking friend will help me be less goofy around all good-looking guys!

[herewardbound]

Akechi frowned. There it was, that faint... itch in the back of his mind, the one he usually associated with his Persona, but then... the last time that had happened, he'd been speaking to Emet-Selch. Was there a connection?

That... bore thinking about. "I'll be happy to talk about... anything. Other than your interest in the opposite sex. It's like talking to Sakamoto all over again-" He inhaled, pinched the bridge of his nose. "Flutes. How long have you been playing the flute?"

[itsgunnabe_mei]

"Oh, ever since I could hold one!" Mei said with a bit of a laugh. "Mom said it's the most elegant instrument out there! I even managed to bring it with me when I arrived here, so I make sure to practice with it every single day!"

[herewardbound]

Music. There was a safe topic, at least. "Elegant is... a word for it, I suppose. Music was something I'll admit I wanted to try my hand at, when I was younger, but..." He paused, frowning. There'd never really been enough money for instruments.

No, that wasn't true. There'd been more than enough. His foster parents hadn't wanted to pay. "It wasn't in the cards. Have you exclusively practiced classical music, or have you tried branching out at all?"

[itsgunnabe_mei]

"Well, why not play with a new deck?" Mei gestured around them. "You could learn one here! This place is full of new opportunities!" Like coffee dates!

But his additional question made her blink. Branch out? How so? "But that's what the flute is for. Mom always said so. Like a way to honor tradition and your elders!"

... Boy, it always somehow came back to mom, didn't it?

[herewardbound]

Akechi tilted his head. "I can think of a number of quite famous musicians who would beg to differ. There's plenty of jazz flautists in the world."

[itsgunnabe_mei]

"I don't think my mom likes jazz." She shrugged it off, not bothered. "But, you know, that actually might be pretty cool..."

[herewardbound]

Akechi snorted. "No, based on how you describe her, I can imagine she wouldn't. It's much more free-form, but it has its own technical complexities that've influenced just about every modern form of 'popular' music to some degree or another. It's not all a monolith, either. Just like what people ordinarily call 'classical' music, 'Jazz' encapsulates a wide variety of very different musical styles. You're effectively limiting your own progress by avoiding an entire field of music that your instrument is well-suited to."

[itsgunnabe_mei]

Oooh. The way he described it sounded so cool... Mei's eyes were beginning to sparkle with possibility, excitement, and curiosity. "Y'know, for a dude who hasn't picked up an instrument, you really know a lot about it! We should try and tackle this both together!"

[herewardbound]

"... There was a jazz lounge, back home, that I spent a lot of time in. It was the place I went when I wanted to not deal with all the bullshit in my life. That said... that's not likely to be a good idea."

For a number of reasons, not least of which being his personal hesitance to spend time around thirteen-year-old girls.

Also the murders.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

Of course, she was going to ask.

"Why not? I bet it could be a lot of fun! And you know so much about, like, everything already! You could me my teacher, or mentor!" Don't make her say senpai.

[herewardbound]

Emet-Selch what have you done. "I have... a number of constraints on my time that are going to make that difficult. I'll see what I can do, but I make no promises."