songerein | Dreambucks Dating Sim(?!): Limited Edition

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ 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.

[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.]

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.

[ 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!

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?"

"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!"

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?"

"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?

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."

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

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."

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!"

"... 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.~~

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.

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."

Yay, they were friends forever and ever and ever!!!!

"Sounds great!" Mei thrust her hand forward for an 'agreement shake'. "I'm looking forward to it, Teach'!"

He shot Emet-Selch a Look. The sort of Look that said 'what the hell have you done to me'.

But he offered his hand- faltered, for a moment, then switched to his right, shaking Mei's hesitantly.

Great.

[Emet-Selch only smiles cryptically.]

[No need to thank him, Akechi. You did this all by yourself. Congratulations on your mentorship, by the way.]

Dreambucks Dating Sim(?!): Limited Edition

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