[open] It's a time for new beginnings! And keychains. And making money

[nolicenseyet]

Characters: Keroro, Eve and anyone else in Metokkori R and the Hikan Cafe
Location: Metokkori R and the Hikan Cafe
Rating: G...unless you bring something higher with you.
Time: Febuary 21 onwards~
Description: The Hikan Cafe's grand re-opening and the first Chara Misfortune Series are going on sale!



Long time(?) customers of Metokkori R will notice some changes when they step into the store today. For one, part of the wall between the store and the Hikan Tea Shop has been broken down, and there's a glass shoji-styled sliding door installed in its place. If the customers are feeling peckish they can step through the door and enter to newly renovated Hikan Cafe...after paying for what they bought, of course.

The Hikan Tea shop has been renovated to match Metokkori R's decor. The place has a cute, friendly look to it, perfect for hanging out with friends, going on a date, or for family outings.

More important than all that, though, are the brightly coloured banners hanging from the ceiling of both stores advertising the "Chara Misfortune ☠ Metokkori R presents The Watch of Death City!". The whole series includes keychains of all the Zone Leaders and second in commands of the Watch. The display case near the cashier that usually displays Keroro's latest creation (read: Gunpla) is now proudly displaying a full set of Chara Misfortune Keychains.

((OOC: feel free to state whether your thread is open or closed~. More information about the Chara Misfortune Keychains are here))

Comments

[comradery]

Macha, huh? Haven't had that before, I don't think... Sure! ...does it taste like real gunpowder in any way? Because that stuff tastes gross... [Don't ask how he knows.]

Yeah? Maybe you should make some in honor of those key-chains! Rather the people on the key-chains... That'd be interesting, I think! Could be an extra bit for the re-opening and all too!

[pawned]

I'm not quite sure how real gunpowder tastes like, so I wouldn't be able to say. [side... eye.] Dare I ask why you would have the knowledge?

[boiling, boiling water.] Perhaps. I'll bring it up with the boss.

[comradery]

Oh. Ahahahaha... Well, it was kind of an accident...well, okay, more like a prank that backfired in the long run, but I didn't eat it on purpose! [It seems like you've just asked for a long-winded story from Hughes! Congratulations! Here's your reward:]

Back when my best friend and I were still at military academy, we really wanted to get back at this one guy we didn't really like who kept getting on our nerves and never seemed to get in trouble for some of the crap he did. So... Well, we took one of the pepper shakers from the cafeteria and switched it out with gunpowder and put it at the guy's usual table. Worked like a charm! He put it on his scrambled eggs and gagged. It was pretty funny, hehe. But we forgot to go switch it out afterward because we were too distracted. Um...

Anyway, at the end of the day, it's customary for those to all get put in this one box so that they can wipe down the tables and... Having forgotten that we hadn't switched it back, during the next breakfast, I put pepper on my food and didn't bother checking, but it was actually that bottle we switched out and...ugh. It's kind of peppery, but the metallic aftertaste is just gross. My throat got all irritated after that too because it was so weird. I tried to wash it down with tea, but it didn't really do much.

I kept complaining about it and one of the infirmary attendants gave me a bags of almonds to sooth my throat or something. I'm not sure if it helped, but the irritation was gone the next day. Was not a very pleasant experience though. I don't recommend ingesting it in the least.

[Ha. This story reminds me of something.]

[pawned]

[Itou hates himself for asking that question. But he's polite, so he listens, and grows increasingly doubtful of this budding professional relationship the more he listens to the story.

First of all, why did he swallow it instead of throwing it back up...]

The lesson there is to not use pepper for your food, right? It's a very good thing that this tea isn't made of real gunpowder, then, and that I don't use guns. [pouring the water in the pot, and a bunch of the leaves.]

[comradery]

But pepper brings out the flavor of some foods! Like salmon! What's salmon without pepper? It's less savory if you don't add the pepper...

Hahaha! Well, yeah, that'd be a bit disconcerting wouldn't it... I don't want to think about guns being anywhere near this place! This is the kind of place you bring your family! What kind of atmosphere would we be advertising if there were weapons just sitting around? That'd be dangerous too! A health hazard even! Not to mention gunpowder, while made of things that aren't purely toxic to the body, is not something you should ingest to begin with! Even though I did... But I didn't want to make a scene like the other guy did! I took it for the team! [He sighs dramatically.] It was worth it in the end because we did remember to clear it out at that point, but ah...my poor throat...

[pawned]

I prefer butter and salt with my salmon, myself. [hrm, checking the liquid if it's all right already...] And this is the kind of place being run by soldiers of war, actually, so I suppose guns would be generally acceptable.

[Instead of replying to the rest of that, though, Itou sets a saucer of tea cookies down in front of Hughes.] You might as well learn about all our product offerings while you're at it. This kind of cookie works well with green tea.

[comradery]

Oh. In my home country, we usually use salt and pepper. [He shrugs. Oh, well!] Well, obviously they'll probably be around, but they shouldn't be sitting around randomly where anyone can see it, y'know?

Oooh! [He reaches for the saucer and the halts.] ...should I taste it now, during, or after the tea? Or does it not matter?

[pawned]

True enough. Our customers are likely to have some children around, too. [Fortunately, he doesn't have to deal with those...]

[Here, he is finally pouring your tea into your cup.] Through the course of drinking the tea, actually, so any time you prefer it. There are more in this tin.

[comradery]

Ah! Thanks! [He pulls the cup closer and watches the steam rise a bit.] I think I'll wait a little first, then.

[There is a brief silence before Hughes comes up with something else to ask.]

So how long have you been here, Itou?

[pawned]

[That's a good thing to do, yes, although Itou is more determined to enjoy the silence after that... okey that didn't last long.]

I was in Metokkori R before the Hikan, but I had only been an employee there for a couple of weeks. Or do you mean this city? I'm going on my third month here.

[comradery]

Kinda' meant the latter, but it's good to know the former too, hahaha. So are you used to living here yet?

[pawned]

[Nods briefly.] As well as anyone can. Considering that I'll be staying here after the war -- assuming that we win -- I found it a point of importance to learn as much about the city as I could.

[comradery]

You'll be staying here? Do you prefer it over your own world then? Or are you actually from this world?

[pawned]

I'm dead where I'm from, so it would be impossible to go back. [casually drops it right there, since it will come up eventually, and also Itou doesn't care.]

[comradery]

Oh? Hehe. What a coincidence! So am I! Or...well, I will be dead when I go back anyway, so that's like the same thing, right?

Have you found some way to make sure BREW won't send you back though? From what I've heard, you get sent back regardless.

[pawned]

[Itou's the one who's taken by surprise, but he thankfully doesn't give much of a visible reaction.]

From what I've heard, you get to choose if you're staying or not. Naturally, I'd prefer to stay and not have to suffer the experience of dying again. [But eh, that means Hughes will be here with him til the end of time. : |;;; ]

[comradery]

Oh, really? [Staying...? He could stay?] ...hm. [Hughes needed to think on that one more since it is definitely pretty big news for him.]

Yeah, dying isn't much of a pleasant experience, huh? Hehe. [It is almost frightening how easily Hughes talks about it. He had never been one to beat around the bush though.] Wouldn't you still die again in the long run though? Once enough time has passed in this world.

[pawned]

[Couldn't they? Now Itou is the one troubled, because he had been so sure he'd be able to stay. Frown.]

Of course I would; I just want to live a more natural lifespan, that's all. Judging from your relatively young age, you didn't die naturally, either. You could have been ill, or in an accident, or killed -- the point is that you're too young to die, and I had been the same.

legit stared at this for a long time 8C

[comradery]

[Hughes goes silent, his expression growing solemn.]

...yeah, that'd...that'd be nice. If I could continue living here...

[But what about the life he left behind? His wife? His darling daughter? His best friend that he would never be able to speak to again? Would he be able to live with never being able to warn them? Would he be able to accept that he could never go back to them? He was still young but... Starting over again while putting behind the life he would never have again seemed like he would be betraying the people he had cared about; the people he still cared about.

No. Death was his punishment for messing up. As much as it would be nice to stay alive and to continue here in this world, it would be wrong to try and escape the fact that his death was his own fault.]

It'd be nice to live out a natural lifespan, I agree. I don't know if I could live with peace of mind though...

:' D Conundrum.

[pawned]

You left someone behind, I take it. [The conclusion isn't very difficult to arrive upon. Hughes looks like someone who loves freely and is well-loved for it.] That's the difference between us, I suppose.

[comradery]

...mm. [Hughes chuckles faintly.] Yeah... If I hadn't, then maybe it would be okay, but... [He shrugs and checks the tea.

It seems cool enough so he takes a sip.]

Hm...it's smokey. Bitter too. It sort of reminds me of sitting by a fire or something... [He takes another sip.]

[pawned]

[He nods, and then lets the topic go. It doesn't seem like his new manager wants to talk about it, and Itou's not really sure what he'd do with the information in the first place. Gone are the days when he gathers them like a weapon to his breast... or is it? Hm.]

It has that sort of taste, yes. Try the food.

[But he's bringing out some sugar and honey.] If you find it too bitter, any of these should help with the taste.

[comradery]

[Hughes nods and nibbles on a cookie. The taste pairs fairly well.]

Huh...you know, I've never thought much about pairing flavors before but... This is definitely really good.

[He pops the rest of the cookie into his mouth.]

Say, is there anything creamy too? Like...heavy cream maybe or something else with a creamy texture? [It would be closer to how he usually drank his tea.]

[pawned]

[Itou stares at him for a moment, wondering if he'd heard right.]

It's green tea. [carefully] It doesn't... usually go with cream, but I can get it for you.

There's another tea that I think you should try, however, if you want to try more combinations with food. [desperately:] It's very good with cream.

[comradery]

[Hughes stares back blankly.]

Oh...uh...I see. I guess I'll just have it plain then.

Sure. What kind is it?

[He takes another sip of the tea without adding anything. Although he enjoys delicious things, he had never been too picky about flavor when it came to actually eating and drinking for himself. He only really cared when it came to serving other people.]