[Open-ish]

[dupli_arms]

Who: Shouji and CR
What: Post-Excursion Downtime
When: Early August-September
Where: Shipwide, in the normal haunts
Warnings: n/a, likely to be discussion of character/canon-typical abuse or trauma


a. The Routine Persists
In the wake of the ship seemingly sinking, all that Shouji wants is to find some little bit of normalcy again. That means his routine. That means the gym. He's made a point of inviting others to come and meet him there, either to join him in training, or to spot him, or to be the one doing the spotting. Whatever the case may be, he will be quiet and introspective, generally keeping his thoughts to himself unless questioned.

He's hardly any livelier when he attends Fight Club, generally staying on the sidelines and observing what the others get up to, while running through drills of his own. There's a fair amount of shadow-boxing and pummeling of the dummies that happens in lieu of pitting himself against others just now, especially knowing that, in his distracted state, someone would almost certainly end up hurt, something that he would rather avoid this soon after so much mass death.

When he's alone for a little while and still keeping up on his fitness, he can be found running laps, a set of in-ear headphones tucked under one of the new masks that he'd found tucked deep back in the Tommy Bahama, a lovely teal and pink floral print that matches the sweats he'd picked up.

b. Snapshots Upon Snapshots (Closed for Dedue and other close CR
Shouji has been flipping through the photo album that he'd gotten from Sundries since he'd come back, just running through names and matching them to faces, committing every single one to memory as if he hadn't done so already when he still had them in person. While he'd never been one for having material possessions that weren't absolute necessities, keeping this felt deeply important. Like his last real link back to the people that he cared about, outside of Shinsou's existence. He can't hinge his hopes on the other hero, it would be unfair to do so, so he focuses it on the photos of his friends.

To anyone that has seen his room since he'd awoken, or else been told about his tendency not to keep anything, the way that he holds the album as he browses the various shops for something that might allow him to display one photo in particular will seem very out of place. And it is, but these are desperate times, and he hadn't been able to strip his cabin completely bare. So why not have one sentimental thing on a surface that he can't rip out and toss into the ocean?

c. Suggestive Kneading (Closed for Helena)
He has a promise to keep. In the days following his revival, Shouji hasn't been down in the kitchen, giving its regular occupants some space, but now he's got some time, and he's sent off a message to Helena to let her know that, should she like to join him, he was going to be making himself something small for lunch. If she wanted, he would bring her something. If she wanted to come down, he could teach her as he'd said he would. He would leave it up to her whether she felt up to being in his company for a little while or not.

d. Surveillance Duty (Closed for Shinsou and Gwen)
Habit or hypervigilance, Shouji has once more climbed up to the highest point that he can on the ship, veritably bristling with eyes and ears to keep an eye on the ship as a whole, and the ocean immediately surrounding it. He doesn't trust that it really is nothing but hot dogs down there, but more than that, he doesn't trust that some chaos won't break out and people won't need help in some capacity. Officially, he had cited this as one of the places that he could conduct his patrol from. If he really thought about it though, the actual reason that he came up here was to have some time alone to be with his thoughts and feel useful at the same time.

A sound from nearby draws the attention of an ear and a few eyes, though Shouji's back is still turned, arms crossed on a support beam and holding his weight. A mouth unfolds in one of the eye's steads.

"Fancy meeting you here." More lighthearted than he really feels.

e. wildcard!
If you want Shouji for anything in particular, feel free to come and find him! He's too polite to turn down always up for company.

Comments

c.

[decrypter]

The response back is swift.

What are you making? I'd like to join you.

[dupli_arms]

I thought I might try to put together a box lunch or two
But I did promise to teach you how to make that bread, so why not both?

After all, the proofing time on the dough would certainly allow for making something else to eat in the meantime, and he's happy to share something with her.

[decrypter]

I'd be delighted. I won't keep you waiting long.

She knows the way to the kitchen well enough, now, and it's not too much of a delay before she's tapping her way in, pushing open the doors.

"Mr. Shouji? I'm here."

[dupli_arms]

By the time Helena shows up, Shouji has found himself a spare apron, a little bit off-white with the Serena Eterna embroidered on the chest, figuring that he should observe the same rules that others do when they're going to be in here for more than just themselves. He Has one for her as well, though it's probably larger than is appropriate. Where did Max's go? He could put aside the humor of it for her benefit, surely...

"Good afternoon, Miss Helena," he replies easily, his head bowing in her direction as he pulls out the various ingredients that he would be needing and arranging them neatly on the big central table. He'd already found the necessary pans, and had even found some containers that, while not necessarily appropriate bento boxes, would serve the same purpose. "I didn't think to ask whether you liked chicken or not, I apologize. I figured that in the downtime while the bread needs to rise, we could make something easy."

[decrypter]

"Nothing to apologize for - I'm a very easy eater, as it happens. Chicken's more than fine."

Drawing near to him, the excitement is clear on her face, though there's a hint of nervousness in her posture. She doesn't know how well this is going to turn out, and it could go terribly, utterly wrong. But she wants to hope.

[dupli_arms]

While she might be thinking that it's going to all go wrong, he's going to try his best to make sure that it goes as smoothly as possible. As such, he puts a bowl down in front of her, followed closely by a measured amount of each of the ingredients.

"I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty of measuring out some things ahead of time. We don't have a scale here with an audible sensor to tell you when you've got the appropriate amount and I would rather not make this frustrating. After you've washed your hands, may I guide them? Or would you prefer to find everything for yourself?"

[decrypter]

"You can guide me, as long as you're not holding my hands the entire time here, or trying to direct me around like a doll."

She says it gently, but they're real concerns. Tying the apron on, though, she can do, and going to wash her hands. Once they're clean, she'll return to the counter, using her fingertips to find the bowl.

d

[thismaskismybadge]

Gwen pulls herself up the rest of the way, legs swinging over a beam and her hands stickying to the surface either side of her. "I know, right, I must be the last person you'd expect to see up here."

Her legs swing. Her head tilts. "That's a lot of eyes and ears you've got going."

[dupli_arms]

"Clearly an anomaly," he replies with a small smile reflected on that tendril facing her.

Just to keep from potentially creeping her out, the amount of eyes and ears reduces down to only a few of each. He turns to be able to face her, waving with his main hand. "Yeah, it's another part of the Quirk. It lets me get a really good look at the stray hot dogs out there."

[thismaskismybadge]

"If I say that sounds handy is it a good pun, or a terrible one?" A lopsided smile graces her lips, which is almost immediately disrupted by a flip into bemusement. "Okay, but, no, really, what's with the hot dogs? We're in a pocket dimension isolated from the rest of the multiverse, there's no sea life, but there's hot dogs. Why?"

[dupli_arms]

"I would say it sounds like the pun I've heard the most often out of all possible ones," he replies easily as his elbows prop on the bar to support his casual lean.

His nose wrinkles at the hot dog question. "I don't actually know. I've heard people talking about trying to get rid of them but that there's a constant source of them in the water but other than that I'm just as lost as you are. They're just...out there."

[thismaskismybadge]

"Right, duh. My humour is either genius or extremely played out. Villains always get my best lines just by sheer exposure. Which is a total waste, they don't appreciate them."

She glances out at the ocean and the odd spots of the uncooked pink of hotdog meat, shaking her head. "That's so weird. Just out there, floating ominously, longing for a barbecue that will never come..."

[dupli_arms]

"Save your A material for the ones that appreciate it" he replies easily. "You can't be all quippy and clever all the time, right? It's totally wasted on some dude trying to murder you."

A few eyes focus hard on a spot far out on the water, the strain making them ache a little bit, but he's found that he can force a sort of telescopic vision if he really thinks about it. Out there, bobbing forlornly among the waves, is another damned hotdog.

"I wonder what will happen if they keep building up down there. What if the ship ends up beached on an island made out of processed tube-meat?"

A

[saltwaterlungs]

The first two days after Darcy's return were forcibly taken off- between catching up with people and her date-day with Helena, there wasn't time even if Darcy had felt up to it. But on the third day, it's out of the tomb and back to it. Darcy gives Shouji a little two-finger salute as she enters, dropping her bag by a bench as to start stretching.

"Hey- how'd you pull up?"

[dupli_arms]

The morning that Shouji came back, he'd spent a long while either talking with his classmate that had brought him the breakfast that had been arranged with Johnny Summer, and then longer just existing on his own and taking the time to get properly cleaned up and readjusted after that. The next day, his time was taken just trying to re-establish his routine, when he'd ended up talking with Dimitri. Now he was preparing the pull day sets that he'd long since memorized, down on one knee and screwing stoppers into place to keep the weights from slipping off the ends of the bar he was using.

He barely pauses as he stands and chalks his hands.

"I'm still here. I'm calling it a victory." Even if it doesn't necessarily feel like it, considering how he'd gone out.

[saltwaterlungs]

"Yeah, that's how I'm feeling," Darcy bobs her head a little in agreement, starting off by stretching the tendons in her heels.

"'M just glad I'm back. Everyone I care about is too. So. Not a loss, anyway."

She doesn't point out that her shoulder is fixed, but it sure isn't in a sling anymore.

"Just wish it hadn't been broadcast, ehn, fucking embarrassing."

[dupli_arms]

All evidence suggests that the deaths present a reset. He'd noticed it in the changes to Dimitri, so it makes sense that Darcy would be returned to a state before the injury to that shoulder. It doesn't stop Shouji from wondering about it, though he doesn't voice his concern. If Darcy wants to talk about it, she could.

"I don't know how to feel about it being broadcast here, to be honest. I didn't do anything that I would personally call shameful, though...some warning about that would have been nice."

Not outright bringing up that he was miffed about being deprived of his mask, but at least in the moment, nobody seemed to have anything to say on the matter.

[saltwaterlungs]

"The surprise was probably half the point," Darcy huffs.

She might barely remember the start of it, but... she thinks she vaguely recalls Shouji being there. Probably. He's a search-and-rescue guy and for the first couple of minutes, she was in need of real rescue.

"I, ehn..." she starts, staring very intently at the body part she's currently stretching, "I didn't tell you how I died, did I?"

[dupli_arms]

"Indeed." It could have been worse, all things considered; they could have had no warning at all, as he's been told has been the case in the past.

If it looked like she needed his help, he would come and assist in performing those stretches, but for now, he simply positioned himself behind the bar he'd prepared, and wrapped his main hands around it as he bent at the knees, then dead-lifted the 200lb bar in a smooth motion, standing solid as he counts down, then sets it back down again. Slow sets like this would continue as he talks.

"I didn't want to presume, but just based on what I witnessed, and what we talked about regarding your Caul, I gathered that it was something to do with water." It was why he'd opted not to spar with her up on deck anymore after that first incident, just in case his presumption was correct.

b.

[glassaxolotl]

“You are starting to decorate?” Dedue asks upon noticing Shouji.

Then realizes the awkwardness of his question and clarifies, “Forgive me. I assisted Shinsou in returning you to the cabins after the excursion, and I noticed that your room was bare.”

[dupli_arms]

The question is met with some quiet regard, then a simple "no."

He realizes after a moment that that was probably a good deal more rude than he intended, so he amends, "I received a...gift from Sundries. I thought I might do something with it rather than hiding it away in the closet with everything else that I couldn't get rid of." As he says it, he tips the album he'd been holding in one arm to open it to the back, and the full-page photo. "I don't want to forget them."

[glassaxolotl]

Dedue doesn’t take offense at the initial reaction. Shouji was simply stating a fact.

He looks over Shouji’s shoulder at the photo. “These are your peers from the academy?” he asks.

[dupli_arms]

It's a comfort that Dedue reacts similarly to the way that he would. He could be more frank with the way that he speaks and trust that he wouldn't be misconstrued. He turns just enough to be able to hold up and show the photo more clearly.

"Specifically in my class, yes." He points out his teacher standing at one end, then two of his closest friends, the tailed boy and that with an obvious bird's head, saying very little about them other than that. "Whatever is here that listens to us likely heard me talking about them before. I never had something like this; it would more likely have been compiled by one of the others." Probably Yaoyarozu. She would certainly not pass up the chance to have a photo album of their friends.

[glassaxolotl]

The first thought that comes to Dedue’s mind is that Shouji wasn’t alone before. There were others like him in his class. And the students who were not heteromorphs (if he remembers the term correctly) seem to be evenly spread among the heteromorphs and showing physical affection with them.

It is a strikingly different scene from what might be the case if one took a photo of Dedue’s class. He was the only student of Duscur not only in the Blue Lions House but in the Garreg Mach Officer’s Academy in general. And while several of his peers did get along with him, there were many others who maintained a safe distance from him or gave suspicious looks as he passed by.

If the outside world treated Shouji anything similar to the way Dedue was treated, then Dedue can only imagine how much of a safe haven this class must have felt like. Shouji could just be a normal young man there, could have friends who understood what he was going through without him having to explain it. And now, all that has been taken away from him.

After examining the photo for a few silent moments, Dedue comments, “You must miss them greatly. Your class seems like it was something special. At my own academy, it was not like this. Students who were different were more isolated.”

His eyes take in different parts of the scene. “Shinsou is not in this. He was in a different class?”

Dedue gestures towards the tired man in the back in the far left. “This was the professor, I assume?”

He then points to the serious boy in the middle with his arms in the air. “Was this the class leader? Or was she?” His finger moves over to the girl at the far right.

[dupli_arms]

It was such a recent development comparatively, but Shouji knows that he's not alone. He has people that care about him, truly care about him, and that really makes it all that much harder that it's he's been separated from them all. He had that support structure for less than a year.

He'd told them once that he'd only had a single positive memory associated with the body that he was born with. They'd responded, not with pity, but by vowing that they would make more so that he had something better to hold onto.

The questions that come as Dedue picks out certain others of his classmates are met with a small nod, and he first points out his instructor, "Aizawa-sensei. His Quirk is Erasure; as long as he maintains eye contact, he can turn off others' powers." Ideal for placement in an environment with a lot of hothead kids just learning how to work with their powers, even if he often doesn't behave as if he wants to be there in the first place.

Then he points out the Class Rep, "Iida Tenya. His family are well known, his brother is the Pro Hero Ingenium. Their Quirk is Engine, it enables them to travel at extreme speeds." Then he points at the other, the fondness evident in his tone. "Yaoyorozu Momo. Hers is Creation, using the fats in her body she can generate any inorganic object. They're both wonderful people." But then again, everyone in his class is.

"Shinsou was part of 1-B, where we were 1-A. A similar course to our own," he explains, turning a few pages back to find a snapshot of the members of the other's class intermingling with his own. It looks like a holiday party. "I never got to know him, before now. I wouldn't be surprised if the two of us wouldn't have ever spoken, under normal circumstances."