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[Souji appears on the network looking pretty upbeat. He's in the diner, because where else would he be ever, which has been decorated just like everything else in the Mansion. Of course, he made his own additions, like the Colonel (plus twinkling fairy lights). He brought the statue out late last year, so he's decided to get a looooong head start this year.

This will be his third annual KFC Christmas in Wonderland, though this time he's on his own. Which is exactly why he's making this appearance.]

I'm going to call it and say Charlie's gone home. I'm the only one working in the diner now, so the hours might be shorter than before.

[Because Souji gots to get some sleep once in awhile. He offers a small smile.]

On that note, if anyone wants to come help out any time, it'd be excellent. No experience necessary or anything.

[He'll leave it at that, cutting the feed off after a small wave.]

[As usual, Souji can often be found in the diner. Anyone who comes by from 12/24-12/25 will be greeted by the Colonel (plus lights) and a sign board advertising Japanese Christmas. Inside, he'll have plenty of fried chicken (with Souji's best approximation of the 11 herbs and spices), a few appropriate sides, and plenty of Christmas cake complete the menu today. Cocoa, coffee, tea, and various other drinks are available.

From 12/13-12/15, Souji is affected by The Little Match Girl event. That starts out as just wearing way too many clothes for someone who's inside cooking, but midway through 12/14, he disappears from the diner and wanders around the Mansion trying to warm himself up and resist feeling lethargic. He's pretty sure something's wrong, but somehow, it doesn't occur to him to ask anyone if they know what's up. He returns to the diner late that evening and, in his confusion, ends up spending the night there, trying to use the oven to keep warm, which is always an excellent idea. He spends most of 12/15 back in the kitchen, hallucinating about Nanako and the kotatsu at home in Inaba and eating hot food with his friends.

He finds time to make a few gifts for friends, though, and can be found in the library, looking at a couple of books about origami patterns, or in his room working on said gifts. He also takes some time to just wander around admiring the Mansion or going outside with his very fat, small pet dragon to make a rather distinctive snowman, which Tefra (the very fat, small dragon) immediately pounces on.

On Christmas Day, he passes out his gifts and then spends some time in a tea room, staring in silence at the omikuji he found in his Christmas stocking. It's hard to gauge what his actual reaction to it is--his face is pretty carefully blank.

Come by the diner or feel free to catch him around the Mansion and the grounds!]

[OOC: I'll be tagging around with Souji, but this will be his catch-all for the event. Feel free to respond to his video or action it up. Prose or brackets are both fine; I'll match your style.

He'll have origami gifts for pretty much everyone he knows come Christmas, so if your character's spoken to him more than once, it's safe to assume they receive a gift from him. No need to thread it if you don't want; for anyone he doesn't run into, he'll leave it somewhere they're likely to come across it with a brief note saying it's from him and Happy Christmas.]

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[One more person gone home. Jo just hopes that whatever life Charlie has gone back to is a good one-- she didn't know her well enough to say either way, but that's all anyone can really hope for in those cases.]

Hey, if you need a hand, the bar can spare me.

[She's got other people to look after it, and in the worst case scenario, it can run itself easier than the diner can-- people can take advantage of it being self-serve and pour for themselves if they really need to.]

I helped Tohru out for awhile when she was run down. I can cook or wait tables-- whatever you need 'til you find some more permanent help.

I'd appreciate the help. Keeping up with the cooking isn't too bad by itself, but trying to juggle the rest at the same time is a bit harder.

Count me in. I'll keep my eyes and ears open for anyone else who might make good diner staff, too, see if we can get you some help that isn't borrowed.

[As much as she'd like to help him out indefinitely, she knows that isn't going to work.]

Looks like my mom is planning to pitch in, too-- we've got you covered.

Yeah. You two are probably going to save sanity. I'd say single-handedly, but there are two of you.

I don't know, we're sort of a single entity sometimes, much as I used to hate to admit it.

[She grins, offering an easy shrug.]

Anyway, my pleasure. You've certainly done more than your part to keep the residents of Wonderland well-fed over the last couple of years. You planning on doing Christmas chicken again?

Yeah. This is the third year.

[The first year without Tohru though.]

How long have you been here now? [He used to be so much better at keeping track of people...]

It'll be-- wow. Three years in April.

[Still a ways away, but not that far off.]

Time has kind of flown, in a way. This place actually feels like home to me now.

It does to me in some ways, too. Then again, I've spent four and a half years here and that's move than a quarter of my life in my own world.

[Wow, it sucks that he should be more than 21 years old and he's still 17.]

Four and a half? Really?

[It's just a little bit longer than she would have guessed, but the number itself is sobering. That puts him in the same situation as James-- stuck as a teenager, unable to mature even though they should both be adults by now.]

Pretty soon, I'll have spent more of my adult life here than I did at home. Hell, I didn't even leave my tiny hometown until I was twenty-one. I think I get it.

Sometimes it bothers me. But most of the time...I think I'm okay with it.

[There are times when he's so homesick it's like physical pain, but the uncertainties that surround returning home are just as bad, though he wouldn't quickly admit to either of those things.]

You have good friends here. That's important. I know it's not the same as being at home, and I know a lot of friends have come and gone-- but I've found a lot of strength in the people I've met here.

[She can't assume it's the same for everyone, but she hopes that it is.]

Me, too. [Souji smiles a bit. He definitely feels the same way she does.] It's hard when people leave, but meeting new people is nice, too.

[She smiles back-- it's always good to see someone take heart and agree with her that Wonderland can have a hell of a silver lining.]

Yeah, it is hard when people leave. I lost a lot of friends this year-- I know what you mean. You seem like you're doing okay, though. That's good.

[He lets out a soft sigh, expression going pensive.]

I've been hanging back a lot more than I used to.

[It is hard when people leave, and perhaps as a defense mechanism, he's avoided making too many close friends over the last year or two.]

It makes me glad I work in the diner, though. Even if I don't get to know people well, I still see lots of them pretty often.

[She nods, just once. That makes sense. She'd done the same thing for awhile, after losing people who meant the world to her. She'd probably still be doing it now if Simon hadn't been so damn persistent about snapping her out of it.]

That's what I like about the bar, too. I like seeing people come and go. Getting to know a little about them even if we don't become close. I like knowing who's here in Wonderland.

[It makes her feel like it means a little something when they leave. Even people who were near strangers, she'd miss-- but that's how it should be, right? Everyone should be missed by someone.]

[It's the same for Souji, and he manages a smile.]

We're lucky in that way, I guess, that we're both in a position to do that.

Makes the time here feel like it's worth more, doesn't it? Just a little bit.

[Maybe it sounds silly, but she thinks Souji would probably get it, seeing as they're in similar positions.]

I feel like it's important that someone notices people who come through-- remembers them.

[Souji definitely gets it. He glances off screen, toward something behind the counter for a second as Jo finishes speaking.]

Tohru used to take a picture of everyone who came in here. When she left, the book she kept them in stayed behind. I haven't added to it, but I wonder if I should....

I remember when she put that book together.

[She'd always thought it was a nice idea-- touching, in its own way.]

Wouldn't be a bad idea. I bet Tohru would love knowing someone was carrying on the torch for her.

[Souji smiles at the thought and nods.]

I think her camera is around here somewhere. She kept it on hand.

[If the album is still here, it would make sense for the camera to be.]

If not, it should be easy to get another one, but it would be nice for that to be the designated camera for the diner.

[...]

I could run a side business making Wonderland IDs...

[...He's been talking to Stan.]

It would be nice-- kind of like a tribute.

[Cameras can be replaced, but no other camera would be Tohru's.]

A side business, huh? [She smirks.] And what do you get out of that?

It's like I don't have enough to do as it is, right?

Hey, if you just like to keep busy, I can absolutely respect that.

[She's guilty of the same, after all.]

[He smiles a bit. He is kind of addicted to having things to do every moment.]

Thanks for that.

[She smiles back, understanding.]

Maybe I just recognize some of myself in you.

[In that respect, anyway.]

I can swing by the diner to help out in an hour or so-- just let me talk to some of the bar staff so I can tell them to adjust as needed.

[Video]

eatsyourscience - 2016-02-07 20:36 (UTC) - Expand

[Video]

lightgunhustler - 2016-02-07 22:15 (UTC) - Expand

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