bakerstreet | OTHERWORDLY.

OTHERWORDLY.

Otherwordly Meme

Sometimes all you need is a word to spark off an idea.

1. Post a comment with your character's name, canon, and any preferences you may have (no shipping, no smut, etc.)

2. Leave the comment blank or post a word or two in the body.

It may also help if you list scenarios you would like to play.

3. Reply to other people, either with words you picked out, or words they posted as prompts for a thread.

( A cleanup of the previous Otherwordly Meme. )

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He thinks he's being subtle about it. Because four hours of rapid-fire texting is Hiro's idea of subtle. They're at it every night, I swear. I can feel him grinning from my bed. So I've been parking where I can 'accidentally' run into her. Seems like a nice enough girl. Don't know if she thinks of Hiro like that, though.

[Hoist by his own petard. Tadashi was completely snarking when he made the blindfold comment, but that's what he gets for trying to out-snark Honey Lemon. She's just enough of a free spirit to take him up on the offer, and he stares at her, dumbfounded.] ...not only was that a joke, I don't even have a blindfold on me. That would be a level of creepy reserved for Aunt Cass' horror movie collection. Unless you're going to use your headband, no, we're not doing that. [Facepalm.] Unbelievable. Really, Honey?

[It's like today is Tadashi Tumbles Over His Tongue Day or something. At this point he might as well start talking like Fred for how well this is going.]

[ Well, at least she figured that it could have been a joke.

But knowing that does not retract any of the light embarrassment. ]

I thought that's what you meant. [ She means in regards to her headband, and as she says this, she absently moves her free hand upwards until it's hovering next to her forehead. No, she definitely would not expect him to be carrying around a blindfold, but quickly thinking to use her headband did not seem too unfathomable.

Honey now appears rather sheepish, her smile lopsided and her cheeks tinted pink. The more she thinks about it, the odder it sounds. Duh. Of course it was a joke. And it flew right by her.

To hide her obvious discomposure, she quickly takes the spot behind Tadashi. ] Uh, we should go, right?

Oh. Um. [He rubs his neck and blushes. He can't think of a way to make this not weird so he just nods when she says they should go, and is absolutely thankful to whatever higher powers exist than San Fransokyo traffic is a nightmare at any time of day, allowing him to focus on the driving and not how much of a dork he feels like right now.

Not. Not that he needs to be smooth or anything, this isn't a date. He's not even sure why that crossed his mind. At the third traffic jam he gives up following laws and cuts through alleys in a somewhat complex pattern that would've rendered a blindfold meaningless given how hard it is to follow, and they pop up in a whole 'nother world - the tiny Ainu enclave of San Fransokyo. It's nothing most people would go out of their way to visit, just a few stores and businesses and some apartment buildings.

But.]

My grandmother on my father's side was Ainu, [Tadashi explains as he parks his moped near a small restaurant.] And my Dad used to take Hiro and I around here when Mom was busy working - you know how it is, two doctors rarely keep the same schedule. Hiro doesn't even remember any of this. At all. After our parents died Aunt Cass kept me away from here for so long I totally forgot where it was in the city. She thought it would depress me to be around here, you know?

Took me a while, but I figured it out through a combination of Google Maps, translation books and boredom. So... here we are. Little Ainu.

[He's visibly nervous. He can't share this with Hiro because Hiro doesn't remember, doesn't realize it's special, that their Dad took them here to eat at this very place, The Ezo Deer Cafe. And Aunt Cass can barely talk about her sister and Tadashi's father. Tadashi doesn't even realize how hopefully he's looking at Honey, how bashful he really is.]

This is okay, right? I won't let you order anything gross, I promise.

[ Throughout the ride, Honey remains quiet, but she eases back to her normal self, embarrassment flickering away. As they travel through side streets and allies, she shortens the gap between them when her arms eventually loop around his waist. For safety.

And hey, she'll admit that she takes comfort in being close to him as well.

When they arrive at their destination, Honey listens intently and with genuine interest while Tadashi speaks. She occasionally nods, a sign that she is indeed listening. He appears tense, and she wonders why. Has he never taken anyone else here? Is he afraid that she'll dislike this place, especially because it means so much to him? Because if that's the case, he should definitely need not to worry. The secluded area is fascinating, beautiful in its own way. ]

It's perfect. [ Her expression is tender, sincere. ] And you know I'm open to eat anything! [ There's a hint of proudness there. Being a person who loves cooking, she'll always try something at least once. ] But something that isn't gross would be good. [ Because gagging after trying something not so good is not what she wants to do today. So yes, she'll try anything at least once, but the conditions are left up to her. ]

[The buildings are nothing as flashy as most of San Fransokyo. Old woven mats and reed tapestries hang from windows, their patterns distinctly non-Japanese, all blocked and rectangular, colors subdued. There are a number of carvings in the doors of most places, of foxes and oxen and a few other animals. In the bustle of the most technologically forward city in California, Little Ainu has stood still in time almost completely. As a scientist, he knows he isn't expected to like something this old fashioned.

As a guy who misses his parents, this place is almost surreal, like someone hid Heaven away in the corner of San Fransokyo. When Honey expresses approval every last drop of anxiety is washed away, replaced with a swell of pride and joy, and the urge to share everything about here with her. Grinning as if he'd just invented a cure for cancer, he takes her hand and opens the door of the Ezo Deer Cafe for her. Wooden chimes clack as he does so.] Great! I'll tell you what everything is way before we order it. This place has the best food in town - you'll love it.

[When they're inside the cafe, it's got all the mixture of old and relatively new that he remembers. Shoes are expected to be taken off at the door as the floor is covered with thicken woven mats, not tatami but reeds dyed dark wine red. The place smells faintly of sweet smoke and there's soft flute music playing; the jangling of the chimes alerts the woman behind the counter to their presence, and she greets Tadashi by name and nods at his usual table.

When he comes here all the monsters in his head and the nightmarish memories subside, and he knows he's safe. This is one place not even his worst inner demons will touch. He pulls out a chair for Honey and can't stop smiling warmly.] I'm... I'm really glad you like it. Thanks for coming here with me.

[ Similar to Tadashi, perhaps a scientist should not be so enthralled with an area that others may consider underwhelming, especially in terms of technology. But Honey had never fit into the mold of what a stereotypical scientist resembles, so she also finds the community alluring, and she respects how a culture can be so nicely preserved when the rest of the world is eager to move forward.

Physical affection is to be expected when one befriends Honey Lemon. However, it she who usually does the hugging, arm hooking, shoulder squeezing, and cheek kissing, while her friends tend to be on the receiving end. Because of this, she is pleasantly surprised when Tadashi takes her hand with his own. She has a couple of seconds to revel in the delightful feeling of butterflies swelling up within the pit of her stomach before the cafe captivates her attention.

Honey shadows Tadashi, slipping off her heels and following him to the table, all while relishing in the pleasing scents, sights, and sounds that are engulfing her senses. To the offered chair, she happily accepts and moves to take a seat. ] I should be thanking you for taking me here. This place is just so...amazing. I can't believe it's been here the whole time.

It's been here longer than you or I have been alive, if you can believe that. The Itunakkay family has run this place since 1918. From what I've read in my Dad's old journals and on the internet, they were one of the first Ainu families to set up a business in the United States. And I totally forgot how to get back here for years, when this whole time it was just a stone's throw away.

[Being here makes him talk more easily and freely, get a little nostalgic, and as he opens up the menu to show Honey what things are, he doesn't mind huddling over the table close to her. Maybe it's closer than he normally gets, maybe he's being a bit more affectionate than usual, but why shouldn't he be? This is the one fixed point in a changing world. If he could, he'd share it with everyone he cares about, but right now, in this moment, Tadashi's more than happy just to share it with her.]

At least I know you'll appreciate the food. I was a brat when I was little and Mrs. Itunakkay still remembers me whining about not wanting to eat rui-be. I'm so not living that down. Anyway, this place does really good ohaw and rur - um, just remember that ohaw and rur aren't the same even if they look like it. Rur has animal bone based broth, which is an acquired taste. They're like soups, kinda. Each has millet dumplings in them, wild leeks and meat - or fish. Hiro only ever ate cep ohaw. It was like a precursor to the gummy bear fixation or something. Picky eater from birth, I guess...

[He goes on to point out each of the ohaw lunch specials, all of which come with a small side bowl of rice and hot tea. There's the 'standard' ingredients most Ainu expect foreigners to go for: beef, pork, and duck, things that are really American-Ainu more than Ainu. Then there's the bear, deer, fox, wild garlic an anemone ohaws, which he runs by her in the measured voice of someone aware those can be off-putting.

There's also pukusa wraps, which are wild leek leaves wrapped around Amur corktree nuts and white beans, seasoned with salt, rui-be, which are slices of frozen salmon that have had water peppers placed within them before they were sliced to create a spotted effect, fresh smoked kitakam sausages with potato chunks, and munciro sayo, a thick millet and milk porridge. He doesn't go over the gross options, because he expressly promised not to do so, and sits back to let her mull it over.

Tadashi has got a regular order he eats, but it's rude to order before a guest, and so Mrs. Itunakkay stays behind the counter, cleaning things to a shine despite their age. It's quiet and calm in here, and he watches Honey's face, wondering if she'll change her mind about this being amazing when presented with... admittedly acquired and culturally unique dishes. But if there's anyone Tadashi trusts not to be rude about this stuff, it's her.]

[ To see Tadashi light up is a marvelous site to behold. While he does act as his usual self around the group, his positive attitude does not always appear to be genuine. The happiness he is exhibiting now, she thinks, is definitely authentic, and Honey is just grateful to hear the excitement in his tone, and see the spark in his eyes.

The history he has to offer her is fascinating, and the unique dishes are certainly something to behold. Nothing, however, really appears to throw her off guard. Coming from the Latin American side of her family where the norm was to eat bull tongue, pig ears, blood sausage, various insects, and variety of other foods that others may find unappealing, it takes quite a bit to disgust her (anything pungent and with eyes staring up at her will usually do the trick). Combine that with Japanese food being the staple of her diet, and you get someone who is open to try (almost) anything.

She scans over the menu while Tadashi offers suggestions and explains the dishes. The pukusa wraps sound delicious, but she points at the menu and decides: ] I'll try the ohaw with the deer. [ She's never had deer before, but trying new food in a new place feels like a good choice. ]

Great. You'll love it, trust me. [He waves over Mrs. Itunakkay, since they're inbetween the lunch and dinner rushes and they're nearly the only people here. An old couple in the corner are talking quietly, working their way through the third pot of tea; Tadashi sees them quite regularly when he comes here. Other than that, the place is empty for the moment, and Tadashi smoothly orders for them in almost accentless Ainu, having gotten the pronunciation of the basics of the language down from his dad long ago.

If he stretches his memory, he remembers he was, at one point, fluent. He remembers sitting on his grandmother's lap as a toddler, before Hiro was born, and playing with her strange bone and wood jewelry. But these days, he only has fragments of Ainu left to his vocabulary and while he can read it and sound natural, it's not anything worth bragging about. He orders the deer ohaw lunch special for Honey and his usual fox rur with kelp string-noodles. Mrs. Itunakkay writes it all down with hands proficient despite her age and brings them their tea first, then goes back to tell her husband to start cooking. The teacups are tall and oblong shaped, and have ridges on the sides in two places for a better grip. He pours hers first.]

See that couple in the corner? That's Mr. and Mrs. Ensaay. Their family runs the last Ainu clothing store in San Fransokyo. My Mom had a wedding coat made by the Ensaays. Aunt Cass thought it was crazy enough to have a kimono for the reception and a white dress for the wedding without getting something else made, but my grandfather had just passed, and nobody was sure how long my grandmother would still be with us. So after ranting at my parents about irresponsible spending habits, Aunt Cass paid for the coat herself.

[God bless Aunt Cass and her... well, her everything. She loved her sister, her nephews, and maybe even, just a little, her brother in-law and his crazy super-foreign family with all the weird customs they had. Someday Tadashi's going to design some kind of robotic invention to make her job easier, just to help show her how much he appreciates her, especially now that he's older and learning these kind of details about her.

He's not sure when he got comfortable enough with Honey to spill out family lore. But he is, and he doesn't even realize it. It's just a thing that is.]

Edited (I can grammar good.) 2015-06-02 05:28 (UTC)

[ After thanking Tadashi for pouring her tea, Honey's gaze falls on the couple as he explains the connection between their store and his family. They have had conversations that delved into their personal lives before - Tadashi often spoke about Hiro , for instance - but this is the first time that he shared his family's history. So, Honey listens with keen interest, glad that he is willing to talk about it as well as take the time to explain the community.

Hearing about Cass elicits a soft smile because of course she would do something like that. From other stories about his aunt as well as personal experiences with her, there is no surprise there. ]

It must have been very beautiful.

[ She shifts in her seat, one long leg crossing over the other, her body hunching forward - an absent[ gesture to convey her captured attention. ]

Tadashi, do you think..that after we eat, you could you show me around? I'd love to see more.

[He appreciates Honey's attention. Hiro is really over anything traditional, it seems, and sometimes Tadashi wonders if the only reason his brother keeps his Japanese skills sharp is so that he can read up on tech developments in Akihabara online. Not that Tadashi isn't proud of his brother, the way Hiro can look at specs with notations in another language and still pull meaning from it where fluent adults might be stumped by all the scientific jargon. But sometimes, Tadashi feels like he's holding back things like a dam, and there's a vast reservoir of things he just doesn't get to talk about.

Sipping at his tea, he nods.] Aunt Cass has pictures still. She gets pretty emotional looking at them, but I can't tell if it's sad emotional or just the kind of emotional she gets after watching a romance movie.

[His face lights up, because yes, yes he would, he'd like nothing more than to detail every little quirk of this place and everything in it, and he finds himself leaning forward too, huddled over the table with her, the light reflecting in her eyes. For a moment a warm feeling goes through him, settles in his chest, and his voice comes out softer than he intended.]

Sure. We'll make a day of it.

[He's surprised how much 'day' sounds like 'date'. But he's even more surprised at how okay he is with that.]

Maybe it's both. [ She says lightly, shrugging her shoulders just a bit.

Excitement wells up when Tadashi visibly takes a liking to the suggestion. She almost wants to cheer when he agrees, but, knowing when it is fine to be boisterous - in usual overly excited Honey Lemon fashion - and knowing when it is not, she instead grins. ]

Great! I really, really appreciate it. Oh! But I told the others I'd be right back.

[ And to not have them worry, she draws back to pull out her phone. Swiftly, her thumbs tap against the keypad until she composes a suitable group message: Hey!! I won't be back for awhile, so don't wait up! See you all later!! ｡◕‿◕｡ xoxoxo ]

There! [ She buries her phone back into her purse, and looks back over to Tadashi. ] I'm yours for the day! [ Science, at the moment, can wait. ]

Edited 2015-06-09 05:07 (UTC)

Could be. Usually if she's sad though, Mochi will come over and cuddle up to her. He has a sixth sense about that kind of thing.

[Tadashi normally would never use the phrase 'sixth sense' but animals, in particular pets, had an interesting ability to sense emotional distress. He'd tried figuring out what it was that allowed for them to sense it when there were no visible signs to make Baymax better, but ultimately went for body scanners and set Baymax to scan people nearly constantly. It was easier and Mochi did not appreciate being picked up and examined constantly when he was trying to nap somewhere.

Their food arrives, and Tadashi manages to pull from memory the basic thank you he was taught as a kid in Ainu as Mrs. Itunakkay smiles at him. He knows he'll never be fluent again and so does she, but she appreciates his efforts. They don't get chopsticks because that's really a Japanese thing, but the curved half-circle structure of the end of the fork is sort of like if Western and Ainu utensils had a baby, and the spoons have ridges for grip just like the cups do.]

Heh. Remember when Fred said 'bon appetite' was German for 'I'm hungry'? [Gogo had nearly choked on her gum trying to suppress a laugh as Wasabi had heaved a long-suffering sigh. Ah, the nerd herd had such good times together. But hanging out individually definitely had its' perks, too - he couldn't afford to take the whole group out for lunch, and he kind of didn't want to. Wasabi's reaction to 'weird' foods alone made the prospect less than enticing.

That said, he tries not to be too obvious as he stares and waits for Honey to try the ohaw.]

[ Honey curiously turns the eating utensil around in her fingers as she chuckles at Fred's attempt to learn other languages. Classic. ]

How could I forget! Oh, my gosh, and you missed it when he said 'mi casa' was French for 'front door'. [ She laughs a bit louder this time, her hand quickly moving to her mouth in an attempt to stifle the laughter. ] But at least he's trying, right?

[ With her giggles suppressed enough so that she won't end up accidentally sputtering as she attempts to eat, she first tries the broth. It is rather evident that Tadashi is eager to see her reaction, but she remains natural even with the set of hopeful eyes on her. She gets it. Whenever Honey shares an experiment of hers with another, she too cannot help but have her sight locked onto them as she awaits a response.

The soup, she decides after a couple of sips, is delicious. The taste is savory, and the aromatic smell only adds to the strong flavor. The deer meat is interesting. She chews it slowly, thoughtfully, and finally decides that it is a bit too gamy to her liking. It's not that it tastes bad, or that it is completely different from other meats she has tried - it sort of tastes similar to duck. It is just a tad too strong for her. Still, she smiles and nods approvingly. ]

How does Fred still get Spanish wrong? You're right there if he needs to double check it. Then again, we still don't know what he said in Korean that's got him banned from Gogo's parent's place. [He just remembered that Gogo had given him the silent treatment for a week afterwards and with Gogo, that was one hell of an intense silence, like having laser sights trained on you but being unable to negotiate with the sniper.

Tadashi smiles. It's nice to have someone who will give this sort of thing a chance, and he tucks in to his own soup. A keen eye might note that right-handed Tadashi eats with his left hand; he picked that habit up from his father, learning to read a book at breakfast as a little kid. It's never quite gone away, even now. He's a little surprised Honey isn't taking pictures of everything like she usually does. Hiro had shown him the picture she took of Yokai and looking back on it, it's hilarious that that was her first reaction.

But hey, he's not complaining if she's decided to calm down on the picture taking a bit. Being a superhero has changed everyone a little bit, in ways he's not sure they realize, and he's okay with that so long as they stay safe.] Hiro's totally-not-a-crush is from Estonia. Majors in Holographics. You should see him trying to be all subtle practicing Estonian and researching holograms in the garage. Aunt Cass swear it's some kind of Hamada family tradition to outsource our love lives.

[Tadashi's been dying to talk to someone else about the little things in his life, the normal things - Hiro's first crush, Aunt Cass's YouTube marathon of horror videos while Baymax stood worriedly nearby unable to understand the concept of her hobby, the way some tough biker guy kept coming into the cafe for the cotton candy scones and bolted out afterwards like a terrified bat out of Hell. All the things that make him less brother-of-a-super-hero or survivor of a fire and more just Tadashi Hamada, college guy.]

Gogo wont even talk about! [ Whatever it had been, it was obviously something awful. She tends to eventually come around, but it appears that this is an event she will not let go of for awhile. Although it is not a laughing matter, Honey is still trying to keep her laughter at bay. Fred’s misadventures in language can just be too amusing at times, especially reflecting on the moments after they had happened.

The phone will abruptly come out eventually. Being in such a beautiful part of town, Honey definitely intends on taking pictures of it as well as selfies with her and Tadashi. But, being in a new and quiet sort of place, she refrains. She loves compiling her memories into snapshots, but she also knows when it might be rude. ]

That’s so cute! [ She smiles widely at Hiro's dedication to learn in order to connect himself better to someone else. Of course, knowing him, a chunk of it is also him wanting to appear cool (by his standards). Honey would reassure him that's he's most certainly amazing enough already. ]

You'll have to tell me more about it. [ Honey isn't nosey, honestly. It's just that she had grown accustomed to Tadashi telling her about Hiro. Even if she and Hiro themselves are great friends now, it's still nice to hear Tadashi talk about him. ]

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10 years later

10000 years later. I am so, so, so very sorry.

SAME THOUGH. It's all good \o/