Another Time [Tomomi/Cecil]

Looking to where Cecil's eyes had drifted, Tomomi felt reassured in a strange sense. It did turn out that the staff came to them. That was... Good, since it meant he would not have to look around, or stand around too much. The less of that, the better.

Sitting down at the booth with Cecil, Tomomi looked about, seemingly in thought. "So... Um... What do you want to drink? I'll probably just go for a water, but, that's just because I actually find water nice..." In a weird, awkward way, that was the boy's attempt to start conversation. But, well... It was two awkward people there.

"Uh..." Cecil's eyes flicked about as he thought, before settling back on Tomomi as he settled on it. "Lemonade." He gives a little nod, smiling awkwardly. "Not sure why I had to think about that...that's pretty much always what I go for."

The silence hung a moment, and Cecil glanced away. It was...awkward, to say the least.
...
He had to bring it up eventually.
"I, ah...agh..." It was hard getting this out. "...be honest, I kinda had something I wanted to ask about..." He chuckles awkwardly and humourlessly, not quite meeting Tomomi's eye. "Thought it...might be easier to handle with something to eat or something. Might be more comfortable."
...
This was hard.
"...I..."
He couldn't come out with it.
"...remember when we were talking the other day...? My problems are your problems and all that?"
Please don't make me say it.
"...same goes the other way round, too."

"Lemonade and water, right... Um, I'll keep that in mind when the person arrives." He said with a nod, before the booth fell into silence. As Cecil mentioned making something easier to handle, and that he had something he wanted to ask about, Tomomi felt himself tense up slightly. Just at his shoulders. And when Tomomi's own words were sent back to him, he gulped.

Yeah. That was fair.

Still, he had to figure out how to word it. This was in regards to their phone conversation if he had to guess.

Just do it.

Letting out a light exhale, he rested his hands on the table, as if bracing himself. "I... Well, um... There was that... Big event, right? The... Eternal Divide? Well... My parents decided to take me to America for one of their business trips not long before that happened, since, I'm from Japan and they were both translators. The event happened while we were here... It's been..."

He felt himself choking up, but, falling into almost a whisper, continued, eyes seeming to grow watery. "I haven't seen them since. It's why I live alone in Little Tokyo. I came to Endymion to, well, survive... Took up a job in litter picking so that I could make ends meet, and just survive. Life here's not the greatest, but, well..."

Another light sigh.

"It's tiring... I don't know if my parents are alive or dead, or worse... I want to know, but, the world is so dangerous now that there's nothing I can do. And, well... Where would I even look? If they're alive, would they even recognise me after years of possibly believing I'm dead? I... I don't know. And the fact I don't know is, I guess, what hurts most... In a way, it might hurt less if I knew for certainty they'd died... So that there wasn't that slither of hope, that burning light that just... It just hurts..."

Scrunching up and seeming to withdraw into himself, Tomomi hugged his arms tight to his chest. This was hard to say. "But, um... You're right... Works the other way, so... There you, you know... Have it..."

Cecil listened in silence as Tomomi spoke, still failing to meet his gaze.
He...honestly hadn't expected this. For Tomomi to just...go into this. Spill it all in one shot. He'd thought this'd be something taken slower - worked through, taken steady, a bit at a time if it happened at all. As much as he'd made the offer, there was no need for Tomomi to say anything at all.
He just...hadn't thought it would be like this.
Guess it's a bit late for that now.

Cecil took a long breath out, looking back to Tomomi to see wet eyes, and seeming to flinch slightly.
Shit.
What could you have expected from-
Something snapped in Cecil's mind. Fuck, the ever loving hell off, Ankou. Now is not the time.
You want me to be better so bad?
You want to wipe all this shit away? Get rid of everything that had ever been wrong?
Well too fucking bad. There's no turning back the fucking clock. Every single mistake and misstep is going to be there forever.
So, a little message to myself - don't even bother. Stop bothering me about everything that's wrong...
And either help me fix things now, or go back to whatever dark recess of my fucking mind spawned you in the first place. Right in front of me, right now, is something you could help me amend, but chose to lecture me about instead...and I'm having none of it.
You've made things worse. You keep making things worse. It stops now.
Time to do what you're supposed to, you aggravating spectre.
Help me with Tomomi, or never speak again.

As he ran through the internal monologue, Cecil was silent, jaw set and teeth grit. Something was running through his mind, and if Tomomi was still in any state to pay attention, he'd notice little signs of the sheer fury running through Cecil at that moment.
...I believe I understand what you mean.
And then, the way it vanished as someone finally got the message.
He knew this wouldn't be the end of things...but it was a start.
Cecil looked back to Tomomi, any turmoil brutally quashed as he worked in tandem with himself to prevent its rising. He smiled openly, perhaps not happily, but warmly all the same, giving the boy before him an understanding gaze. "You did well making it here, you know? Gotta have been rough trying to get here during the Divide - or after it, for that matter...it was rough on everyone." He gave a wistful sigh, thinking on his own tribulations with his family.
Persona or not, he was pretty sure his Sis woulda beaten the shit out of demons with her bare hands if she had to. That'd have been just like her.
Poor bastards never would've stood a chance.
"I'm sure they're out there. Thinking about you too, wherever they are. Bet you're making them proud." He gave a little chuckle at that. "Don't worry about finding them. I'm sure they'll find you. World's a rough place to be right now, what with the demons and monsters and all the rest else...but there was plenty dangerous stuff happening in it before, and they made it through all of that going all around the globe. If you made it, then I'm pretty sure they found a way too with all the tricks they'd have picked up...and that they'll find a way to get here too."
He grins. "And then you'll be able to show off the life and friends you made here when they make it, hey?"

As he breathed and tried to gather himself, Cecil's expression at first caused him confusion. Surprise, or a lack of interest he'd have expected, but he seemed... Angry. Was this because of that problem he mentioned? Oh goodness, was him talking about his problems bringing Cecil's own to the fore? He really hoped not.

As Cecil's expression shifted and he offered Tomomi a warm smile, the guilt Tomomi had been growing felt subdued, and through tears he listened to his next words. Praise... He couldn't remember the last time anyone had praised him for anything. He listened intently to all of it. And at the very end, he listened to it all again inside his head.

Raising his hand in front of him towards Cecil, he gave his friend a shaky thumbs up, smiling as the tears streaked down his cheeks. "And... And you'll be the first to meet them. If... If you're okay with that."

Before he could continue further, a cough dragged him from his chain of thoughts. One of the staff. "I... Hope I am not interrupting, but, can I... Take your orders?"

Cecil simply nodded, even as the tears streamed forth. "Of course. I'm not missing the chance to brag about getting to know you."
As the staff member made their presence known, he jumped a little before looking over to them.
...yeah, he'd better handle this one.
He clears his throat, chuckling awkwardly. "Right now, just, ah...just water and a lemonade. Can we get the menus? We've yet to receive any."

Deciding it best not to comment, the staff member walked off, first returning within a few seconds with a menu, before going off to get the drinks while the duo chose what to eat. Interrupting an emotional moment was way above his pay grade.

Feeling rather embarrassed at the moment, the boy wiped the tears from his face using his right sleeve, laughing slightly. "Hah... I've got to say, I... Didn't expect I'd find myself crying in the middle of a food place... Yikes..."

Still, as he finished wiping his eyes dry, he looked to the menu and began to read. "So, um... Thanks for, you know, letting me talk. And... Well, what will you have then?" He asked, trying to change subject as fast as he could, even if it led to a clumsy transition.

Cecil returned to his prior smile, shaking his head. "Come on, it happens. I've done it too...and over way less." That was admittedly a while ago...though not nearly long enough ago that he could really rely on that to save him if he ended up telling the story.

"Not a problem. I mean...I did ask you too." As he gave another awkward chuckle and scratched at the back of his head, he looked over the menu, and..."There we go...beef in black bean sauce." Cecil grins and looks up at Tomomi. "Personal family policy - if they screw up the beef in black bean, find another place to order unless they do some serious work on the other dishes."

"Fair point, fair point..."

Still, after looking over the menu, doing double takes every now and again due to seeing words he had difficulty reading, Tomomi shrugged and set the menu down, laughing a bit at Cecil's family policy. "Hey, if that's policy, then I don't want to be a rule breaker. So, um... I think I'll have the same?"

As if by magic, the server returned, placing the lemonade and water on the table. "So, gentlemen, are you ready to order?"

Deciding to take this one since Cecil got the drinks ordered, Tomomi nodded. "Um, two of the... Beef in black bean sauce, please?"

Picking up the menu's, the server went to leave and send in the orders, provided Cecil did not stop him for anything.

Cecil's grin only widens. "Looks like we have a do-or-die test for the menu on our hands."
Cecil sits back, sipping his lemonade with a smile as orders are taken. Things looked bad for a moment there, but...looked like Tomomi was feeling better. That was good.
...if only he could be so bold with his stuff, huh? There was still things he wasn't quite ready to say yet. Not just about Ankou, which was...liable to get him arrested if that came up, but other things too.
Guess he should just enjoy himself for now. And perhaps, try hashing things out with the reaper again during their usual argument time, since they seem to have gotten the memo.
...thanks for that, Tomomi.
You've helped me more than you know.

Cecil was practically giggling as he set his drink down. He felt good. "This is good, you know? Doesn't feel like that long ago I'd never have imagined having friends like this. But, here we are now, sharing our troubles, sharing family traditions, and preparing to interrogate a restaurant's offerings." Cecil runs his fingers through his blond locks, hand running along the side of his head and down the back. "It's more than I ever could have dreamed of before."

Nodding in response, Tomomi listened to Cecil, eyes slightly red from his earlier crying but otherwise dry from the tears. As his friend went through the things that were good, Tomomi picked up his water and took a few quiet, almost silent sips, before setting it down and smiling. "Same for me. And to think, it all started in an alleyway because of some drunken... Um... Unpleasant people. That is a word, right? Something like that." Shrugging, he gestured the water to Cecil, before raising it up.

"Um, my mother told me about this as a western tradition, so... A slice of bread! To friendship!" He declared, holding his drink out to Cecil and completely unaware of his cultural error.

As much as he tried to stifle it, he couldn't help but snicker as he raised his glass. "Y-yes...snrk. A slice of bread to friendship." He takes a drink, and sets his glass down. "Mooost people say a 'toast', though. Might wanna go with that next time."
He was sure the rest of his family would have had a field day with that. It was a hell of a thing to come out with, and perfect material for a windup. As far as he was concerned though...best to point it out and leave it there. "Amazing how things can work, isn't it? Maybe we should find those assholes and thank them. Give them a pat on the back, maybe dump a bin on them for irony's sake - you know, have a little fun with it."

"O-oh..."

Having learned of his error, the boy grew bright red, hiding his face in the palms of his hands after setting his water back down. "Woops." Was all the boy muttered further on the point, before taking his hands away from his face to listen to Cecil's next point.

"If I were a braver person, I could... Maybe agree with that. At the very least though, I would have to thank them profusely for being disrespectful wieners." He replied, giving a thumbs up before taking another sip. "Wonder what the food here's going to be like... I'll admit, I'm hungry already from the wait aha..."

"What's to fear? You're just reintroducing them to their extended family." Cecil laughs, shaking his head. "Nothing to worry about anyway. Tell the truth, the less we see of them, the better."
Cecil groans. "You're not the only one who's hungry right now...wasn't that bad before, but now I'm starving. I'm seriously hoping this is good..."

Laughing along with him, Tomomi nodded along. "For sure, for sure." Then came the waiting game.

And waiting.

And waiting.

After all the waiting, the server returned, holding two lipped plates of beef in black bean sauce. The spatters of red and green from the bell peppers contrasting with the tender brown of the steak slices that were presented in long streaks, curling at the tips on occasion, steam rising from the plate. At the side, just barely touching the sauce and meat, rice was formed into a neat and orderly pile. The smell that rose alongside the steam carried all the flavours into a savory scent that even the strongest of wills would salivate at. As the plates were set down, followed by the cutlery, the server spoke. "Sorry for the wait. I hope that's to your liking. When you're ready to pay the bill, or if you'd like a second drink, please come to the front of the restaurant. Thank you for your time."

Looking between Cecil and the food, all Tomomi could mutter after gulping down his hunger was a simple. "Wow..."