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[groundzeroes]

🗲 ❝Yo. It's me.❞

text ♚ audio ♚ video ♚ delivery

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1/23 - delivery!

[glossophobia]

[ Wherever the hell Rei is living, he'll be expecting some mail! There's a little package and an envelope with a letter addressed from Rosho. Who knew he could be so old-fashioned.

Inside the package will be a little cellophane wrapped bundle containing some white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, a scarf and some little cologne sample bottles.

In the card (picked by Sasara. Obviously.), it will read: ]

I hope you don't mind me giving you something for your birthday. If you don't want any of it then you can hand them out to whoever you want, but at least give me back the cookies.

Sasara and I would also like to take you out to drink tonight. Please let us know your plans.

Happy birthday, Rei.
From, Tsutsujimori Rosho

[groundzeroes]

Well, I'll be. [Rei reads the letter with a bemused smile. He barely recalls telling his two teammates his birthday in the first place--it was late at night and Sasara was threatening to make one up for him-- and with all this craziness happening, it's a shock they remembered at all. How sweet.

After he's opened the gifts (and tried the cologne with a laugh; it's funny to know what Rosho notices about him), Rei sits down to text the two of them in a group message.]

Sensei has nice handwriting 😎 I bet Sasara-kun's is illegible.
You got ideas for tonight? I'm free anytime 🥂

drop kicks in

[zazen]

Are you Amayado-san?

Ojisan Time

[groundzeroes]

[ Rei squints down at his phone with a frown. An unknown number that knows his name? Now THAT'S not a good look.

Thinking back to the people who have his number, the count is pretty small. Just Sasara, Rosho, Ramuda, and... that salaryman guy, he supposes? Only the last three are likely candidates for giving out his cell-- Sasara took his info security warning seriously enough. (So did Rosho, but he can be swayed, gullible heart and all.) So it must be someone that knows one of those three...

Well, it doesn't matter. This text could be literally anything, and he might as well answer it. No worries. Fuck it. Yolo, et cetera.]

Looking for someone?

text

[glossophobia]

How much can I trust you on confidentiality? I'm serious.

[groundzeroes]

That depends... how much are you willing to pay for it?

[Wa ha ha.]

Only kidding. For you, consider it a service.
I'm at my inn room alone, so come on up.

[whosaysdajare]

[ After holding out on not using these suspicious phones, that's what breaks him: they have emojis too❗️❗️✨🤩😇😍✨
Ah... besides that, Sasara can't get a hold of Rei any other way just this moment. ]

😎😎😎
I need your "expertise" on a certain matter ✨🙏✨

[ "Expertise." Ahem! ]

[groundzeroes]

[this..................

don't tell him it's....]

Ah? Is that so.

Well, I'm home. Come play 👍

[Rei will just wait to see if Sasara bothers to knock like Rosho did.....]

emailed to booking @ phoenixroost.com around the 1st of the month

[prismatically]

Hello!

This isn't exactly booking so I'm sorry if this went to the wrong email, but this one seemed like the closest to what I wanted to ask about!

I'm one of the outworlders who arrived here a few months ago and I've been working on a sort of group/club/network for all the performers & musically inclined people who've been arriving, since there seems to be a lot of us! Nothing's really formal yet, since things have been so busy but I was hoping to have a kind of tentative first meeting this month.

I'm emailing because I'd like to have permission for us to all meet at Phoenix Roost! I'm not sure how many people will be turning up for this first meeting since we don't have a list of members yet, so I wanted to check that it was alright to have a meeting like that at the cafe before I told everyone to come along haha.

Thanks very much for your time, either way–

Stella Roselaid

[ in case you're wondering, it did indeed murder her heart and soul to type like a reasonable human being and not an emoji machine for once. ]

[groundzeroes]

[Oh... Stella Roselaid, huh? She'd been on stage at the Valentine's concert, right? Rei is PRETTY sure the super pink girl on stage introduced herself as such then, anyway. If that's her, she was pretty good!]

Sure. Come by anytime.

Sent from my iPhone

text

[glossophobia]

[ Sent at some point after he sees that birthday network post. ]

Who is Aimono Jyushi?

[groundzeroes]

Nagoya Division's second member. Amaguni Hitoya's little ward, if you've met him.

[how did they end up at phoenix roost specifically? well :) ]

after jyushi's birthday!

[plenilunium]

[Attached to this is a single marigold which is not very vkei but it means "returning happiness" in older flower language (so it's Romantic!)

There's a handwritten note:]

Dearest Amayado-san,

How does one thank what you did for me? Allowing us to use your space for the most spectacular of birthday parties is a gift that I cannot repay! I hope that my gratitude shines through to you in all of its sincerity.

Merci,
Aimono Jyushi

plops this here instead

[roppou]

[This comes in around vague hand gestures to sometimes before judgement week.]

I'm planning to drop by sometime today if you're around. Call it another business proposition.

Yes Perfect

[groundzeroes]

[Oho, it's Sensei #3! Color him interested. (And now that Sasara is... unsure about him, Rei has some extended free time to fill.)]

Come on by. Office door's unlocked.

[Hitoya has been in the Phoenix Roost office before; it's much the same now. (The marigold Jyushi sent earlier is in a little vase, though.)
Rei is sitting at the table, leaning back in his chair and lighting a cigarette as Hitoya enters.]

Yo.

text; un: 14th Moon BAT JUST COMING FOR YA

[plenilunium]

[Jyushi needs work and he'll take as many jobs as he can. He's not too proud to do anything because if it's for HIS ART then seriously, he'll do whatever he needs to.]

Greetings on this fine evening Amayado-san,

It is I, Aimono Jyushi, willing to extend my services to your fine establishment, to work at concocting the most impressive of potions, the nutrients that are needed! A much-needed duty that I would love to be part of!

If you would allow me the chance to discuss the possibilities of employment, I am sure that you would not regret it.

Adieu,

Aimono Jyushi

[Translation: Let him work in the cafe at the Phoenix Roost, please.

And did he just sign a text? Yes. Yes he did.]

un:mcmm US REGIONAL TEAMS GOTTA STICK TOGETHER

[groundzeroes]

[This kid is so fuckin goofy. Rei can respect his earnestness, though.

Rei doesn't have anything against hiring him on the spot, but.... toying with him will be more fun. So:]

All right. Come in during one of these times, and we can conduct an interview.

See you then.

[Rei attaches a calendar with some open afternoon slots-- take your pick, jyushi!!!]

text; so about those drinks on the rooftop.

[morns]

you lactose intolerant or anything?

( because she is currently standing in line for pizza with a shopping bag of wine in her other hand, wondering if he's one of those people who insists on eating nothing but rice, egg yolks and chicken. )

[groundzeroes]

[This week has been Rough As Shit. Getting a text out of the blue from Kate is a welcome diversion.

He considers confessing to his aversion to shiitake mushrooms, but figures the chance of encountering them is low enough that he doesn't need to bother.]

Nothing.

You coming by?

rei it's time for memes

[plenilunium]

🥰🥰🥰

[groundzeroes]

[.... ok Rei thought he had Jyushi's character down, but clearly he's braver than originally calculated. Or maybe naïve.

HOW IS HE SUPPOSED TO RESPOND TO THIS??? IT'S SO SINCERE!!!!!!!! LITERALLY NO ONE ON EARTH IS EXCITED TO HAVE REI AS A BOSS]

Now you just gotta get used to Princess.

delivery - during ojisan vacation

[glossophobia]

[ Wherever Rei might be hiding away, he will have a sudden pipe fox visitor as Rosho's familiar appears with what seems to be a rolled up paper tucked into a ribbon tied around its neck. The little creature will chitter and paw at him until he decides to grab the paper which happens to be a letter, and it will read the following: ]

I had an accident with my phone and its broken. (This is why I'm writing you a letter.) I was hoping you could do me a favor and try to fix it since you're so good with technology. If you can take care of it please write back to me so I can know and I can send the parts to you.

You haven't come to visit and I'm not sure why. When I try to talk to Sasara about it he won't give me an answer. I don't know if he knows something and just won't tell me or if he's as clueless as I am. It's hard to tell with him.

I won't bother you, I just hope you're okay.

From, Rosho

[groundzeroes]

[Ah... so he broke his phone, huh. Rei smiles faintly, absentmindedly scritching the pipe fox with one hand as he reads. Knowing Rosho, what are the chances it's snapped totally in half?

Still... ]

I won't always be around to bail you out, you know.

[He may not be around for much longer at all, if Sasara really can't take it.

Even so, Rei will find a little box to hitch around the fox's neck-- he's got plenty, lying around his only-half-lived-in apartment-- to collect the parts, and a handwritten note in reply.]

You'll owe me.

this is fur real 🐈

[whosaysdajare]

[ Look what the cat dragged in! ... Hold on– look at the cat that snuck in. Sasara's familiar shares more than one habit of his. Rei's office chair is OCCUPIED, though that restful creature peers with one eye open as soon as he comes in, far more observant—too—than its ever-idle shape lets on.

Unlike Rosho and his fox, it and Sasara hadn't communicated about posting the old man some visit during his absence. Cats can just sense things, that sort of deal. How about Rei...? ]

(shakespeare voice) my nyas?

[groundzeroes]

[Rei pauses as he enters the room, watching the creature with a neutral expression on his face. Sasara never interacted with his familiar much.. not the way Rosho or Rei did with theirs. So it's a little hard to gauge its personality or its intentions.

...Sigh.]

Keeping an eye on me, are you. [Does he get his chair back or is he gonna have to pull up another one from the table?]

text | un: sakyo.furuichi

[revile]

Is this the owner of the performance venue called Phoenix Roost?

[groundzeroes]

[Wow, this guy uses his (or a) name as his username. Professional.]

Got it in one.
What's up?

text

[glossophobia]

When you're not busy I want to talk to you about something.

text > action

[groundzeroes]

[Ahhh, rosho's Counseling Appointments. How Rei missed these. (Genuinely.)]

K

[And that's it! Until Rei arrives at the Sasaro apartment early, after Rosho has come home and Sasara has gone to the Roost.]

I'm home~

[Of all the ways you had to announce your presence, Rei.... you chose this one....]

voicemail

[glossophobia]

[ "Yo. It's me."

There's a beep to signal the beginning of the recording. ]

What kinda stupid message is that to leave on your voicemail for a greeting? Why haven't ya changed it by now? Rei!! Why aren't ya answerin' your phone? You're not even that busy! Stupid! Do ya have any idea why I'm even callin' ya? I bet ya do, thats why ya won't answer. I'm not an idiot! Rei! I swear if ya know anything about whats goin' on with Jyushi I'm gonna kick your ass, I promise! As soon as ya get back to the house we're havin' a talk! Don't ya dare make excuses, ya hear me?!

[ BEEP. End of message. :) ]

[groundzeroes]

[End of Message.
Delete?

▶Yes
No

Message Deleted.]

delivery: himself (hot pockets dinner after this?)

[whosaysdajare]

[ On account of yelling at him, it's convenient that Rei is still crashing on their couch. This is a talk to be had far away from Rosho, though. Ahem! So there's also the Roost. ]

Rei! [ His office door rattles, ruining Sasara's dynamic entrance by not opening without pushing the handle first, but his high pitch persists and eventually breaks through the open door. ] It's about Ichiro!

[ Why the urgency?? There's no real reason, so he better not be having a heart attack. It's been some time since that treck in the woods, but it's just about now that the matter of the fact overwhelms Sasara. He knows that Rei knows. ]

Old man, ya oughta say something about it now, don't ya think!?

return to sender (yeah 🥺)

[groundzeroes]

[Good lord. Rei pulls a face at the scene Sasara makes at his door, swiveling around in his chair to frown in its direction. He was already a bit cross to begin with-- an estranged son showing up in Ye Olde Magic Deathtrap will Do That to a man-- and having Sasara come harp on him about the guy doesn't help with the blank look.]

So you saw him around too. [Sasara is right: Rei DOES know his son is here. And he sort of knows what Sasara is talking about, but...]

Be more specific, will you. Say what to whom?

[yeah, he's making you spell it out.]

guess who found out what the tiger eye gem was for

[plenilunium]

I DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE GEM WAS FOR AND I JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT WAS NOT WHY I WANTED IT.

[groundzeroes]

[Rei laughs at this text for about half an hour.]

You're a real funny kid.

Gifts gifts gifts

[currysseur]

( she really should buy something for Rei-san too, but the question of what is another thing entirely.

well, you can never go wrong with a bottle of scotch, right? )

sigh garbage lady doing garbage things

[morns]

( there are people, like Izumi, who will diligently hunt down presents for days like this. and then there are people like Kate.

Kate's idea of a present is a text message sent before the sun even rises, no words, simply a photo of a tangle of sheets with peeks of bare skin visible among the twists.

good morning old man. )

merikuri delivery

[glossophobia]

[ Enjoy your fashionable gifts oichan: a coat and some gloves to help keep you warm during the winter season.

He also gets coal. :) ]

What language does Santa Claus speak? North Polish!! ✨🎅🎁✨

[whosaysdajare]

[ Ho ho ho!! Of course they'll be partying it up at the Sasaro-house, the Honpo's honpo! Lacking a real fireplace, they've still got a looping video of it up on the TV and Sasara has definitely nudged Rei to do something technoman-cical with it while Rosho wasn't looking... He also brought Santa hats that all of them oughta be wearing-- look, he's already got his on!!

When it comes to unwrapping gifts, here's a "From: Sasara". Ahem, he'd looked at something gaudy that Rei no doubt would have liked, but even Sasara's senses and sensibilities recoiled from it. This watch has got some flair to it, still. Sasara already showed off the one he bought for himself as soon as Rosho unwrapped his, they all sorta match now!; the Roost definitely pays him well enough. And that bottle of wine is fine to be shared, yeah!? ]

text | stops playing ffxiv for 5 minutes so our dads can touch

[revile]

Amayado-san, I apologize for any trouble the troupe has given you in my absence. If anyone has been a particular nuisance please let me know and I will issue discipline immediately.

Also if unnecessary and stupid expenses have been made please let me know so I can take it out of their future paychecks.

*makes them hold hands*

[groundzeroes]

[Aaw, his second-favorite theatre kid has returned. it's fuckin crime time!!!]

Glad to have you back, Sakyo-kun. Haven't heard much, aside from one of the newer fellas asking to use real weapons? Think Izumi-chan shut that down quick, though.

[Fuck real weapons. All my homies hate real weapons.]

Taking back your financier role, huh? You have a much blunter touch than Tsumugi-kun. ww

At the Phoenix Roost | Backdated to December

[mayoninofukucho]

[After this confusing confrontation via text message Hijikata loses no time making his way to the Phoenix Roost. He hasn't visited the establishment before, but it can't hurt to know the way, after all he promised Crow to come watch him sing here when he has his next gig. Once inside the club he scans the area for Rei, and as soon as he spots him he makes a beeline for him.]

I need to talk to you.

[He looks pretty pissed... but honestly, has Rei ever seen him in a different mood?]

[groundzeroes]

[Rei looks up from the sound equipment he's tinkering with, raising an eyebrow. Wow, Hijikata looks mad as hell! Meanwhile, Rei looks about as unruffled as he always does. There seems to be a pattern forming.....]

Well, if it isn't my fine paladin friend! [Rei can take a BIG OLE guess as to what this is about, but they're in semi-public, so it goes unsaid.] Sure. Just a moment.

[He stands, brushes himself off, and directs Hijikata to the office area in the back, closing the door behind them. The eponymous phoenix-- Princess-- looks up from where she was preening herself on her perch inside the room, and gazes at the two of them with uninterested eyes. Ah, her ward is doing one of his shady things again, isn't he. Well, whatever.]

Let's hear it. [go off king]

text; un: tenjikubotan

[irritated]

[What Rei does to troll Taichi isn't dangerous or anything but hey, that's still his boyfriend he loves. It freaks Taichi out so it's enough for Hikaru to do his own digging. Figuring out who 'no.9' is isn't so hard and what Hikaru can tell from whoever this guy is, he's probably not a good guy.

So it's probably enough just to call him out. That's what Hikaru assumes anyway. Besides, he's so public around here. Being King Arthur's PR manager, being a social influencer, winning the contest and having the fairy queen wear his dress? Yeah, Rei can't do too much to someone so public. Hikaru's not concerned.

Hah.]

hey no.9? stop freaking my boyfriend out.

[groundzeroes]

[HELLO???? THERE IS A TEEN IN HIS INBOX??????? Rei does frown at the message at first; for all of the nonsense he's gotten into, technomancy is a rare enough secondary magic that he hasn't had too much trouble dodging other users. Recalibrating after getting caught by one is in order.

Still, Hikaru is nice enough to come un-anon, and his request is clear enough (once Rei backtracks through his own post history and figures out who the "boyfriend" is). Learning about another user's capacity as a technomage is probably worth the cost of leaving Taichi alone.]

So he has a knight in shining armor, huh.

[Hey.... but wait. The whole reason Rei got involved with Taichi in the first place was the kid's technomancy. TWO OF THEM. TWO OF THEM]

If you're good enough to get here, how come his skill is unpolished? You're not teaching your boy??