[D4, EN, Closed] A Con-goers Lament

[Yasuki Honoka]

Long after the fancon, the after-party, and the whole of the days events Honoka eventually found herself back at home. Stood in the dining room of her penthouse high above the main Yasuki Data Inc. building located in the harbour front of Nakahama. Honoka's dining room was large and could accommodate a whole party but never did, the seats were practically unused. Yet the table was a different story, as it faced a unique tale of receiving and holding something very precious, dear, and altogether shameful...

Honoka had the taste of a bit of alcohol in her mouth, and the spurred momentum of an anxious brain in full force. So, she did the only thing that made sense: she called her newly returned dear childhood friend.

"Umiko-chaaan- I'm in trouble," she says, sounding honestly terrified in that way only a surely drunk person can.

[Yasuki Umiko]

It was late. Umiko had likely long gone to bed by then, especially considering there was a busy morning at the fish market for the next event. When Honoka called her, there was a rather elongated wait. It almost didn't seem that Umiko would pick up.

It could have meant that she had some policy where she might have surrendered the phone to a lock box or placed it somewhere else.

Or maybe she didn't want to pick up.

Or maybe...she was also in trouble.

Those few seconds could have been a rollercoaster of anxiety on their own.

...

...

However, she did eventually pick up, sounded muffled initially. Maybe from a face full of pillow.

"Mrrmm, wha...Honoka-san?" she threw out her name initially. "Trouble? What trouble?"

[Yasuki Honoka]

Waiting for Umiko to pick up she'd been stress kneading her newly acquired Wateru the Water Salamander plush. Looking little Wateru in the eyes she could surely see all the reassurance a small plushie like him could offer, which was a lot. But still, the waiting... Had it been an hour? No, communicators don't just ring for hours they have a set time Honoka don't be silly. Then it must have only been a few minutes.

But anything could happen in a few minutes. What if Umiko was on the other side rolling her eyes. Maybe she was out at some elite gathering of cool people and they were all laughing about how silly Honoka was. How could she be so foolish not to see how she was secretly the worst and hated and the worst!

Then, Umiko answered. Honoka spoke with a slowing and accelerating cadence, words never quite slurring but having that quality to them, "Oh it's horrible. I don't know why I did it, it's so much, there's just so much Umiko-chan."

[Yasuki Umiko]

"What? Sorry, hold on..."

There was some sound of shuffling and tossing, seemingly sheets and fabrics being moved around in bed, as she might have been moving to sit up in bed. The audible click that followed, something of a switch and likely the light being turn on.

"Sorry, Honaka-chan. I'm here and I hear you. Oh my, what happened?! Where are you right now?!" She asked with obvious concern as she tried to get some idea of what was happening. "Are you hurt?"

[Yasuki Honoka]

Stood in front of a dining room table absolutely covered in con merch; books, art, and most importantly piles of plushies. Looking out over this vast mountain Honoka heard Umiko ask if she was alright, "No.. well, maybe. I'm okay. I'm not hurt. I'm home. I- I bought so much Umiko-chan. I had it brought home but then went out and now I'm back and it's so much Umiko-chan. I'm no better than a child. I spent so much money on such useless adorable things," she says, her voice dripping with that worry that she had done something unforgivable.

Holding Wateru in her other hand she had the plushie facing her, staring into its black spots of eyes deeply. Finding in them a place to pour her worried gaze.

[Yasuki Umiko]

"Heh?!" Umiko would breathe out a sound of exasperation at first when it was revealed that Honoka was lamenting on her purchases, at least she was in the immediate future.

There was a long pause that followed, either Umiko might be giving Honoka to finish her story, like she was suddenly in crippling debt, or she managed to purchase something that proved to be a surprise Nemuranai. What seemed like an elongated pause, one that she was breathing a little more in concern, would soon break out with a big sigh of relief.

"Ooooh my...Honako-chan!" Umiko exclaimed with some relief, although a tinge of worry still remained and returned in her voice. It was still late for such a shopping confession. She had to make sure.... "Is that what sort of trouble you're in? Really?"

[Yasuki Honoka]

"Well... There was this bit of trouble earlier at a meeting I went to, someone was very rude to me and I am not entirely sure why but.." she shakes her head, looking to Crabbo. Seeing him she imagined him saying something like 'it all worked out fine, you're okay' and she shifted gears, ".. but it's fine, I handled that. Then I remembered there was a after party for the fancon thing for volunteers and I went to find it and I think I did. It was nice. I had a drink. I don't normally have drinks, but they were very nice and I liked it. Hiroto-san eventually realized I had too many and told me to stop. So, I did. Then.. then I got home and remembered when I saw it all. What if father finds out? One of his allies might come through and he'll expect me to host them. Then they'll see all this stuff and talk about it with father. Then father will know how foolish I've been with my purchases, and that's just.. that's not good Umiko-chan, he'll be disappointed in me again. He'll say 'Honoka, don't spend your money on frivolous things' and then I'll have to stop and I won't be able to buy things like this cute Wateru plushie. Though I didn't really buy him , they kinda just gave him to me, but I did pay to go there and that is probably also too much."

[Yasuki Umiko]

With that, Umiko let out a small sigh and sank back into bed again, at least that was the indication of the faint audible sound of soft fabrics and cushions seemed to indicate.

"Oooh, my. It's okay, Honoka-chan," she said gently, but with a more relaxed inflection this time around, especially knowing that her friend wasn't being chased by the yazuka or the mafia now. "I think it's fine that you've made those purchases. People buy things at Fan Con all the time. It's not like you bought enough to have them ship it back to your place, right? Right?"

"It's good that you've managed to have fun at Fan Con. It's probably been pretty stressful for you in the last few days, well for a lot of locals. It's been for me...Uhm, you've got to let yourself and have a little fun sometimes, that includes buying things, your father has to understand," she said confidently and then after a pause, "...did you want to bury everything you've purchased?"

Her indication of bury wasn't literally, more that she could offer to hide things for her.

[Yasuki Honoka]

"Would.. would that work?" Honoka was a lightweight, and that much was becoming increasingly evident. For so long she'd refused alcohol for exactly this reason. She was certain it would be the death of her credibility as a person. After all, how could you look at someone seriously again when you know they've sat on the floor holding plushies in your arms talking to a friend you barely know after so many years. Honoka might have started to cry. But even drunk Honoka was made of sterner stuff than that.

"How do you think we would find it again? Maybe they could be buried in... No, burying it in the sand would be bad. Maybe a deal with one of the farmers? Surely they wouldn't mind they're digging all the time. No no, they need that dirt for their crops who are you kidding Honoka."

"But getting it all somewhere? Umiko-chan I have to admit I needed to get someone to help me carry them out. You see, there was this game where you bought a plushie but you didn't know what one it was- and you were supposed to collect them all so I did. I have so many stuffed animals Umiko-chan. Too many.. well maybe not too many. They're so soft and nice Umiko-chan," she says, her alcohol addled speech slurring into almost a sob but she didn't cry.

[Yasuki Umiko]

"Well, we could..." Umiko said at first as she got to thinking about this plan, now that she had offered it. However, she went quiet as she listened to Honoka. Surely, she had a better idea about doing this. Right?

"Hah?! What?" She sounded some exasperated confusion when the idea started to run away from her and it was taken a bit too literally. "No, Honoka-chan, no, no! Nothing like that! We're not having people literally bury it. You can maybe bring everything and keep it over at the governor's estates. You can keep it here indefinitely and maybe, if you want, you can slowly withdraw it so that it looks like you're just getting a few. Then eventually, it looks like you just made a few purchases here and there, so it doesn't look like you bought a mountain of plushies..."

There was an awkward and elongated pause of silence that followed afterwards from Umiko before she would slowly break it with a clearing of her throat. "...Ahem. Yeah, something like that. Did that make sense? I'm sure they were very nice..."

[Yasuki Honoka]

While Umiko is speaking, Honoka is slowly and methodically lowering herself toward the ground to sit. Playing with Wateru between her fingers and making the plushie make little expressions by holding it in different ways.

"Oh... Oh, Umiko-chan that's brilliant!!" she says excitedly and there's a little brush of air over the communicator as she practically jumps back to her feet Now walking through her penthouse she crosses between rooms with Wateru in her hand and Crabbo still tied to her side. Yasuki Hiroto is nearby, having found a seat on the couch in the central most living space with the informator turned on.

"Yes, yes. That makes a lot of sense Umiko-chan, you're always so smart. I'm very glad I called you. I think this plan is definitely going to work," she says, smiling a bit like an idiot which doesn't necessarily come across distinctly but does alter the way she's speaking just enough that one could 'hear' her smile. "I also got other things too!! You should come by and see them sometime, I think you'd think they're all very cool."

[Yasuki Umiko]

Umiko took a moment to switch ears on the communicator. She did pick up a bit of background noise. Well, Honoka said she was at home, so there wasn't any reason to believe that she was entirely devoid of company. That at least provided further relief that she should be protected if this was more than a plushy crisis.

"Well, I sometimes have good ideas," she let out a small laugh with her communicator held in place with the help of her shoulder. "I'm not quite smart enough to open my business or anything, Honoka-chan. But you are right...I should come by, or at least, we should see each other more. Sorry, I've been busy in the last few days, and I've kind of wanted to drop by your restaurant for a while now. Especially with Fan Con and all the trouble that Ayame has gotten into...it would be good to do more things for me, right?"

[Yasuki Honoka]

"I would really really like that Umiko-chan," she says with a soft sigh, finding her way through a door. Shifting the communicator about between her hands as she did so, making her volume shift in and out a little. "You should definitely do more things for you Umiko-chan. You've always been so amazing, and you deserve it-" she pauses thinking over her words, "doing things for yourself, that is. Or having things done for you? You deserve good things Umiko-chan," she says, finding resolution in that.

"I'd love to have you by anytime.. and if I could help out at all with everything going on, I would be happy to. Yes," she nods to herself despite Umiko not being able to see. "Even if that's just listing' lesten' listing.. listening to you talk about the trouble your sister is getting into."

[Yasuki Umiko]

"I do...don't I?" Umiko murmured to herself. There was a pensive weight to her tone that she was considering this seriously. Speaking of doing things for herself, there was the sound of thick covers pulled up again as she made herself comfortable in bed. It was very likely that nobody needed such heavy covers on Shiawase Island of all places, unless they were living somewhere that was blasting climate control systems all day.

"...I really should have sought you out sooner..." Umiko said with a sad sigh, considering that she had been spending the last few days.

Feeling some embarrassment, she threw the sheets over her face and kept talking, despite being obviously muffled. "I've been wandering in parks, running into guests, interrogated by Yakura-san...uhm, kindly interrogated, I mean. Finding out from other people. Just everything except talking to you about anything. It's been scary, stressful, and tiring..."

If Honoka's biggest trouble was regretting her purchases, she knew that she would already be in good company.

[Yasuki Honoka]

Half undressed from her days outfit and half dressed into her relax-wear, Honoka would audibly slip and fall onto the side of her hip from, by the sound of it, one or maybe two inches off the ground at most. Gasping, "Oh Umiko-chan that's terrible!!" she says in a way she might have as a child and now was relegated exclusively to the rare time she was drunk. Ruffling sounds coming over the comm as Honoka was shifting about on the floor into a more comfortable position on her closet room floor.

"I've been doing so much of the same! All I do every day is talk to people all day long, talk and talk and talk, and now- I mean I don't mind doing it for you and your sister but I have been doing my best to get a sense of what everyone is bringing to the table so I might help make the best suggestions I can! I've never spoken to so many non-Crab in my life..." she says, sighing deeply. Shifting on the ground she gets herself into another position so she can start finishing her undressing and redressing, "They're all very strange, but I like most of them."

[Yasuki Umiko]

"Hm, ooh! Honoka-chan!" she asked as she found herself sitting up again when there was that sound of at least someone or something falling. "A-are you all right? Did something happen? Are you okay there?"

"It sounds really stressful on your end, too, I can imagine, with everyone trying to get your favour or your sponsorship. I hope they've been treating you well," she let out a small sigh on the matter. "I can imagine they've only been friendly. Maybe I can help by talking about it? I haven't been to get a good idea of most of them with my work around the city. How do you feel about some of them? Any one of them in particular you feel drawn to?"

[Yasuki Honoka]

Honoka was delayed in answering because of her focus on the topic, but she did answer Umiko's worry with a laugh, "Oh yes. I just slipped a little. Can't fall far if you're already near the ground," she says happily.

"But... Well, about the others clans I must admit I've been largely disappointed with them except for the individual from the Phoenix I spoke with, Agasha Sorato. The others were, well," she sighs happily as she finishes pulling herself into a comfy robe. After all, Umiko wasn't the only one who kept the climate control running to a nice comfortable chill. "Nice? They were nice. I can't say I was entirely impressed with what they represented from their clans."

"O-oh this one! A Shinjo, she is very nice but is just kind of a pilot? I'm.. a little confused on what that says about the Unicorn but it seems like they're not really invested because she expected to be attached to someone else more.." she wobbles her head to either side, "appropriate? So she was mystified and I admit I got a little annoyed about it. Not at her- and fortunes I don't think she noticed but I did get a little annoyed about it!!"

[Yasuki Umiko]

Umiko was lying comfortably in bed with the warm sheets on her, while she could have dozed back off to sleep if left unattended for long, the talk of businesses did unintentionally wake her up from tired to...more awake.

"I think I get it...like they didn't bother to send someone who could help with the bidding or merchant sort of side? I haven't talked to all of the Unicorn, most certainly not Shinjo-san. If most of the Unicorns are like her and Moto-san, I could see that sort of frustration." She sighed as she shifted to her side in bed, wondering if she would put effort into sleeping again or think about business. "When invitations were sent out, we did understand there were going to be very real possibilities that people would be using this as an invitation first and a diplomatic mission second. It can't be helped, Honoka-chan."

She bobbed her head slowly against the pillow she was reading on. "Agasha-san seems fine...He did talk about conservation, and there seemed to be a number of guests here who are in favour of preserving the Green Carp. Something like that is easier to do, often by necessity, here than on the mainland. I don't think transforming the island into a factory would ever be in the plans."

[Yasuki Honoka]

"Heavens.. a factory? That would be..." she trailed off thinking about her mother. Remembering the time she'd spent here with her, and how much she loved this island. A snapshot of her looking up at her mother while sitting on a sandy shore.

Where was she again?

"Umiko-chan!" she snaps back to the moment with a start. "I had been thinking, as much as the clans have not sent their.. best they have sent people. So, maybe.. maybe there might be a way to still make use of the open channels. What if.. what if I was able to speak with enough people to get these clans to invest if not a lot something into Shiawase? That would be good right? Your sister wants us to be a central commercial hub for all the surrounding areas, so what if we had every clan lay at least a little stake? That would be good.. I think. Yes," she says, a bit uncertain about how this would be received.

She'd been considering it for a long time, and thought of it privately but putting the words out there? Now she can't take it back if it was a dumb idea. That was a little scary. What if Umiko thought it was a dumb idea.

[Yasuki Umiko]

Umiko couldn't help but give a few blinks at that proposal. She was awake, but it felt too late or too early to be thrown such a new idea. "Honoka-chan, it's so early, please...Okay, could you walk me through this like I just woke up, then? I'm not so sure if bringing multiple parties here is such a good idea, especially when we'll be indebted to a few of them down the line. And I'm sure certain Clans wouldn't want others to be involved, which would make the idea of a multiple partnership a bit awkward. It's part of the reason why we've decided to only take one, kind of two, partners at most in this bid."