//. вαrrelѕ σf fυη

"Syo’s voice… Mm… His tone of voice is hard to describe. His voice is very unique. You’re not going to get the impression right unless you get his voice perfectly… Any sort of deviation and the audience won’t get it." He sighs as he pinches his nose, starting to grow a little wary from babysitting the redhead this way.

Reiji walking into the room was a welcome distraction, breaking their current conversation enough for him to swirl in his chair and go back to writing plans in his notebook. If Otoya got the hint, maybe he’d use their senpai as a willing audience member instead of him. But Otoya calls out for him one more time and Tokiya turns his head, looking over his shoulder with a quirked eyebrow.

His expression contorts to even worse confusion when the pose is made, until Otoya’s voice rings out in an attempt to sound like Reiji. It’s just so absurd but… Somehow the other finally manages to get a voice right. Tokiya instantly snorts, his eyes widening as he slaps a hand over his mouth to keep the sound from slipping.

"Well, that’s a general improvement. But… I do believe you need more energy." He stands up from his chair, straightening out his shirt before he nods at the other.  "Otoya… You need to shorten your language more.  Senpai tends to make his sentences very short… Like this."

--!

Uah!? It's an army of little clones!

[Much as he tries to pay attention to their work schedules, he didn't recall seeing anything about an imposter special! The older idol looks just a little more confused than he does curious as he heads closer, now definitely inviting himself into this mess. (Since this is about him and all, it's only fair!)]

It's not nice to poke fun at your upperclassmen, you know! Especially when it's two against one! [He wags a scolding finger as he sits down near them, good-natured about his words.] What's this all for, Otoyan? A rehearsal for a play? Is there a show?

Ah! Maybe you're trying to become a success by imitating one? Hmhm! Yes, I see perfectly~ [Stroking his chin with a grin, the brunet chuckles devilishly.]

You didn't have to go that far. I would have shared my secrets with you if you had asked nicely, boys!

"You say that… But I don’t believe you’ve tried enough of my cooking to make those sort of claims, Ichi." He flicks his hair behind him, a soft chuckle coming from his throat.  After a quick recovery he slips forward, wrapping a loose arm around the other’s shoulders.

"You’re like a little blue bird, Ichi… You sing so beautifully, and yet you barely peck at whatever food is placed in front of you." He pats the other softly on the shoulder before he continues.  "It wouldn’t hurt for you to live a little, you know?"

Trailing off, his free hand picks up a smaller tomato, bringing it closer to Tokiya’s face so he can smell the subtle sweetness that comes due to its ripeness.  ”Tomatoes are a central ingredient to Italian cooking, something which I am proud to say is my specialty.  Considering how much you’ve grown fond of these as of late, I really do think you should try it sometime.”  He gently places the tomato back down on the basket with a gentle pat.

I'm well aware.

It's not that easy to find time when we're both free, either. [He folds a hand to his chin, half talking to himself. Even without taking the crop into consideration, it could very well take a good week or so to find time to spend with any of them. The more of STARISH and their friends that had to be included, the further ahead they'd have to plan. It made celebrations terrible. After a long moment of thought, brows furrowed, Tokiya's posture reverts back to something casual and he offers a rare, light smile.]

The idol chuckles as he plucks one of the tomatoes out, holding it off and showing off its beautiful color.  ”It’s no problem at all~ I always enjoy growing a few tomatoes for my own cooking— Nothing compared to something freshly grown, trust me.”

He places the item back down before he continues.  ”Tomatoes are nothing compared to roses, by the way… So to me, this is a walk in the park~.” He crosses his arms in front of him, looking completely smug.

While I'm sure your recipes are nice, I'm also just as sure that they'll give me heartburn. Or worse.

[No sir. As funny as it is to see Syo struggle and suffocate on his pranked foods, Tokiya will not go near those dishes to save his life. Ren's palette is just too much, and he's not narrow-minded enough to think otherwise. With a little sigh, he straightens back to normal, one hand settling upon his hip.]

I suppose I could just modify them, but the smarter thing would be to cut you short and not accept them in the first place.

This is enough of a gift, and it's already too much. [He reaches for the basket, slinging it over the crook of his arm.] ISo, thank you. But I'm not enabling you any more than I already have.

"I-chi~." Ren smirks as he walks up to Tokiya, a covered basket grasped tightly in his arms.  "I’m sorry I didn’t get this to you sooner but…" He pulls off the blanket, revealing the red fruits underneath.  "Tomatoes take a while to grow.  Happy Birthday, Tokiya."

This is what you were talking about? [The other idol lowers his posture to check out the fruits more closely, excited despite himself. He didn't expect anything like this. Maybe it was a shallow assumption, but he had just figured Ren was going to import something overly expensive. This is much more acceptable.]

You remember I told you that you didn't have to do anything, right? Especially something that required this much effort?