#em's scribbles

Which one between you and your fave is a foodie? Only one? Both of you? Who's cooking for who? Will the two of you cook for each other?

Em, my love

The house feels so empty without ya here. Yuzu keeps searchin’ for ya. She sleeps on your spot on the couch, lotsa kneadin’ your blanket before settlin’ in. It’s one of the only times I hear her purr these days. We both want ya home with us.

Are ya makin’ sure to eat well? Ya can’t be too picky, even while workin’ abroad. You’ve done such a good job broadenin' your horizons, so no backslidin’! Don't ya forget to cook for yourself some nights even if I’m not there to handle the knife work.

I miss cookin’ with ya. Listenin’ to ya singin’ along with the radio. Surprisin’ ya with a new Japanese dish and seein’ your cute face scrunch up in delight. Or doubt. Can’t always tell which it is... 

I wanna eat your rice porridge again. I still can’t get it right; it comes out chewy even when usin' the rice cooker. But I’m too much of a fraidy-cat to cook it in the bed like ya do. Damn your viking cookin' methods.

Love ya so much,

Anyone's love language as words of affirmation written in ink? What would your letter to them be like? Them to you? How would you or your fave react to receiving one?

Dear So-chan

I’m feeling unwell these days. It’s probably just a cold, nothing to worry about. Still, I took a couple of days off to rest. But having nothing to do for days on end has given me a lot of time to think. About us. About you. About how much I miss you. I know you’ll probably get embarrassed as you read this, but I felt like reminiscing. And being home for so long means I have nothing better to write about this week.

I was thinking about how we met, how you would often linger nearby when Mari and I spent time together around the base. She put in so much work to get us together, I should thank her again. I still remember the time she loudly told you how I find swordplay so very fascinating, I wanted to crawl into a hole! I guess in the end she told you as many good things about me as she told me about you. 

You struck me as being totally out of my league when I first saw you. A platoon leader on your way to becoming vice captain. An expert in your field. And I was just a foreigner, meant to stay only temporarily. Yes, I know what you’re thinking; as a kaiju scientist, my job is what enables you to do YOUR job. That the defense force cannot work without the r&d department. But I still felt less than back then. Maybe just because I felt so out of place and homesick.

I was so fascinated with you. I still am. The way you move when you’re fighting always reminds me of a panther on the prowl. I still love watching you train, and I can’t help but shiver when I think about the few times I’ve seen you in a proper fight. I’m so happy that we’re on the same side. I’m so happy that you accept me for who I am, that you have no problem with me being childish at times -well, most of the time- or that I’m taller than you. I’m so happy that we’re still together after all these years.

I miss you every day. I miss the way you always cheer me up when I’m down. I miss seeing your smile first thing in the morning. I miss your voice, it doesn’t sound the same over the phone. I even miss your teasing. Please tease me again when I come home. 

It’s less than 3 months now. I can’t wait to see you again. 

Lots of love,

Who's most likely to gift the other flowers? What kind of flowers would they be? Just a single kind or a variety of them? Would it be a bouquet, flower crown, perhaps a garland?

Dearest Soshiro,

It’s raining here today. Every drop feels icy against my face. It'll turn to snow soon.

I walked past a florist on my way home. I wonder if it's new or if I just never noticed it before… They had a display of sunflowers in one window, lighting up the grey of the city like a ray of sunshine. I couldn’t help but buy some; you know they’re one of my favorites. 

Do you remember the first time you bought me flowers? You spent so much of your free time getting the apartment I was assigned by Izumo Tech ready for me before I even arrived in Japan. Not needing to go shopping for hand soap and paper towels right after a 16 hour flight was such a blessing. And the flowers you put on the coffee table -much like the flowers I saw today- gave some life and light to a mostly cold and empty apartment. I know we disagree on what flowers to get; I prefer bright colors, while you always want to go the more romantic route with red roses. Mixing the two was a brilliant idea. You always know how to make me feel special.

Ahh, I’m crying again. I really don’t do well with being away from you for so long, I always end up missing you too much. I’m looking forward to talking with you tonight. 

Love,

Let's add a little bit of twist to regular cafe dates, yes? Themed ones! An animal themed cafe? Museum? Retro? Cartoon? Have fun and be creative!

Darlin',

I stopped by the Nyan-Nyan~ Café today. They asked me about ya. When I told 'em that you’re workin' abroad for a while it struck me just how much time has passed. And how little is left before ya return. I miss ya more than I can describe.

D'ya remember the first time we went there? Yuzu, the lil' stinker, wouldn’t leave ya alone. Kept climbin’ all over ya, tryin' to stick her face in your coffee. And every time we'd come back, she’d come runnin’ and holler her lil' head off. She was so small and scrawny back then. I bet when you're back home she’ll come runnin’ again, screamin’ until ya pick her up. 

Speakin' of Nyan-Nyan~, it reminded me of our first date. I still remember tryin’ (and failin’) at keepin’ back my laughter when I saw ya pull out a book for kindergartners. And the way ya told me off, sayin’ that "when you’re learnin’ a new language, 'specially one with a different writin' system, ya gotta start at a kid’s level." Your determination to learn just made me fall deeper in love with ya.

You’ve grown so much since then; you’re practically fluent when speakin'. I hope you’re keepin' up on your kanji studies, don’t lose what you’ve learned so far! Or I’ll have to drill the basics back into ya! I’d be happy to do so ;)

Love ya!

Anyone here a fan of plushies? Do you and your fave gift each other one? What plushie would they most likely give you? Which kind reminds one of the other?

Darlin',

I couldn’t find Yuzu when I came home tonight. Dontcha worry, she’s just fine! But I spent close to an hour turnin’ the house inside-out, searchin’ for her. I found her sleepin' on the bed, nestled between the two plushies ya insist puttin’ there once the bed is made. Yes, I’ve been keepin’ up with it; I know you’d prefer that. Seems Yuzu prefers it too.

I still remember the time ya got that Eneco plushie for me. What was the English name for it again - Skitty? Ya kept sayin’ that ya got cuz it looks like me. I still don’t see the similarity, but ya seemed to love it so much that I’ve grown fond of the damn thing too.

I was so surprised when ya gave it to me. I hadn’t had plushies since I was a lil’ kid. And then the woman I’m head over heels for hands me one and tells me it looks like me. What else was I s’pposed to do but accept it? 

I always thought that plushies were only for children and women. But you’ve been so damn insistent on givin’ me more, to the point where I couldn’t help but love ‘em too. I still remember when we merged our collection. Heh, makes my eyes misty every damn time I think about it. 

Speakin’ of plushies, I got a gift for ya! I’ll give ya a hint. He’s tiny but he’ll fit in perfectly, sittin’ on top of your Amaterasu, next to my Eneco. It’s his favorite spot too.

Love ya so much,

Kiri is fine as roommates go. He keeps his mess out of the communal areas, he leaves your food alone, he pays rent on time. Most of that, you think, is probably attributed to him only using his room for sleep. It's rare to see him outside of early mornings while you're both preparing for work. After work he usually hangs out with his friends, or goes to the gym, or whatever, coming home long after you've retired to your own room.

You don't really mind; you have the apartment mostly to yourself this way. And it's not like you really know him, anyway. He's just a roommate.

Then the pandemic happens.

You're surprised, to be honest, that he doesn't go stay with one of his friends. But he doesn't, and now you're stuck with him. And you soon learn just how loud he can be; he cranks the volume on the video calls with his friends, laughing boisterously at almost anything they say. He shrieks and hollers at the online games they play. And even though he's quick to turn the volume down when you scowl at him, it still frustrates you to no end.

Until one morning where you discover him on the verge of a breakdown, trying his best to not cry into his cereal. You learn about how lonely he is. How much he misses physical human contact. Cranking the volume makes it feel like his friends are in the same room as him again, but it doesn't change how touch-starved he is.

"Can I have a hug?" he asks, eyes red-rimmed and brimming with tears.

We've done words of affirmation, let's go with gift giving! Who's the artistic and crafty one between you and your fave? The one more likely to make their own gift. Perhaps crocheted items? Sewn outfits? Portrait? DIY accessories?

Dearest Soshiro,

Have I mentioned how weird it is to be back here again? Some days I slip right into the person I was when I lived here. Then I remember that my life is different now. It’s not here, anymore, it’s with you. I miss you so much.

One of my friends took me to a classical concert last night. It started snowing while we were inside. Big, fluffy flakes. The ground was all pristine and white when we left. At least they know how to deal with snow up here. And as much as I hate how bitter the cold gets, I wish it’d get colder quickly. I really want to see the aurora again before I leave.

I bought a couple of skeins of yarn the other day. You know how I like keeping my hands busy while watching TV at night. And I thought I could spend at least some of the weeks before I come home knitting you a new scarf. One that will go well with your Numbers 10 suit. But just the scarf this time since I recall that you weren’t very fond of the gloves I made you last time. I know, I know, the gloves did NOT work with sword fighting. And because you need to be able to spring into action at a moment's notice, you wouldn’t have the time to yank them off. That just means more gloves for me >;Þ 

I bought a cross stitch kit too, one with lots of flowers. I’m planning on using it for a decorative pillow for the reading nook if it turns out well. And if it survives the trip home without tearing or unraveling, I suppose. It’s getting much closer, isn’t it? I can barely wait to see you again.

Love, 

You stumble upon an old shrine deep in the forest. In the center of the shrine is a statue of a yokai, sitting on the ground, a cup in one outstretched hand. For some unknown reason you decide to return the next day to clean up the statue a little bit, and you intend to leave a bottle of sake as an offering. On a whim, you pour the sake into the statue's cup.

As you're leaving, you hear a voice behind you.