Taking some time out - Takumi - open tag

[fryn]

No Bento.

That seriously sucked.

In fact, it sucked more than Takumi thought it would and he frowned as he mentally pictured his lunch back home on the kitchen counter.

He frowned down at the wilted sandwich he'd bought earlier.

Very seriously sucked. Still, he only had himself to blame for forgetting to pick up his Bento.

Taki popped the buds of his mp3 player into his ears and sprawled back on the grass, UVERworld vying with Bump of Chicken for first place on his playlist. UVERworld won... this time... and he settled back to listen to 'Colours of the Heart'... The sandwich - if it could be termed as such - could wait until desperation and famine struck. Right now Taki couldn't face the soggy mass of bread and... Hell, he couldn't remember what he'd bought and t resembled nothing he'd seen before. With luck someone would wander past and have something decent he could talk them into sharing. Dare and his spring rolls would be good.

He pushed his hands beneath his head and bent his knees up, hooking one ankle over the other knee and closing his eyes. He hummed softly as the tune progressed, wondering as he did so if it was possible to starve to death by missing one meal. Hopefully not!

[Lace Kellan]

As per usual, her mother had packed too much lunch and Lace was a bit miffed. Like she hadn't grown so much already the past couple of weeks. She needed to stay fit for Bree Marcus' brunch this weekend. Not that she would pig out during that particular brunch anyway. She just needed to fit into that satin dark blue dress she had been eyeing since last Christmas.

Lace contemplated giving her triple decker club sandwich with extra veggies to the stray kitten she had been nursing to health behind the school in a FedEx box near the Dumpster. As she walked over to where she last remembered seeing the kitten, she panicked when not only was the box gone, the kitten was too!

She whirled around the school compound to maybe see where the little cat was but there was no sign of it around. She turned to look at the Dumpster and blanched. "Here, kitty...here kitty where are you? Speak to me...!" She whispered urgently. When no sound came, her heart beat fast and she walked around asking if anyone saw the box but none of them even responded or acted like they cared.

When she saw a Japanese boy lying on the ground with earphones stuck in his ears, she bit her lip before deciding it couldn't hurt to ask. So slowly, she approached the boy and then shook his shin that was high in the air. "Excuse me...excuse me, guy? I need to ask if you saw a kitty near the Dumpster back there?" she turned and pointed to the direction of the Dumpster. Turning back, it was obvious that Lace was about to cry. The kitten had been doing great progress but now it was gone...what had happened to the kitten?

[fryn]

Takumi was well into UVERworld's 'Endscape' track by now and oblivious to everything else around him - in particular, the sandwich that still sat in its cellophane packaging on the grass next to his left hip. As such, the hand on his lower leg and consequent shake starlted him out of his little musical world.

"Bikkuri shiteiru!" he stated, eyes opening in surprise. "I mean, you ah.. startled me," he repeated in English. Takumi pulled the buds out of his ears and sat up. The girl was pointing towards the back of the school block. "Sumimasen... Can you please repeat that?"

He listened as the girl obliged.

"A kitty?" To his credit, Takumi held back from making even more of a fool of himself by misunderstanding the girl and assuming she was referring to his beloved Hello Kitty. "Ah so... ou have lost a little cat... yes?" She nodded and he scrambled to his feet, easily able to see how close she was to tears. "Please... don't cry. I will help you find your... kitty. You saw your little cat last time over there? Then we shall start our search in that direction." He pushed his mp3 player into his pocket and with one final look of complete disgust down at his sandwich he left the package where it was. Hopefully some passing seagulls would steal it while it was gone.

He threw the girl a bright smile. "I am Takumi. Takumi Yoshino," he told her. "And we will find your cat."

[Lace Kellan]

When the boy exploded in Japanese, Lace was taken aback mostly due to the fact that she couldn't understand. He was polite enough to translate it to her. And as she repeated her question out loud, it felt somehow final that her kitten was really gone. Did someone take it?

"Yes...a little orange tabby. She can barely walk or feed herself. I had this club sandwich I thought I could give to her just to sustain her health and now she's gone." Her voice became thinner and softer by the end of her monologue. Not thinking it was possible, his reassuring tone for her not to cry made her want to cry even more but she held back her tears, even though the thought of losing her kitten forever...it wasn't even hers but she had grown an attachment to the few weeks old little cat and now it's gone.

When he offered some help and introduced himself, Lace tried to copy his smile but failed miserably although the sincerity of the smile did make her ease up a bit. "Lace. Lace Kellan. Thank you so much for helping me. No one seemed to be bothered." Her clutch on her paper bag tightened as they moved around the school grounds to look for her little kitten.

[fryn]

Taki hadn't a clue what the club part of her sandwich was but it had to be better than whatever had been in his own. 'Lucky cat,' he thought to himself. "Lace," he repeated. "A very pretty name but please, no need to thank me. I am onlytoo happy to be able to assist... if I can," he added with a wry grin. "How hard will it be to find an orange cat?" he said with a short laugh. He'd never seen one that colour - except in anime, of course - but he had a feeling the feline, once found, would prove to be less of an orange and more of a ginger hue. Hopefully they'd find it for Lace and he could see for himself.

He dropped one hand onto her shoulder, sensing how upset she was. He hated to see anyone upset - even a person he hadn't known until now. "Perhaps if you get out some of the club..." - he'd have to ask Izzy what that was... some kind of meat or vegetable maybe? - "... then it might come out of hiding. Over there. We could try over there by those cardboard cartons." They probably had been left there by the kitchen people, ready for refuse collection. "If she is cold and frightened she might have hidden in there..." It was a starting place and definitely worth a shot. Takumi crossed the fingers of his other hand and kept it hidden behind his back.

"Shh," he urged. "Listen carefully for any sound of movement." As one, they dropped into a low crouch, Lace holding some of her lunch out towards the boxes. If the kitten was in there it would surely know they - and food - were there...

[Lace Kellan]

It barely registered in her head that Takumi was urging her to relax. Usually petty comments like how she looked made her blush but circumstances called for her tuning everything out but her fear for the kitten's safety.

When the boy suggested her to get the club out of her sandwich, she finally let out a giggle. "It's just a name of the sandwich. It's got chicken and mayo and lettuce and tomatoes...all good things in a sandwich..." her voice trailed off when her eyes were directed to the boxes dumped near the back entrance. She slipped under Takumi's hand and dropped to her knees rummaged through the boxes, calling out for the kitten but to no avail. "But she couldn't have gone out of her box. She was too weak...what if someone took her, Takumi?" Her big blue eyes were shimmering with tears that wouldn't fall.

She turned away from him once more and walked along the path, calling out to the kitten. "Kitty? Kitty...where are you? You need your..."

A soft mew completely distracted Lace and she practically sprinted to where she heard the sound. She gripped Takumi's hand tight while the other hand that had a vice grip on her paper bag swung wildly beside her as she chased after the sound only to find the kitten shivering under a tented box. Lace let go of Takumi's hand and dropped down to her knees, not caring that her jeans were scuffed due to the friction. She got a piece of cloth in her bag and unwrapped it before slowly and gently draping it over the kitten, bundling her up nice and warm and cradled the seemingly ginger hued kitten to her chest. "Oh my gosh...you scared me so bad, kitty." Lace whispered, cooing to the kitten.

Looking up at Takumi, a genuine smile graced her lips. "Thank you so much, Takumi. Um...I've got an extra sandwich in my bag. That's...the only thing I can offer up as a reward for your benevolence...I hope that's enough?" She asked as she stroked the kitten's soft fur.

[fryn]

He wasn't sure how to answer her question as someone might easily have taken the cat. What if it had been taken with some of the rubbish? It was, perhaps, better not to voice that thought out loud because if it was anything like in Japan the rubbish would have gone through a crusher.

He watched in concern as Lace dropped down to her knees, glad, though, that his mistake concerning the name of her sandwich had made her laugh... if only slightly. Sometimes it wasn't so bad not knowing the right words in English. This was one of those cases.

And then a miracle, of sorts, took place and the kitten he'd felt sure had been lost could be heard mewing from beneath the boxes. His surprise was complete when Lace grabbed his hand and hauled him in her wake with more strength than he'd have believed she possessed. It helped that he was a lightweight, of course, but still...

The tiny cat was unearthed and Lace let go of Taki's hand so that she could scoop up the scrap of fur. He smiled as he stood over her and watched her make a fuss of the feline and his decision to help her had been well worthwhile - albeit spontaneously taken.

Lace looked up at Takumi, her face instantly altered by its smile. He lifted a hand to brush off her thanks. "Seeing you smile is reward enough, Lace-chan," he replied. As hungry as he was he wouldn't contemplate taking the rest of her lunch. She looked to need it far more than he did! He dropped down into a crouch at her side, gently tickling the tiny creature who batted at his finger with its paw. An action both weak as well as playful. "Can you not take it home with you?" he asked. "That way you will know it to be safe and cared for."

[Lace Kellan]

Seeing Takumi being affectionate towards the kitten made Lace beam. Maybe she should make him an honorary owner of this kitten. No...it would be too weird. As much as he seemed like a nice guy, Lace couldn't fathom him taking too well to her telling him that he could be co-owner of this precious little kitten.

His refusal to accept her sandwich made her insist more. "Please, I insist. My mother always packs too much for me and I hardly think eating two pieces of triple decker club sandwich by myself is good thinking. Please? Unless you have somewhere else to go. Then please uh...go if you need to. But if you don't have anywhere else, join me and this little thing for lunch. We have about...fifteen minutes to kill." Lace smiled beatifically. She got up with the kitten still clutched to her chest.

When asked about bringing the kitten home, Lace shrugged. "My parents aren't really keen on having pets in the house. I think I'll just drop by the animal shelter later after school. One of my schoolmates volunteer there. I think he'll help me out with this little one." She started cooing at the kitten once more which purred softly in her hands, closing it's eyes to the scratching it was receiving.

"Please, have lunch with me?" Lace smiled widely. She had been having good luck talking to people lately, she didn't want to ruin it now.

[fryn]

Takumi leaned over and rubbed the kitten's ears as it nestled contentedly in Lace's arms. "I have nowhere else I need to be," he assured her. "And domo arigatou," he added with a tin dip of his head. "I would love to share your lunch. I forgot mine," he told her with a rueful smile and he grimaced when he added, "I bought... ah... something from the cafeteria but... I prefer to know the name of whatever it is I am about to eat and I can't even guess what's inside the sandwich. It looks... purplish green. No one should eat anything coloured purplish green. Don't you agree?" They laughed and headed for a patch of grass, settling down with the kitten between them. He thanked her again when she handed him a triangle of bread and all kinds of bits inside. What had she said 'club' meant? Chicken, lettuce, tomato... and one other thing he hadn't understood. Mayo.

He took a bite.

"Sugoi!" he stated. "This is wonderful! Can you write down what is in it so I can get my mother to make it for me again?" He slipped a morsel of chicken to the still hungry-looking cat. There was no way Takumi could ignore those soulful eyes. "But what should be done about this little cat?" he asked, the paw lifting again to play with Takumi's baggy sleeve. He laughed and let the kitten engage him in a gentle game of tug. "We can't just leave him in those boxes. What if they are taken away? And the kitten is still inside? We should hide it somewhere else perhaps... Somewhere safe and warm where we can look after it... Do you know of such a place?"

[Lace Kellan]

Lace knew a little bit of Japanese...at least enough to be polite so when Takumi thanked her, she blushed and nodded. "It's my pleasure to share. My mother always makes far too much food for me. Maybe if you want I'd let you have half of my share for every lunch...in case you forget to bring yours again." She shrugged. So this was going well. She was finally talking to people, and boys at that. She was very grateful she wasn't freaking out.

Laughing, Lace couldn't help but agree. In the case of knowing what her lunch would be, she was thankful her mother made her lunch so she wouldn't have to wonder what the school cafeteria was handing out in the guise of food. Once they were sitting down on the grass, Lace crossed her legs and tucked them under her before carefully placing the kitten on her lap. She rummaged through her bag for her hand sanitizer and squirted a bit on to her hand before opening the brown bag with her container of sandwich, a big bottle of orange juice which was sweating in condensation and a pudding box.

"Would you like to clean your hands first? You've already touched the kitten and...I don't want you to get germs all over your lunch." She handed him a piece of wet tissue before popping the lid of the container and taking out the triple decker sandwich which she handed to him after he had wiped his hands with the tissue. "You can put the tissue into the paper bag." She suggested before taking her half of the sandwich and biting into it. She smiled when she realised that her mother had put in a slice of colby cheese, which was her favourite instead of regular cheddar.

Looking up when Takumi exclaimed, Lace gave him a surprised look. She knew he hadn't eaten a club sandwich before but it wasn't that fantastic. But she supposed to a foreigner, everything would taste better the first time. And his request made her smile in surprise. "Okay..." she said as she continued to eat her sandwich.

At the mention of the kitten's safety, Lace turned just in time to see Takumi and the little tabby kitten playing and her smile softened. Takumi seemed to be a kindred spirit in that both of them loved the kitten. She wondered if he would be interested in joining her little dog walking business. She shook her head mentally and thought to herself that they didn't know each other well enough for her to be recruiting him. "Um...I'll find it a place. Don't worry...maybe I should skip my next period to go to the animal shelter now."