capeandcowllogs | man I am no good at setting things up

WHO: MU MU HAKYHOUSE AND GUESTS (so, basically anyone who is friends with any of the folks in the house can show up. :>
WHERE: A certain townhouse in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
WHEN: Backdated to Saturday, 2/19/11
WARNINGS: Toward the Terrangst, goofy shonen shenanigans, & Hiei.
SUMMARY: Now that the dust of Keith's Death By Heroes has settled, it's time for
FORMAT: I like paragraphs because smalltagging takes effort, but DO WHAT YOU WANT we welcome all kinds here.

As evening fell, Kurama began preparing the house for guests. The common areas were brightly lit, with snacks and laid out for light entertainment before dinner, and he'd stocked the drinks cabinet. The tv in the living room was off, but there were video and board games discreetly displayed in case anyone cared to partake.

The top floor was safe space for Mu who wanted a little more quiet than a party with Yusuke and Kuwabara was going to provide.

As it was unusually warm - almost 60 degrees out - he'd also opened the doors to the backyard, and though there was still melting snow around its edges, he'd gone to the trouble to bring the garden to life for the night. The shrubs and Hiei's tree were green and hung with lamps, and he'd set beds of spring flowers to bloom. Coupled with all the plants inside, there was the slight sense of being in a greenhouse in the middle of winter.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The door opened to reveal their host, and the smell of cooking curry.

"Hello, welcome! I'm glad you've come. Both of you."

He sees you moping back there, Matsuka.

"Thank you for inviting us," Bakura smiled happily, giving a small bow on reflex. "I brought a tart for desert, I hope it's big enough for everyone!"

See, Matsuka? someone's already happy to see you, so you'll have two people you can hide behind!

Matsuka ventured a smile, but he still hung back. He knew that they wanted him there, but even so... "Are you sure this is all right?" he wondered. "Even after everything that's happened, for me to come here..."

Blue and Leo had been told he was invited, right? He wanted to ask, but he couldn't quite bring himself to.

"Yes, it's alright, and the tart looks delicious, Bakura, thank you."

Kurama led them into the house, all hardwood floors, paneled walls and high molded ceilings common to old New York homes. It still lacked the bric-a-brac and decorations that marked a well-lived-in place, but he'd softened the place with lots of plants.

"Can I get either of you something to drink? I have some herbal teas, Matsuka, which I thought you might like to try."

Bakura marveled a bit at the house, rather impressed. Even with the lingering newly moved in feel, it had a warm, homey feeling to it. Especially with all the plants.

You could tell it was Shuichi's place with that.

"Aa-- if tea wouldn't be any trouble..." he answered, pulling himself away from admiring the place. There would be time for that later, after all.

Matsuka trailed in uncertainly behind Bakura - he couldn't just stand out there on the sidewalk, in any case. He didn't make it very far in before he stopped again, half out of continuing awkwardness and half to be impressed by the inside of the house, before his host's words drew his attention back again.

"--you do?" he said, with a slow blink, caught between his worries and his anxiousness not to be rude. "I'd like that, then... if you wouldn't mind..."

"It's a grand place, isn't it? It's old, for this City, and was falling apart, which is the only way we were able to afford it. They couldn't tear it down because of the neighborhood's historic status, but it was going to be a nightmare to repair. Or, it would have been until someone came along who could reshape all the wood. Come into the kitchen and relax a moment."

There'd been significantly more to the repairs than that - and the kitchen was fully modern, too - but Kurama was happy to gloss over the details. Instead, he put the kettle on and looked for something to give Matsuka a little energy and help him feel calmer.

"Heeeeh, so it was lucky you found it, then!" Bakura smiled. He knew Shuichi's power had something to do with plants, but had no idea it extended that far!

...really, sometimes he knew almost nothing about his friends. Ah well.

"It's hard to tell," Matsuka murmured, looking around the kitchen. "It doesn't look like it was so close to falling apart. It's nice."

It was... a lot of wood, he realized, now that it had been specifically mentioned. After nearly a year in the City, he'd gotten much more used to the abundance of wood and paper, but in this form it seemed almost extravagant. Wondering at it distracted him a little from his discomfort.

It was a particular lot of wood in the case of this house. Kurama hadn't used his powers so openly or so casually back home, but he'd also not been under his own roof. The indulgences made the place feel more comfortable to him, and they certainly made the place more secure. Woe betide the person who tried to break into this house of leaves...

"Thank you. Ah, here's something to show you..."

Kurama pulled down a very unusual teapot made of thick blown glass, and a box of...something, from which he took a small gray ball of...twine? sticks? His smile was pleased and a little mischievous as he brought the pot to an island counter in the center of the kitchen. The gray ball he handed to Matsuka.

"Here, hold this, and when I tell you, drop it into the pot."

He filled the teapot with hot water from the kettle and looked up at Matsuka and nodded. "Now."

Matsuka held the ball cupped in his hands, looking at it curiously. Shuichi had mentioned herbal teas, but even with that, he couldn't quite guess the purpose of this. He waiting, instead, until Shuichi gave the word, and then carefully released it into the hot water. "--like this?"

man I am no good at setting things up

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