perfectmatch | week two

Edamura and Rom are taken out for hot pot. It's a nice location with a shared pot and many different broths and ingredients to try out. It's a good place to eat and make nice conversation together. Can two con men find love over the sliced lamb?

Highlights

There is lotus root. There is fatty beef. There is anything you want.
The dessert menu is also lush.
There's no time limit so they're good to enjoy themselves!

[HELLO SOMETHING EDAMURA IS GENUINELY EXCITED FOR??]

[also please praise him Rom, he did try to dress nicely for this outing! casually, but like. nicely. EFFORTS ARE STILL BEING MADE]

[don't mind him as he snatches up his chopsticks and reaches for the fatty beef plate]

Dibs on the beef--

[there is enough to share??]

[ Oh, there's something charming about that.

Both the fact that Edamura's a little dressed up today, and the fact that he's clearly hyped about the choice of menu. It's enough to elicit a grin as Rom just laces his hands on the tabletop at first and watches Edamura take the beef. ]

Oh, it's all yours, Edamura-san. Don't let me stop you.

[ Yeah, just. Gonna watch him ominously at first. Don't worry about it! ]

[. . . sir you really must work on that ominous staring habit of yours]

Your mouth says one thing but your staring says something else. Here-

[and he drops a few stray pieces of beef into Rom'a broth]

Ah ... No, you really can take it for yourself. They said it's all you can eat, didn't they?

[ Just. Watching the beef plop in before he gives a little cant of the head. Then finally, he'll give Edamura a break from the staring -- Rom glances aside over the store's interior as he speaks blandly: ]

I've never been to one of these places before, is all. It's a rather novel experience.

[ He's acclimating. ]

. . . really?

[color him surprised!]

Then do you know how it works? I could give you a quick tutorial.

[ You don't really go to places like this by yourself, after all. ]

Mm, well. I get the gist of it.

[ So a tutorial would probably be unnecessary, but -- it's kind of nice seeing Edamura so excited, so. ]

But if you'd like to show me, I wouldn't say no.

[unnecessary as it might be, Edamura is taking his duty as the one most intimately familiar with hot pot seriously!!]

I suppose if you get the gist of it, there isn't much to show you. But--

[dips his chopsticks back into Rom's broth to fish out those pieces of beef, before plopping them into some ponzu sauce, and then on top of Rom's bowl of white rice!]

I think what really makes hot pot enjoyable are the sauces. They're all so different, so they really change the experience, you know?

[ Oh? How cute, the way Edamura's doing this for him. Seriously. ]

Thank you. [ And a little hum of appreciation once he's tried it. This is nice meat, too, he thinks? Good that the production's shelling out for this one. ] ... it's good.

[ He's acting almost normal for a hot moment, here. Rejoice. ]

I don't think I've seen you this enthusiastic for any meal back at the estate. Is this your favorite?

[YEAH LET THEM EAT TASTY MEALS ON PRODUCTION'S DIME]

I don't know if "favorite" is the right word.

[finally, Edamura starts loading up his own broth with vegetables, giving them a quick stir]

But hot pot has a nice. . . camaraderie feel to it, you know? It's the kind of meal you eat with friends and family.

[and that low key (or not so low key, since Rom has picked up on it) makes him happy]

Haha. How nice. I can see the appeal of it.

[ The wording's a little bland, but it's not like he's saying it facetiously. Following Edamura's example, he idly throws a few vegetables in his side of the broth to let them cook. ]

Did you visit these sorts of places often with your family? Or was it more friends. Or coworkers?

[the wording is a little bland, and honestly. . . Edamura thinks it says a lot about Rom himself. but he doesn't comment on it openly, instead opting to give his companion a curious side-eye. he isn't given the chance with that question, either]

[. . .]

[his demeanor sobers]

. . . I used to go a lot with my family as a kid. Not so much as an adult.

[ ... hm. ]

It's difficult finding the right time for things like this as you grow older, hm?

[ It's a convenient out from the subject, if Edamura wants to take it. But if he doesn't, that'd be fine, too. ]

[given an out, he will always take it. the mortifying peril of being perceived. . . even if he has an inkling that Rom may kind of understand]

I do stay pretty busy. So do my coworkers.

[a crooked grin]

But never mind any of that. We're eating hot pot together now, aren't we? Let's enjoy it.

Yes, of course.

[ Slightly disappointing, but very well. Edamura has been sweet so far, so he'll reciprocate by being tactful for once.

He finishes eating the meat Edamura had prepped for him, but also takes the chance to start poking at the ordering tablet. Time to see what else they have ... ]

Coworkers, though. What did you say your job was again, Edamura-san?

[I'm so sorry, Rom is about to quickly learn that Edamura. . . is Like This]

[swirling a few pieces of beef in his own broth as they talk]

Someone called me a "freelancer," and I think that's accurate. I take odd jobs here and there. Whatever I feel like.

[and then, perfectly casually, as though it's just the normal flow of conversation]

You're an exorcist, right? Can I ask how you got into that line of work?

[ Freelancer. Someone jumping between odd jobs? Not implausible, though gut instinct tells him that something about Edamura's fussy personality doesn't feel quite right with his image of an odd-jobs gofer. He'll think about it more later. ]

Hmm? That's not a question I get very often.

[ He finishes scrolling through the menu to order a few more things -- mushrooms, shrimp paste, another plate of the beef -- as he considers how to answer. ]

I guess you could say I was made for it from the start. Ah, but if you're interested in joining the business, I wouldn't mind helping you get a good start on things. Would you like to give it a go?

[pfffft]

No thanks. I don't trust unpleasant spirits.

[said perfectly nonchalantly as he stuffs some beef into his mouth]

Mmmm. . . what does "made for it from the start" mean?

A shame. I think it could have been fun working alongside you, Edamura-san.

[ He fishes out a piece of cabbage, and takes a moment to eat it while glancing at the nearest camera.

-- well. Now's as fine a time as any to talk about this, he supposes. And it's not like it'd really go against the careful charade he's been managing so far, so. Plainly: ]

... I've been able to see spirits since birth.

Give me a call if you ever try branching out into new fields. We could try it out then.

[said with a bit of a smug grin!]

[which fades quickly when Rom answers his question]

Since birth. . .?

[and now he's picturing a poor little baby having to deal with creepy spooks haunting their room. . .]

Is it an ability unique to you?

[ Oh Edamura. You're gonna regret making that offer someday when Rom tries to rope you into some 'totally not spiritual' nonsense work that does turn out to be spiritual nonsense work. Though Rom keeps the thought to himself with a cryptic smile as he fishes through his pot for more vegetables. ]

Not unique, no. I'm sure you've heard of people boasting about such things before -- that they have a sixth sense, or have heard whispers in the night. On the rare occasion, those claims are true. Some people are just sensitive enough to feel some things, and otherwise live normal lives.

[ Oh, more cabbage. Rom idly stirs it around his bowl of sauce as he continues. ]

But those strong enough to call themselves mediums are rarer. I've only met a handful in my life. ... though I've heard that isn't the case where some of the others are from. Fascinating, isn't it? How different all our walks of life are.

Edited (clown noises) 2025-06-11 05:16 (UTC)

[GOOD. that's truly just how his life works, Rom understands the assignment]

I've heard it. I've just never believed it.

[never had reason to. never really wanted to! claiming spiritual sensitivity was just another conman's way of making of making a quick buck. it wasn't his style.]

[he pulls some veggies out of his broth, popping them into his mouth as he continues listening to Rom's explanation. at the mention of Shoko, he opens his mouth to say something-- but then quickly shuts it again. NOTE TO SELF ASK HER ABOUT THAT LATER. . .]

I suppose if we are all from different. . . [grimaces] Worlds, then it makes. . . sense? Wouldn't it be stranger if things were the same across the. . . [wheeze] Universe?

... correct! That would be terribly boring, wouldn't it?

[ They're briefly interrupted here by the waitress bringing them the extra plates he'd ordered. Rom accepts them with a thanks, before promptly dumping the fresh order of meat into the broth -- half into Edamura's side, the rest in his. To make up for what Edamura had prepped for him at the start. ]

But you do believe me now, I see. You should be careful not to get scammed by any sleazy people in the future, okay? -- ah, I am the real deal, for the record. But just a precaution you should probably keep in mind for the future. It'd be a terrible shame if you signed up for freelance work from the wrong client and came out of it missing a kidney, after all!

[AND NOW WE IGNORE ALL THE SHOKO STUFF THAT AL FOGOT TO REMOVE FROM HER TAG--]

[Edamura looks a bit surprised when Rom shares the meat with him, but hey! he also is not complaining. he'll let a few pieces simmer before he starts picking them out one by one, piling them atop his mound of half-eaten rice]

You worry too much. I can recognize a scam artist from ten miles away, Shindou-san.

[jabs his chopsticks at Rom]

The only reason I'm convinced you're real is because of all of the other weird stuff happening, here!

[and even then he is still holding out for the "drugged and kidnapped" theory]

Edited 2025-06-12 01:07 (UTC)

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phenomerom - 2025-06-14 14:38 (UTC) - Expand

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ordimame - 2025-06-14 20:11 (UTC) - Expand

week two | dates

edamura and rom

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1/2

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